Charging Station
EDIT: Turns out, I don’t know everything. It has been pointed out to me (see comments) that this is not a safe or advisable solution. In light of this, I am listening to you wise readers and exploring other electrical options outside of the bathroom since I’d like to avoid burning down the building or myself. Thanks for looking out for me, peeps. Wrapping extension cords with twine to make them less ugly– still totally legit, I’d say. Just not the rest of it. So wrap away. Just not near running water.
Remember the days when you washed your face with nothing but a little soap and your hands, shaved with a razor blade, and brushed your teeth by gnawing on a piece of bark? I do, and fondly. But times have changed, and now I prefer to leave my extensive beauty needs to electronics. This enables me to stand lazily in front of the mirror and watch my little gadgets go to work with minimal effort, which works out well since it takes me a good 2-3 hours to open my eyes beyond a groggy, pissed-off squint in the morning.
But this face comes at a cost: storage. In a bathroom no bigger than a Bloomingdale’s Big Brown Bag, I needed a way to hide all that messy electronic shit so my rechargables would never be further than an arm’s reach– out of sight and ready for action, much like Spiderman.
Luckily, our apartment came with its own little fire hazard, just brimming with potential. This light:
For a few months, the only way to turn this light on or off was by tightening and loosening the bulb since it isn’t wired into the light switch that controls the ceiling fixture. Through some investigative work (dusting), I discovered that it used to have a little pull-chain, but it seems a previous tenant might have pulled it a little too enthusiastically and decided to forevermore skip the middleman and just turn the bulb itself. What a system.
When I was in the hardware store buying spray paint for my clandestine graffiti sessions, I did a double take when I saw one of these:
Wait. Is that…? I think it is! A light-fixture-to-power-outlet-adaptor?!?! You’re fucking kidding me. I feel an idea coming on.
The goal: get power into the newly revamped vanity to hide the gizmos. The vehicle: a power cord, duh. The problem: power cords are ugly, and there’s about three feet of tile between the top of the sink and that little wall sconce.
File this under “crafting under the influence,” maybe, but it’s the least offensive solution I could come up with. You might disagree, but for whatever odd reason, I honestly think this looks pretty decent in its own bizarre little way.
Step 1: Plop yourself in front of the TV and turn on something good and distracting. I’ve been really into Jeopardy! the last several months, but this is really up to you.
Step 2: Take some plain cotton twine, a hot glue gun, and a two-prong extension cord. Squeeze out about an inch or so of glue onto the cord, wrap the twine quickly, and repeat for about 45 minutes until you have a few feet wrapped. I’ve heard it’s hot glue best practice to keep a bowl of ice water handy to plunge your fist into when you inevitably get glue on yourself, but I’d say that’s for pussies. If you like crafting, you know as well as I do that it hurts so good.
Step 3: Plug it in and just hot glue it right to the wall. I’m sure it’ll come off easily. Well, pretty sure.
Step 4: Plug a 2-prong-to-3-prong adaptor into the end of your 2-prong extension cord, then plug a powerstrip into that.
Step 5: Use a hole saw or a paddle bit to drill a hole in the side of the vanity, big enough for the cords to fit through. I used a little hook to wrangle the excess extension cord. I also shoved a little RATIONELL VARIERA shelf insert from IKEA in there to create extra room underneath for added storage. It’s like a damn spa down there, wouldn’t you say? (Note: Since this picture was taken, I’ve switched the toothbrush and the Clarisonic, so it’s no longer in such close proximity to the sink pipes. The mental image of it getting tired and leaning over to rest its bristles on that weirdness was just a risk I wasn’t willing to take.)
Sorry if this little nitty-gritty window into the seedy underbelly of my bathroom was too personal for your comfort. It might have been too personal for my comfort, too. But look at that. I did it anyway. Typical.
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I still rock the manual equivalents of all of these. We’re related, right?
Questionable, but I like to think so. It makes our family more diverse.
hahahah! love that closeted diversity…
That’s a lot of plugs into plugs. I get paranoid about fires when I just use an extension cord. Love your cord wrapping!
How’s the Clarisonic? I’ve got a knock off and I love it.
Strangely, I always feared that the light would burst into flames, but I didn’t even think about the plugs… but I think it’s safe, we haven’t burned the place down yet. EDIT: People have made compelling arguments for why this is unsafe, and I am no longer feeling so cavalier about my electrical decisions. Everything will be relocated out of the bathroom.
I like my Clarisonic! I don’t use it all the time– but then again, I’d probably have better skin if I did. The whole family uses them and my mom says she can’t live without it!
Great job. Love the anal tendency for electrical bathroom items to be hidden. We did the same thing in our master and ran a cord behind the vanity to plug in the electric toothbrushes inside the drawer. I appreciate the nitty-gritty.
Just hope that your sink never leaks or overflows (because you could electrocute yourself — really.)
I was in the bathroom section of Saver’s (a thrift store) yesterday, and while I was sniffing a bathmat to see if it was too gross to take home, a gentleman in the electronics aisle was testing out the merchandise by shaving himself with a used electric shaver. And looking into a used magnifying mirror. That might be safer than the crazy wiring plus water….
