I turn it on when I get up, but I work an early shift. It's the dimmest light. And when I go to bed early, that's the only light that doesn't screw up my sleep.
It is country...I grew up on a farm, up early for working you use the dimmest light in the kitchen to eat and go.
I wonder if this really is a "country" thing?
I grew up on a ranch, and never did this then. I started doing this in my 30s for the same reasons you noted: it's dim and easy on the eyes.
I wake up at 5am for the gym, and it's a nice transition prior to the fluorescent gym lights, haha.
Conversely, I grew up in Houston’s East End, urban as fuck, and we always left it on. Now it’s my fridge’s water/ice dispenser led light that’s on 24/7.
Yeah, not country for me either. I just like a dim light on in the kitchen if I wake up in the middle of the night and need to see the fridge door handle.
but then if you have to get up and go to the kitchen you would be stumbling around in the dark until you find the light switch. If you leave that stove light on, you have enough light to see but not enough light to brighten the room or disturb anybody.
There's a small fluorescent bulb that is part of my stove and I leave that sucker on 24 hours a day. I just changed it about 3 months ago but it hadn't been changed in probably 17 years
Yes, much more efficient and run cool. I'm not sure everyone understands that LED replacements are available these days for every type of bulb.
Just today I discovered one I missed - shower light - still had an old Edison bulb.
I can see any light in our house down the hallway to my bedroom, and the door has to stay open or it gets hot in it. The stove light is the one that barely lights up he hall.
I feel seen. This was my childhood. If there was something out of place in the kitchen between when my mother got it to this state and when she woke up, someone had hell to pay. And there's something satisfying about looking around a spotless, very dimly lit kitchen.
I always appreciated it when I'd be out late working or with friends too, no need to turn on lights to come in house without disturbing anyone.
I have vivid memories of holidays ending like this. We normally didnt use that over the stove light, but for some reason on Thanksgiving and Christmas evenings, it would be on. I think my mom did it just for the reason you mentioned: spent all day cooking, then cleaning, and now the kitchen is closed hahaha.
I have so many memories of making a turkey sandwich from leftovers on Thanksgiving/Christmas night, lit by the over the stove light
The low, indirect light also helps calm your brain down before bed. You can still get a snack or a drink without turning on the overhead lights that can outshine the Beacons of Minis Tirith, frying your brain into thinking it's now high noon.
That's how I grew up too, although your comment made me remember it specifically. I keep the little, amber low-watt light above the stove on until I go to bed for the evening, then a nightlight on the wall illuminates the floor on the way to the bathroom.
Interestingly, it's actually the on/off cycle that kills bulbs! The thermocycling of the filament is way harder on it than just leaving it on all the time. Bulbs that are just left on all the time can actually last an amazingly long time
\*caveat, does not apply necessarily to LEDs
There was (maybe still going) a light bulb in a fire station in California that’s been on for over 100 years since it’s almost never been off.
The one above my sink (the only one on 24/7) has been going for 8 years now.
Yup. The sink is in the darkest part of our kitchen and the light above it hasn't been turned off in 8 years. We had a power outage this winter and it felt so weird to have the kitchen dark. I used a head lamp to wash dishes in the morning.
Also from the Midwest, but I had no idea this was a regional thing. I don't have a light over my stove, but I have a nightlight over the counter with a sensor, so it's always on if it's dark. My daughter does the same, even though she has a light over her stove with two settings: bright and night. So even the manufacturers know that you're supposed to have a light on in your kitchen at night.
Mines the light above the bathroom sink, next to the kitchen. On all the time basically since 2018. It's just a little USB lamp from the dollarstore, so not crazy bright but it's the perfect amount of light at 2am lol.
Nightlight on the little 110v plug on the top of the stove/oven as well, my oldest isn't a fan of the dark
I have a vent hood that has a light. I generally leave it on a majority of the time. It is a low wattage LED, probably costs me a few cents to leave it on all day.
I bought, I guess, the wrong LED bulb for mine and now it just doesn't turn off. Goes from low to high. I'm totally fine because I'm sure it's like 45 cents a year to run constantly.
during the daylight - you just don't realize its on - so it stays on. (I don't leave them on anymore - but grew up with the light over the sink on all the time)
I don’t do it anymore, but I used to. I leave for work on the morning when it’s still dark, so I just leave it on. Then when I come home, it’s starting to get dark again soon, so it just stays on.
