That time of year is here again: bring on the sniffles, the pollen, the dust, and all those springtime chores that have been piling up since last March. Spring cleaning can be a drag, but it’s also a great chance to rediscover all of the cool untouched things you have hidden around the house. (Maybe it’s an old video game console, or that shirt you swore you’d wear, but forgot you had!)
Whether you decide to reorganize or simply make a donation, spring cleaning is the perfect time to declutter and make home improvements. A few simple changes here and there can go a long way to make your home even more functional and beautiful in the long run!
At Inspired LED, we want to help you tackle those spring cleaning duties, and make it even easier for you in years to come. How, you might ask? By adding a little lighting!
As the old saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” By illuminating those dark or hidden corners where messes tend to collect, you can help to reduce messy build-up throughout the year–which means less time spent cleaning those areas next spring! Below, we explore some of the most common “problem-spots” in the home, along with a few ways Inspired LED products can help you make the most of these areas during spring cleaning this year!
Closet Shelf Lighting
No matter how big or how small, we believe all closets deserve some sort of lighting! The old-school standard is, of course, the single overhead bulb; which brightens up parts of the closet, but fails to illuminate any shelves, and often fades out by the time it gets to the floor. To solve this, Inspired LED recommends lining the inside frame of a closet door with Super Bright Flexible LED tape.
Mounting the flex again the wall or door frame facing outward allows for maximum illumination, giving you a more even distribution of light from floor to ceiling. Have built-in shelving or a custom closet unit? No problem! LED Lighting Expert Inspired LED can build a custom shelf-lighting system for you through our custom Design Services. Just send us an image of your application along with a few measurements, and we’ll do the rest!
Pantry Lighting
Pantry’s have a tendency to feel like a pit of despair when it comes to spring cleaning. Throughout the year, shelves may get so crowded and cluttered that it’s almost impossible to tell what you have. You might have stocked up on pasta while it was on sale, only to end up buying more–now come to find out you have enough pasta to feed an army!
But this is also one of those areas where a small amount of cleaning and organization can go a long way. Once all the expired cans have been tossed out and all your jars reorganized, the addition of LED lighting will not only help to highlight your success, it will help you avoid the dreadful “pasta-bility” of pantry build-up in the future. Installing flexible LED strips around the inside of the door frame or along individual shelves will eliminate dark spots, speeding up your daily meal prep, and making it easier to write your shopping list each week. For added convenience, a magnetic switch installed in the pantry door will allow your lights to turn on automatically–perfect for those times when your hands are filled with grocery bags, or messy from cooking!
Bathroom Accent Lighting
Aside from your kitchen, the second most commonly used room in your home is the bathroom, which means it is an especially important place to keep clean. While it’s probably safe to say this is nobody’s favorite chore, once you’ve given the room a good spring scrubbing, you’re free to move on to the fun stuff! Reward your hard work with a new shade of paint or updated hardware, then show it off with some accent lighting!
Accent lighting in bathrooms (even in showers), has emerged as a growing trend among architects and designers. One of the easiest ways to get this look in your home is to add LED lighting behind a mirror. This indirect light source makes a big difference when you or your sweetie is shaving, or applying make-up. Can’t add lighting to your mirror? Try some accent lights below your vanity as a toe-kick. A simple motion sensor will allow the lights to turn on automatically as needed–the perfect solution for those midnight restroom runs.
TV Backlighting
Congratulations! With your closet organized, your pantry in order, and some new lighting in the bathroom, it’s time to treat yourself to some serious Netflix binge watching, (or maybe a DVD from that massive collection you almost forgot you had)! Some bias lighting around the back of your TV will help to reduce both glare and eye strain, making the picture appear more crisp and clear. Inspired LED’s TV Backlight Kit installs in just minutes, and an optional USB switch allows the lights to turn on and off in sync with your TV.
Now you can relax knowing your house is clean, and well lit with affordable, energy efficient, long lasting LEDs. Best of all, this time next year, your job will be even easier thanks to all your hard work!
For more information on prepping for spring with LEDs, check out our spring cleaning challenge here. Want some help designing your new LED lighting system this spring? Contact our Design Team for your free LED layout and quote!