Seriously, Daniel. This is your mother speaking. Pay attention to this post. Never, ever walk away from running water. And maybe you want to re-caulk around this sink and underneath with the stuff the plumbers use.
1. Shaving with a used razor in public is balls to the walls disgusting. I’d never do that.
2. I already did re-caulk around the sink! Also, I’d like to point out that I think this is BY FAR the safest place in the bathroom for this stuff– way better than on top of the toilet tank or the windowsill or the sink where they could easily just fall into the shower and kill me that way. Everything’s fine, peeps.
EDIT: Apparently, everything is not fine and I will be moving the electronics out of the bathroom altogether since there really isn’t ANY safe place for them, even if this seemed like the safest option.
Your ideas are pretty ingenious…the first thing that came to mind was safety, you know water + electrics = a shocking time. I say only because I’d miss your posts and humour. : )
Knowing nothing about daily beautifying routines I wondered what a clarisonic was so after some research I think wow maybe this has what’s been missing from life. As I’m getting older I’m realising soap and water and fingers crossed don’t cut it…maybe santa will drop one through my chimney?
Nice! This could also be used for other ugly cords around the house. Great job Daniel, Love your site!!!
I could totally use a few of those in my place. I’d go and check out my local hardware store… but you can’t even buy lamp cord kits in this Australia (the pieces if you want to make one yourself, sure, but not the whole shebang)… so I don’t like my chances.
…it’s also an hour and a half flight to my nearest American Apparel store. I’m the saddest panda I know.
Uhhh, what DID the hot glue do to the insulating vinyl on the extension cord? Just asking, ’cause, you know, fires are messy.
I am pretty sure those fire safety people would not approve of this and neither do I. Esthetically better, but more dangerous. Please don’t live on the “wild side” for the sake of beauty alone.
Nothing! The hot glue isn’t nearly hot enough to affect the plastic coating on an extension cord. If you’re worried, another type of glue could also work, it just might take more time to dry.
I kind of want to hot glue twine to every exposed cord in my house right now. I love it.
I am a little freaked out by your plug/water proximity but hey I am English. Here we are not allowed to have plugs in the bathroom at all (except those safety shaver plugs). I was once on a lighting course and I asked the electrician why the US can have plugs in the bathroom and we can’t and he said “because they don’t take electrical safety seriously in the US”. I guess your post just proved that!
Love the cord wrapping btw.
The outlets you see in US bathrooms are safety plugs, too, actually (provided the work was done to code)!
I think it’s a brilliant idea. I have the same bathroom (I’m on the UES too) and there is no outlet in the bathroom – leading my husband to have to charge his toothbrush on our book shelf – which looks just awesome by the way. I going to give this a try..
Just wondering – Where does your roommate keep her stuff? This looks too clutter free for the under belly of the sink with two people. Our bathroom storage consists of the medicine cabinet and under the sink – how do you do it?!?
In light of safety concerns, I wouldn’t really endorse this anymore. But to answer your question: I don’t know! We have a medicine cabinet and neither of us use a lot of products that need to be in the bathroom ALL the time, so we each have our own little storage containers outside the bathroom for things like medicines, first aid, etc.
All those naysayers re: electricity and water. I think you are probably right that this is the safest place for everything. However, please read the little tags/stickers on all your electric/tronic goodies and add up the wattages. The light fixture and the adapter and the extension cord are all rated at around 100-150 watts. Do not exceed that.
::dashes off to hot glue twine to electrical cords::
Clarisonic=worst $200 dollars I ever spent. HATE IT!
Just curious, have you tried different brushes, different soaps. I don’t care for their soaps and I have to use the “gentle skin” brush but I have never felt a cleaner face in all my life. And, BTW, at my age, it is all about deep cleaning and proper moisturizing. Genes, yeah, they may help too but most people do think I look 5- 10 years (or more) younger than I am. Clarisonic? Maybe? I am not taking any chances…
Also, I know women who would die for one, please post it on ebay and make someone else clean and happy.
Okay, now I want a Clarisonic.
I would have to agree. After years and years of hesitation owing to my suspicion that the Clarisonic was merely overpriced and overhyped, I finally gave in to temptation and bought the Clarisonic Mia (smaller/cheaper version of the original Clarisonic) last June and since that time, my skin has never looked better. For those detractors out there who would argue that it either did nothing for their skin or seemed to have made it worse, I wonder if perhaps you just didn’t give it a fair enough shot.
In my case, I tried to follow the advice I came across on numerous makeup and skincare boards which was that things may get worse before they get better and to truly see results, one had to stick it out. Though in the past I’ve had a tendency to give up on products if I fail to see immediate results, this time around I exercised some patience and after about a month it paid off -I found that my skin exhibited renewed clarity and a softer texture. In years past, I had always suffered from mild – moderate acne, redness, and dryness/flaking and had tried numerous options, among them OTC and Rx products alike – nothing had as significant or as positive an effect upon my skin as did the Clarisonic.