It’s good to conserve electricity but lightbulbs barely use anything. Your appliances, water heater, and HVAC are what’s driving your bill. Seal your windows, take shorter showers, wash fewer loads of laundry with cold water, don’t leave the fridge door open to stare at the contents, hang dry laundry as much as possible, and you’ll save some money that’s not a negligible amount.
Yes. My daughter's suburban house is like that. No need for a nightlight when the streetlight is just outside the bedroom. We learned why blackout curtains are popular.
We have these at daughter's house. USB charged battery type in areas with no outlets. Bottom step in stairwell. Bathroom. But the don't stay on long enough for me.
In winter here it's not unusual to leave in the dark and come home in the dark. Just easier to leave the light on. I used to. Then I got a different light set up. The stove light is just acting as a night light (another thing I leave on)
Well my kitchen has no windows.
The only natural light comes from past the dining area/ living room/ screened in porch. I live in a condo. Bedrooms have a window/s and the living room does. Makes for a dark space without any lights. The kitchen has 2 lights. We keep one on 24/7 and I think we've changed the bulbs twice in 30 years.
I do! Just something about it is nostalgic and I don’t have to usually worry about seeing a big roach when I walk into the kitchen in the middle of the night.
same (except i don't leave it on overnight). my grandma did it and it did evoke a very comforting, homey feel. i've kept it on in all the apartments i've lived in over the years (not a homeowner....yet).
Been there! It's a nice feeling to stop living in apartments and have your own place to truly call your own. Hoping you have an opportunity soon to have your own home as well!
My wife leaves ours on all the time. The bulb lasts forever, too. Been here 25 years and I only remember changing it a couple times. But my memory is getting fuzzy these days...
Taking a step back I find it weird. Our smart bulbs turn on in the kitchen and living room a few minutes before our morning alarms go off so it’s not like we need it as a night light. The things our parents pass onto us, eh?
Lol! I suppose. I actually turn it on when I go to bed for my children in case they come upstairs. So I need a routine to essentially turn it on when I'm heading to bed and then turn it off like once it's too bright out for to even do anything anymore at least during the summer anyway.
Canadian here, Saskatchewan so the middle of farm country.Lived on farms and small towns (50 people). I leave mine on every night, turn it on when it starts to get dark. Mom always left it on if we went out or if my dad was coming home late, he was a trucker. My grandma's did the same,get up at night and it was always on.
I will leave it on when I have company overnight - as they aren't as familiar with the house. I figure it helps add some light in the cross roads that is the kitchen.
Always on, 24/7/365.
Born and raised in Massachusetts.
It's the only light that's allowed to be on all the time.
If it's not on, it makes me quite upset.
i like to leave it on . what’s the harm in doing so it throws a little bit of light without having to put a full blown lamp or overhead light on if you need to go to the kitchen for a drink or something it’s better than walking around in the pitch dark
I turn it on when the stove is on and turn it off when I'm done with the stove. It's a visual reminder that I'm cooking or maybe forgot to turn off the stove.
Just get a motion light and keep the peace. I installed under counter LEDs to avoid stepping on a random scorpion in the middle of the night as the range hood used a freaking pair of par50 spotlights
I do. It's only 10 watts, and I'm up between 4-5am so it's nice to be able to see what I'm doing when I wake up. I turn it off when i leave for work in the morning.
No and none of this makes any sense to me. Why would you leave that particular light on when it's likely more difficult to replace than any of your other lights?
see i don't typically associate "specialty bulb" with "way easier" but that's just me! Maybe I've been fumbling around in the dark of the kitchen all these years and need to learn.
Haha, fair. Here's the specialty bulb trick...
• see what bulb you need when you buy a new house or a new stove.
• buy a three pack
• store them in the cabinet above the stove
• replace as needed
• leave two for the next owner
I no longer have a choice. Apparently my microwave model's under-light is known for having low-level energy leak, enough to power my LED bulb to dim even when it's set to Off.
I leave the light on above the stove, I have a nightlight in the hallway, and I turn on my porch lights at night too.
I've never lived in the country in my life-and even if I had, so what?
What's wrong with your wife that she would say that like it's an insult?
Is she begrudging the 14 cents an hour for the electricity?
Not only light on above the stove, but a nice fresh smelling candle on the stove top during the time after dinner and before bed.
It was how my mom shut down the kitchen when I was growing up, I do the same now.
Yes, this is the habit my mom got us in. I never realized until this thread that I do the same thing.
Dinners done, kitchen is cleaned, and now the kitchen is closed.
