Power in a Snap – Decluttering Your Outlets

Decluttering Your Outlets

I am always looking for things that will help de-clutter and simplify my life. We have a ton of electronic devices around the house and there are just as many cords to go with them making a mess out of my kitchen counter. In addition to the cords, there is also a power supply that goes with many of them.

In the bathrooms and hallways, I have to worry about making sure that I have night lights for the kids. Not only do all these items clutter up the area around the outlets, they also takes outlet spots that I oftentimes need for other things (especially in the kitchen.)  I need help with decluttering my outlets.

Snap Power offers two fantastic solutions in decluttering your outlets with the SnapPower Charger and the SnapPower Guidelight. With no wires or batteries and easy installation, I was an instant fan.

The SnapPower Charger is a USB charger built into the cover plate of your outlet.

 The SnapPower Guidelight is a sleek and attractive nightlight at the bottom of the cover plate.

Installation

SnapPower boasts easy installation and yes, for the most part installation was a piece of cake. It comes with great instructions that are easy-to-follow. It probably took me longer to figure out which switch I needed to turn off on my circuit breaker than it did to actually install the products.

You simply take off your existing cover plate and snap the new plate into place, making sure that the prongs slide inside the electrical box. Turn your power back on and you are good to go. The prongs on the Snap product draw power from the screws that are on the sides of the outlet.

Is Snap the Right Product for You?

I have an older house that has areas that have been upgraded. I found that the Snap products worked a lot better on the newer areas than the older. Before you purchase this product you will want to ensure that your electrical outlet boxes will work with this product.

Look into the box to make sure that the areas around the screw terminals are clear so that the prongs can pass into the box and around the outlet. While they offer solutions if there are obstructions, SnapPower also recommends that you consult an electrician if you are unsure how to properly fix the problem. (That’s a little scary to me!)

As you can see in this picture, the areas around the screw terminals have plenty of space for the prongs to pass into the box and around the outlet. The installation for this outlet went extremely smooth.

This is a good example of an outlet that would be considered an obstruction. I chose to find a different outlet to use rather than to try to clear the area or consult an electrician.

The Snap products are available in both the Duplex (the older oval style) and Decor (the more modern, rectangle style) designs. You will want to make sure that you choose the right one for where you want to use either the USB port or the nightlight. I have both in my house.

The Decor design was needed in my kitchen for the USB port while I needed the Duplex design for the nightlight in the hallway. Depending on how old your house is and what kind of upgrades you have done to your house, you might be surprised that you actually have both and need to process which one you need where.

Pros

• Decluttering your outlets is easy – no more electronic devices plugged into your outlets with their big power supply.
• The nightlight is extremely energy-efficient. According to SnapPower’s advertising, the LEDs use only 10 cents of energy for the entire year and can last 25+ years
• Great design – you get the benefit of a nightlight and USB port without something extra plugged into your outlet
• Available in both the Duplex and Decor designs

 Cons

• I had a more difficult time installing the SnapPower outlets in the older parts of my house
• The nightlight has a sensor that automatically turns the LEDs off when it senses light. However, it has to be a quite direct light. The flash from my camera would make the light turn off but the ceiling light in the middle of the room did not hit it directly enough to make it turn off

Both the SnapPower Charger and the SnapPower Guidelight are available for purchase at SnapPower’s website. You can choose from three different colors for the cover plate as well as the duplex or decor design. You can purchase one Charger outlet for $20 all the way up to 10 Charger outlets for $160. They are discounted as soon as you buy at least 3 of them.

The Guidelights start at $15 all the way up to $120 for a 10 pack. If you buy 10, the shipping is free. Otherwise, they charge a flat rate of $5 for shipping. While I found the SnapPower accessories on Amazon, the SnapPower website seems to have a better price.

A Mom’s Perspective

Anything that helps with the decluttering your outlets is a product worth investing in. The SnapPower products have a great low profile design. They look like a standard cover plate but offer so much more with the nightlight and the USB port.

If you are not paying attention, you wouldn’t even realize that they are different than the other cover plates in your house. Installation was super easy. The instructions are very easy-to-follow.

Where would you use the SnapPower Charger and Guidelights in decluttering your outlets?

* I was given 4 SnapPower products for my honest review. All opinions are my own.