Also, to piggyback further on the comment made by Dan’s mother, I would suggest that if you still have your Clarisonic handy, you may want to try it with different cleansers. The problem may just be that you’re not using the right formulation (ideally you want something that doesn’t foam, but has more of a gel- like consistency; something with “slip” to it). If you are wearing makeup, I would recommend removing it first (I use disposable m/u wipes by Olay for this) before cleansing with your Clarisonic. And it goes without saying that the brush head should be cleansed after each use for best results (I rinse mine with some soap and cold water and follow-up with a light misting of rubbing alcohol after every use).
Sorry – I’m sure this sounds like a paid endorsement, but I swear it’s not. It’s just that after years of struggling with problem skin and FINALLY seeing results, I cannot sing the praises of my Clarisonic enough.
Okay and now that I’ve offered way more information than anyone would ever care to read, back to the subject at hand – wires and electrical fires, oh my! And for anyone who failed to pick up on that Wizard of Oz reference, I pity you.
Wow! Clarasonic users UNITE!
DAN. NO. No, no, no. Not okay.
This is not safe. There’s a reason why GFCIs exist, and if you want to have an outlet anywhere NEAR a sink, you need one.
I know you think it’s all okay under your sink and that there’s no chance that your sink pipes will ever leak, but there’s also reason why plumbers exist.
Listen to your mother.*
Having lived in a number of NYC apartments (present apartment included) with no outlet in the bathroom, I really do understand why you might have thought this was a fine solution to your problem.
It isn’t.
Right now, I have to plug in my hairdryer and flat iron in the living room every morning, and do my hair using the big mirror out there. When I’m done, I roll up the cords and put everything away in a cabinet until the next morning. Of COURSE it would be easier/cuter to run an extension cord from the hallway into the bathroom and under the sink and into a power strip (which is resting on a METAL SHELF, oh my god) and have all of the electricity I want right under the bathroom sink, but I prefer to stay alive. So I go in the living room.
*Chances are she’s right about almost everything, by the way, not just this, but you’ll figure that out on your own by the time you’re 30…provided you don’t electrocute yourself before then.
OMG! Anna I knew there was some reason I felt an enormous connection to you. I love you. Thanks for trying to keep my son in line.
I am a complete mom-suck-up, I admit it!!
Also, my stepfather is an electrician. I can’t see stuff like this and not say something.
For the record, she is RIGHT almost 200% of the time…
Okay okay okay, thank you for that well-informed and articulated beat-down. I needed that. I will be moving the electronics to a safer locale, out of the bathroom altogether, and the post has been edited (at the top, even! Just in case) to reflect these concerns.
See, now I feel bad! But seriously, I know I’m a worrier, but this is one of those times when you want to err on the side of not accidentally dying while you shave with your eyes closed.
And people wonder why I had no friends in high school!
DON’T FEEL BAD. You’re right right right. This is why this blog is good for me, too!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve taken your mums, Anna’s and others advice and decided to move it all. I didn’t want to be worrying about you if you hadn’t posted for a while! I would always be wondering…
thanks Dan – I’m never listening to you again!
okay, just kidding.
i’m still impressed with your clutter-less bathroom, so i hope that makes you feel a little better ;)
ooooh boy…..great idea but did you get a hearty helping of maternal instinct/fire safety tips.
great blog. I’m moving to nyc in the near future and will need help.
I’m glad you’ve undone this. Maybe if your landlord isn’t willing to put in a proper GFI outlet in there, you can contact an electrician, find out how much it’s going to cost and set up a donation option on your web site. You’re a couple of poor college students, and a lot of people have been in your boat (decades ago for some of us old folks) and can chip in a few bucks to keep you kids un-electrocuted and well-groomed.
Dan- I have limited space in my bathroom as well. I have a linen closet just outside my bathroom that I keep my toothbrush and my clarisonic knock-off in it’s close-ish to the bathroom but keeps them off the toilet tank. When their charge runs out I bring them out and charge them.
I’m sure you’ll think of a creative solution.
Hey, now that you’re safe, here is a little tidbit to stay in the electrical mood while wandering back to a pipey vibe: please go and LOOK at the genius light fixture on the Varpunen blog posted October 30!
Damn electricity…the idea is great though and I love the twine!
I know your pain…our bathroom had zero outlets when we moved in (and the bedroom had a single lamp cord that came up from the basement via a hole in floor…scary!).We did a GFI outlet in our vanity for the same purpose and it has worked out well. I do worry about how much energy it uses being plugged in all the time, but I’m also too lazy to unplug after each charging session.
OK – now I want a post on this clarisonic!
A late contribution, but I just wanted to add:
I agree with all the posts about the extension cords, etc in the bathroom, but you should also get that broken light fixture replaced–and it’s cheap and easy. That pull-chain light fixture costs about $1.99 at your local hardware store/home depot and should definitely be in your super’s wheel house to replace it. If you don’t want to ask the super, many a skilled DIYer has done it themselves (just make sure to cut the power beforehand).
I know, it’s on the list!