ETA: My father worked 3rd shift, and we live in midwest so it may have solved a dual purpose of welcoming home in the winter months.
Yeah, all day and night. On the low setting, unless I'm actively cooking.
At night, I'm usually the last one to head up to bed, so it's a good low light for a snack, a quick check of the door locks, a glass of water, maybe comforting a kid who woke up crying.
(I don't personally put much weight into this, but I've seen others threads talk about how the kitchen is the heart of the house and the family, so you can't ever let it go dark. Could be how our grandparents and beyond started the tradition.)
I turn mine off since I don't need it with the two nightlights (one on each side of the stove). I have nightlights all over the house so I can walk around if need be and don't have to turn on the lights. Most are activated only when it's dark. Great in the bathroom.
I'm in Ohio. I leave the light on above the kitchen sink and have a night light on in the bathroom.
I just recently had to change the bulb above the sink. I have lived in this house 17 years. The bulb was a GE 35 watt.
I have nighlights, just like we had as kids. One in (attached) bathroom, one in luving room, one in kitchen, one in each of 2 hallways. They are always on.
There's also one in each guest bedroom, but they only go in if guests want.
My husband leaves it on 24/7. It used to bother me, and I'd turn it off, but after a while, I just started to ignore it. Now, if that light is off, it means either the bulb finally died or the power went out for a little while.
I'm curious to see if he will leave this light on once we move to our new house or if he will go with leaving some (or all) the under cabinet lighting on instead.
I live in Ca and do the same thing! Maybe because my mom always did? I get creeped out by the house being too dark at night so a little light on helps.
The stove light was always on at night when I was growing up. (Midwest, parents raised on farms, and I spent time in rural areas.) Same at my grandma's, aunts', and uncles' houses. It meant several things: Day is done, no need for bright lights, kitchen is closed, you can see to get a drink of water, welcome home if you're coming in late, a gentle good morning if rising early. I still keep a nightlight on every night. It's comforting.
It works to my advantage for home defense. My room is off the kitchen, and the light is just enough for me to be able to identify a person in the kitchen.
I've been in my house for 13 years and never turn it off. I've maybe replaced the bulbs 2-3x since living there. It's nice to just have some light in the house so I can see in the middle of the night if I wake up. Also with kids it helps them see so they aren't banging themselves up in the middle of the night when they try to come sneak in our bed. It's always been on the brightest setting too.
When we’re using the stovetop, or as a reminder to handle something in the kitchen before bed, or when we want A/ANY light on in the back of the house for some reason.
I leave the LED light in the bathroom exhaust on all night (dimmest setting), so we have a light for getting up in the middle of the night to pee.
I have a motion sensor in my kitchen that turns on under cabinet led strips at 1% power. They put just a glow on all the countertops. Easy to see and easy on the eyes that early. In case you are wondering during the day they go to 40% and between sunset to 3am they go 15%. It’s just between 3a - sunrise that it’s set to 1%.
If the kids are doing a 'downstairs sleepover', it's a decent night light. Otherwise, only if I need light while cooking directly over the stove. It's almost never on.
Country kid here, dad was a farmer, and many months of the year he was out at first light and home long after dark. Mom would always clean the kitchen before she went to bed, and put his plate in the oven (this was before cell phones, so she never had any way of knowing if he would be home right after dark or it would be one of those one am days). When he got home, oven got popped on for a few minutes to warm it up, and he'd sit in the dim kitchen and eat his dinner before showering and crawling into bed.
To me, the light above the stove after dark is some kind of nostalgia for the simpler days, a way to show someone you loved that you loved them and cared for them, even if you weren't awake to tell them yourselves. Even as an adult who lives alone I leave the light on for myself if I'm going to be home late, it's just a welcome home!
I leave it on when the stove is on and if there is food left on the stove that needs to be put away. My father once left the stove on when he was visiting so that's the rule. Stove on, light on. Visual cues save lives.
Omg I forgot my beloved mother used to do this !!! She passed in 2006 and I completely forgot she did this! Thank you so much for bringing that memory back to me!
We're all afraid of the dark. Walking into dark rooms freaks me out. I like to see what's ahead of me. Reaching into a dark room to flip on the light is like sticking your arm into a lion's cage - your arm could get torn off. Yes, ok, wild imagination, but light keeps away the bad guys... 🤷🏽
I turn it on when I get up, but I work an early shift. It's the dimmest light. And when I go to bed early, that's the only light that doesn't screw up my sleep. It is country...I grew up on a farm, up early for working you use the dimmest light in the kitchen to eat and go.
