In the olden days – when people were antiques – low-hanging light fixtures were common. Traditionally, houses had much fewer windows and skylights were an absolute rarity, because of the higher cost of heating and cooling. People were also shorter on average in these times! If your old home has low-hanging light fixtures, either over tables, or just out in the open, there is an easy, 1-person method for getting them out of the way.

Provided your fixtures are on chains, grab a piece of heavy-duty baling wire and snip off a 4” (10cm) length. Pull the fixture up so that the lowest link of the chain meets up with the highest, or with the ring at the top. Push the wire through the openings of both together, and twist it several times to secure it. For a visual guide to this, have a look at this video:

If you only need the fixtures out of the way temporarily, you can just the leave the wire in until it is no longer needed – if you have tied it up for renovations, taking the shades off the bulbs will be an added protection for your investments. If you want to tie it there permanently, grab another link of similar chain (or an entirely new, shorter chain) – cut a slot in the side with bolt cutters, then solder it back up when you have inserted the link into the rest of the chain. You can then remove the wire, and never needed to take down the fixture!

          

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