During a power outage, you likely hurry to gather all your flashlights, candles, and other light sources to help illuminate the home. Your power may go out for several reasons; regardless of the cause, your main concern is likely how you will continue daily life while waiting for the electricity to turn back on. You can use any light source to get you through this period, but some are more beneficial than others. Instead of using your smartphone’s glow and hoping its battery doesn’t die, try one of these ways to light your home during a power outage.
Make Light in a Jar
This is a fun project to do at any time of the year, but it works well when your neighborhood loses power. Grab mason jars or shallow metal cans from your pantry and stick a wick to the bottom. Pour in oil until it fills a third of the container. The oil should not cover the end of your wick. You can use mineral, vegetable, tallow, or lard oil inside the jar or can.
Don’t use oil if you plan to do this craft with your kids. Instead, grab a mason jar and tape a battery-operated candle at the bottom of the jar. Kids can carry these jars around with them when they need to go in dark hallways or use the bathroom during a power outage.
Use Solar Lights
What you need the most is light during a power outage, and what better source to use than solar lights? Like solar panels, solar lights absorb energy from the sun and illuminate pathways, decks, and sides of the home at night. Some solar lights even connect to phone apps, allowing you to to switch the lights on and off as needed to conserve power.
Have Candles Out
Candles are necessary during power outages; they’re the first thing anyone thinks to grab when the power goes out. You can use LED or wick candles, but make sure they’re fragrance-free, as the smell can become bothersome after a while.
If your wick burns down before the wax melts, remove a wick from an old, empty candle jar and use it in your current candle. Create a hole big enough for the new wick and light it up. Now, you have a new way to rehabilitate candles, and you have more light.
Buy a Kerosene Lamp
A kerosene lamp has been used for centuries and is an item you’ll want year-round. When using a kerosene lamp, make sure to use one of these oils:
- Paraffin oil
- Clear lamp oil
- Citronella oil
- Kerosene
- Kerosene substitute
Kerosene lamps can explode if you use more than one oil type, so avoid getting creative with gasoline or other flammable materials that can cause harmful reactions. Keep this list of different ways to light your home in mind during a power outage. You’ll have reliable light sources that will keep you safe and can continue your regular routine until the power turns back on in your neighborhood.
