I did not expect much from an outlet cover. It is a piece of plastic with two holes in it, and I have never once thought about the ones in my house.
Then a friend mentioned GuideLight, and after a few weeks of using them in my hallway and bathroom, I understand why people keep talking about them.
The 3 a.m. choice nobody wants to make
If you get up at night, you know the dilemma: do I flip on the light and wake myself up completely, or do I feel my way down the hall and hope I do not walk into a door frame?
For years my answer was a trail of plug-in nightlights from the bedroom to the bathroom. It worked, sort of.
But every one of those little plastic things was pulling electricity all day, and each one ate an outlet I could have used for something else. They also looked cheap, because they were.
For a long time that was the only real option, unless you wanted to stumble around in the dark and risk breaking something, possibly yourself. The alternative, built-in lighting near the floor, meant paying to rewire the house.
What GuideLight actually is
GuideLight is a patented, award-winning outlet cover with an LED nightlight built into the plate itself. It attaches over the top of your existing outlet and throws a soft glow down toward the floor beneath it.
The concept has existed for a few years, but it used to be expensive and time-consuming because it required rewiring. GuideLight snaps on in under 3 minutes and needs zero maintenance once it is in.
The thing I noticed first is the light level. It is bright enough to see the floor clearly, yet dim enough that it does not wake you up.
It has won multiple awards for three things: the automatic on/off feature, the very low energy use, and the easy installation. Because it only runs when it is dark, it costs less than 10 cents per year to operate.
How it works and how I installed it
Each GuideLight has a light sensor. When the room goes dark, the LEDs come up to full brightness, and as the room gets lighter in the morning they slowly dim down. In a truly dark space, like a closet, they simply stay on.
You never touch a switch, which matters, because a nightlight you have to stumble over to turn on is not much of a nightlight.
Installation is a 1-2-3 process:
- Turn off your electricity.
- Remove the old outlet cover.
- Snap the GuideLight into place over the outlet and screw it in.
Then turn the power back on and you are done. I have no electrical experience at all, and once the old plate was off, the actual snap and screw took about ten seconds.
I have seen people online joke about installing a few while their spouse is out on a grocery run, and the spouse coming home convinced an electrician had been in. Having done it myself, I believe it. The finished look is clean, like a professional job, with nothing sticking out of the wall.
The LEDs are a neutral white, around 4,000 Kelvin. It is not a yellow glow and not a harsh blue one, just a soft, even light on the floor.
Who GuideLight is for
It was designed for people who wake up at night, but it has also caught on with parents of small children, smart home owners, and anyone with a dark hallway, stairwell or closet.
GuideLight is for standard 120V outlets and light switches. If your outlets are horizontal, it still installs and works fine, you just line up the bottom of the plate with the ground side of the outlet.
It is not for non-standard outlets or split-circuit outlets where the breakout tab has been removed, so check yours before ordering.
Proof, price and the guarantee
As of press time, more than 4 million GuideLights are out there lighting up homes, and that number keeps growing.
On safety, GuideLight is ETL listed in the US and Canada. The products are designed with safety engineers and UL staff to meet and exceed UL standards, and are tested to those standards by Intertek, a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory.
The plate is made from high temperature, impact-resistant ABS plastic with the highest fire safety rating, so sparks or unwanted conduction are not a concern. The LEDs are rated to last up to 25 years before they begin to dim.
On price, the number changes with the pack size and the current promotion, so check the official site for the current price. Right now the brand is running a multi-pack deal when you buy two or four that you cannot find anywhere else.
One warning: there are knockoffs. People who searched for GuideLight and landed on the wrong page received cheap copies that did not work properly, used more energy, or contained questionable materials. Buy directly from the GuideLight brand.
If you are not satisfied, you can return or exchange it. The item needs to be in the same condition you received it, in the original packaging, with all components included.
Frequently asked questions
How long will the LEDs last? Each GuideLight will last up to 25 years before the LEDs begin to dim.
How much does it cost to run? On average around 10 cents a year, depending on your local cost of power.
How does it turn on and off? A built-in light sensor handles it. Full brightness when the room is completely dark, gradually dimming as the room gets lighter, and always on in a truly dark space.
Is it a fire hazard? No. It is made of high temperature, impact-resistant ABS plastic with the highest fire safety rating, and it is ETL listed in the US and Canada.
Which outlets does it fit? Standard 120V outlets and light switches, vertical or horizontal. It is not for non-standard outlets or split-circuit outlets with the breakout tab removed.
What color is the light? Neutral white, approximately 4,000 Kelvin.
My verdict
I went in sceptical and came out replacing every plug-in nightlight in the house. The glow is exactly right for 3 a.m., the outlets are free again, and the hallway finally looks finished instead of cluttered.
For less than 10 cents a year per light and a ten-second install, it is one of the easier home upgrades I have made.
The honest limitation: you do need to turn off the power and pick up a screwdriver, and it only works with standard 120V outlets, so a split-circuit outlet is out. It is also a floor-level guide light, not a lamp. If you want to read by it, this is not that.
If you are still tripping over plug-in nightlights, GuideLight is worth it, and the multi-pack deal may not last.
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