Rule 6 of 6
Night-Light Placement
A common rule of thumb places a night-light low, near the floor it is meant to show, and picks the lowest output that still makes the floor readable rather than the brightest one available.
- 15 inWall outlet, commonly 12 to 18 inFrom the rule: Night-Light Placement
- 7 inFirst stair treadFrom the rule: Night-Light Placement
- 44 inSeated eye heightFrom the rule: Night-Light Placement
The rule
A common rule of thumb places a night-light low, near the floor it is meant to show, and picks the lowest output that still makes the floor readable rather than the brightest one available.
This is a common rule of thumb out of decorating practice. It is not a standard, it is not a requirement, and nobody publishes it as one. What follows is where the number comes from, so you can disagree with it on the arithmetic rather than on taste.
The measurement it needs
The height of the outlets on the route, and the length of the run they have to cover.
How to take it: Measure the Wall
The arithmetic
5 steps, and each one is a number you can check.
- A wall outlet in a home commonly sits somewhere around 12 to 18 in above the floor, measured to the center of the box. That is where a plug-in night-light lives, and it is not a choice you get to make.
- From 15 in up, a night-light lights a cone downward and outward. The floor directly under it is lit, and the useful pool extends a few feet along the wall in each direction before it fades.
- Which is why the count matters more than the brightness. Two low lights spaced along a hallway show more floor than one bright light at one end, and they do it without a bright spot anyone has to walk past.
- Now compare the output figures. The lowest stated figure in this catalog is 1 lm and the lowest stated figure on a different listing is 30 lm. That is a factor of thirty between two products sold for the same spot.
- Five of the eight listings here state no output figure at all, in which case the arithmetic cannot be done and the only honest thing to say is that the number is missing.
Where the catalog falls short
Two listings state a lumen figure and two state a wattage. Five state a color temperature — three as a Kelvin number, two as a word. Pack counts run from two units to eight.
None of the 8 listings here state a output figure.
The category is mostly missing the one figure that decides the purchase. Five of eight state nothing about output. Where a listing says warm white or daylight white instead of a Kelvin number, the tint is a guess from a photograph. And no listing here states a beam angle, so how far the pool of light actually reaches along a hallway is not knowable from the page.
Three things to keep in view
- Do not cover a plug-in night-light, and do not use one in a damaged or loose outlet.
- Do not use a power strip or extension cord unless the manufacturer allows it.
- A Kelvin figure describes the tint of the light. We make no claims about what it does to a person.
Sizes in the catalog this rule can be applied to
5 listings from Night-Lights whose stated figure can be put against the arithmetic above. Whether any of them suits your room is a question this page cannot answer, because it depends on numbers only you have.
Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It changes nothing about the numbers below, which come from the listings.
Only 2200 K stated
AUVON Backlit Night Light, 4-pack
2200K appears exactly once in this catalog. Every other night-light listing here states 3000K, warm white or daylight white.
The only listing in this category that states a bottom end to its output, and that bottom end is 1 lumen. One lumen is about as little light as a device can make and still be on. The listing states 2200K, which is a warmer tint than the 3000K the rest of this category uses, and it states both a motion sensor and a dusk-to-dawn sensor.
- The listing states
- motion and dusk to dawn sensors, 2200K, and 1 to 50 lm dimmable output.
- Best for
- A hallway outlet where the lowest possible setting is the point.
What works
- One lumen at the low end is stated, the lowest figure any listing here gives.
- Both sensors are stated, so it can respond to darkness and to movement.
- 2200K is stated as a number rather than as a word like warm.
- Fifty lumens at the top means it can also be turned up.
What does not
- Four units is a lot to buy to test whether the tint suits a hallway.
- The listing states no beam angle, so the spread on a wall is unknown.
- A backlit panel is wider than a plain plug, and may crowd a two-socket outlet.
Lowest stated wattage
L LOHAS Plug-in Night Light, 2-pack
0.3W, the lowest wattage stated in this catalog. The only other stated wattage figure here is 0.5W.
