You might think that re-fitting your closet or pantry with super-efficient motion-sensing lights is a big, expensive re-wiring project. Well you're wrong. Thanks to the ingenuity of one home blogger (and her house inspector dad), we now know the secret to cheap motion lights. (Hint: It's Christmas Lights!)
Kelly at View Along the Way knew she needed to get some kind of easy lighting up in her kitchen pantry for late night snack breaks. But thanks to local ordinances, she was unable to safely install an incandescent bulb in the small closet.
What's a dedicated late-night snacker to do? Get creative by fitting an outlet with a motion-sensor light switch. This way, anything plugged into the outlet will automatically shut on and off when the pantry door opens. And what's plugged into the outlet? A string of cool-as-a-cucumber LED Christmas lights—an after-the-holiday steal at $2.50.
The lights were mounted around the inside of the door frame for all-over light in the pantry. Check out the whole project here at View Along the Way.
If you don't have an outlet or light switch in your closet or pantry, try something like these stick-on LED motion lights (below, 3 for $26.40). You won't get the same all-over light coverage, but they're an easy fix for focused light.
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So you'd have to install an outlet in the pantry?
I second the confusion. If you are going to all the trouble why not just put a switch and a real light, or keep the motion sensor and put in a real light or a sconce.
Also most battery operated stick on lights are junk. Even the expensive ones always seem to disappoint.
Now, if there already exists an outlet and you aren't allowed to add any new mounted light fixtures. Then maybe this starts to become more reasonable, but I'd still rather have more light output when I'm looking at food.
During our renovation an inspector required that we change out the incandescent fixtures (bare bulbs) for florescent because of the fire hazard. We were surprised by how much brighter the small spaces became after the change, even though we installed quite small florescent fixtures.
Kelly here. We had wiring just outside the wall, so we did install a switch, but the battery-operated LED lights would work great here too. Fluorescent lights were another option, but for a pantry as small as ours, the top shelf would block all the light. Hanging lights around the doorway made the whole pantry evenly lit.
PS, Thanks for the post!
I want that in the house all the time on every light. You come in its on...you leave, it goes out...maybe I should just get a "clapper"?