Three tenths of a watt is the lowest power figure stated anywhere in this catalog, and the listing is equally clear that the light does not dim. Non-dimmable is a useful thing to say out loud, because a night-light that only has one level is a simpler object. The listing states 3000K, a tint description rather than a claim about anything else.
- The listing states
- 0.3W, a dusk to dawn sensor, 3000K soft white and non-dimmable output.
- Best for
- An outlet where one fixed low level is all that is wanted.
What works
- 0.3W is stated, the lowest wattage figure in this catalog.
- The listing states non-dimmable outright instead of leaving it ambiguous.
- A dusk-to-dawn sensor is stated, so it does not need a switch.
- 3000K is stated as a Kelvin figure rather than a word.
What does not
- Non-dimmable means the one level it has is the level you get.
- No lumen figure is stated, so 0.3W does not tell you how bright it is.
- Two units only, where other listings here offer four, six or eight.
Only plug-in motion pair
L LOHAS Motion Sensor Night Light, 2-pack
The only plug-in night-light here whose listing states motion activation without also stating a dusk-to-dawn sensor.
Thirty to sixty lumens, motion activated, and no dusk-to-dawn sensor stated. That combination means it stays dark until something moves, which is a different behavior from a light that comes on at sunset and stays on. Thirty lumens at the low end is well above the 1 lumen floor the AUVON listing states.
- The listing states
- 30 to 60 lm, motion activation and 3000K warm white.
- Best for
- An outlet that should stay dark until someone passes it.
What works
- A stated range of 30 to 60 lm, which is a real output figure.
- Motion activation is stated without a light sensor, so the behavior is simple to predict.
- 3000K is stated as a Kelvin figure.
- Two units, which is enough to try before committing to more.
What does not
- Thirty lumens is the floor here, so it cannot be set lower.
- No dusk-to-dawn sensor is stated, so it can trigger in daylight.
- The listing states no motion range or timeout.
Largest stated pack
Sujeet Night Light, 8-pack
8 units, the largest pack count stated in this catalog. No other night-light listing here states 8.
Eight units, which is the largest pack in this catalog and enough to cover a hall, a landing, a kitchen and a bathroom at once. The listing is the shortest here: a dusk-to-dawn sensor, and warm white as a word rather than a Kelvin figure. There is no output number of any kind.
- The listing states
- a dusk to dawn sensor and warm white LED.
- Best for
- Covering several outlets at once with one purchase.
What works
- Eight units, the largest stated pack count in this catalog.
- A dusk-to-dawn sensor is stated, so none of them need switching.
- Enough units to cover a whole floor of a house in one go.
- A short listing that claims nothing it cannot support.
What does not
- Warm white is a word, not a Kelvin figure.
- No lumen figure and no wattage figure are stated.
- No dimming or step count is stated.
Only one without a plug
Lyridz Rechargeable Motion Light, 2-pack
The only night-light here whose listing states a rechargeable battery instead of an outlet plug.
The only light in this category that does not need an outlet, which changes where it can go entirely: the back of a cupboard, a stair stringer, the inside of a wardrobe. The listing states a rechargeable battery, a motion sensor, stick-on mounting and adjustable brightness. It states no run time.
- The listing states
- a rechargeable battery, a motion sensor, stick-on mounting and adjustable brightness.
- Best for
- A spot with no outlet, such as a cupboard or a stair.
What works
- No outlet is needed, so placement is not decided by the wiring.
- Stick-on mounting is stated, so nothing has to be drilled.
- A motion sensor is stated, which is what makes a battery light practical.
- Brightness is stated as adjustable.
What does not
- No run time per charge is stated, so recharging frequency is unknown.
- No lumen figure and no Kelvin figure are stated.
- Stick-on mounting depends on the surface, and the listing does not say which surfaces.
All 8 listings in this category: Night-Lights
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How this rule changes with the room
3 room shapes where this arithmetic lands somewhere different.
Sources for this page
- CPSC — Electrical Safety
- NFPA — Electrical Safety in the Home
- CPSC — Safety for Older Consumers: Home Safety Checklist (PDF)
3 sources, checked by opening each one.