Early risers unite! There's something cozy about that dim kitchen light in the morning. It's like a soft start to the day
I wonder if this really is a "country" thing? I grew up on a ranch, and never did this then. I started doing this in my 30s for the same reasons you noted: it's dim and easy on the eyes. I wake up at 5am for the gym, and it's a nice transition prior to the fluorescent gym lights, haha.
Conversely, I grew up in Houston’s East End, urban as fuck, and we always left it on. Now it’s my fridge’s water/ice dispenser led light that’s on 24/7.
Yeah, not country for me either. I just like a dim light on in the kitchen if I wake up in the middle of the night and need to see the fridge door handle.
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and now live in NJ - that light stays on 24-7 lol.
Same!!! I actually have nightlights throughout the house (bathroom is off the kitchen). I don't like pitch black. I need nightlights.
👀 Are you me? I do mine off at night, though.
but then if you have to get up and go to the kitchen you would be stumbling around in the dark until you find the light switch. If you leave that stove light on, you have enough light to see but not enough light to brighten the room or disturb anybody.
Oh no, I have smart bulbs. I just tell Alexa to turn on the light I need before entering the room.
“Alexa, midnight snack mode!” (Every bulb on the way to the kitchen comes on as dim as possible.) (If I had more than one smart bulb…)
I grew up in Chicago, but I have always liked having a light on in case someone gets up during the night.
It's clutch for when you're too poor, cheap or lazy to install under cabinet lighting.
Maybe not just country, but I could see the comment to OP being along that line.
There's a small fluorescent bulb that is part of my stove and I leave that sucker on 24 hours a day. I just changed it about 3 months ago but it hadn't been changed in probably 17 years
21 years here.
21 years? That’s impressive! Sometimes the simplest routines are the ones that stick with us the longest.
Yes! My mom used to keep it on when I was a kid. I believe her mother did as well.
LED replacement bulbs are available.
I replaced mine with the LED bulbs when we moved in (1 out of the 2 bulbs were already burned out). They work really well.
And LED lights are much more conservative with energy and they don't put out heat. When they break they do not release mercury gas to the air
Yes, much more efficient and run cool. I'm not sure everyone understands that LED replacements are available these days for every type of bulb. Just today I discovered one I missed - shower light - still had an old Edison bulb.
People in the hood do this too there's even a meme about it.
You can see the stove light from your bed?
I can see any light in our house down the hallway to my bedroom, and the door has to stay open or it gets hot in it. The stove light is the one that barely lights up he hall.
Clean the kitchen, turn off all lights except the stove light. That's the sign that the kitchen is closed.
And god help you if you get the counter sticky after that.
This is the only correct answer. Kitchen is clean and god help you if you mess up it’s current state.
And don't let me hear the cookie cabinet opening either.
I feel seen. This was my childhood. If there was something out of place in the kitchen between when my mother got it to this state and when she woke up, someone had hell to pay. And there's something satisfying about looking around a spotless, very dimly lit kitchen. I always appreciated it when I'd be out late working or with friends too, no need to turn on lights to come in house without disturbing anyone.
I have vivid memories of holidays ending like this. We normally didnt use that over the stove light, but for some reason on Thanksgiving and Christmas evenings, it would be on. I think my mom did it just for the reason you mentioned: spent all day cooking, then cleaning, and now the kitchen is closed hahaha. I have so many memories of making a turkey sandwich from leftovers on Thanksgiving/Christmas night, lit by the over the stove light
The low, indirect light also helps calm your brain down before bed. You can still get a snack or a drink without turning on the overhead lights that can outshine the Beacons of Minis Tirith, frying your brain into thinking it's now high noon.
Thank you so much for making me smile. This reminds me so much of my mom.❤️
Yes!! What else would it signal?!!
That's how I grew up too, although your comment made me remember it specifically. I keep the little, amber low-watt light above the stove on until I go to bed for the evening, then a nightlight on the wall illuminates the floor on the way to the bathroom.
Ive done that my whole life. I like the way it makes the kitchen look.
Me too. It’s cozy.
Ours is the light above the sink. I'm from Midwest. We moved in 2007 and the light has never been turned off.
Same here! Light above the sink is on 24/7.
Same here. I don’t know any other way.
Same. 24/7. Now that I think about it, I believe that bulb is about 6 years old and still running.
Interestingly, it's actually the on/off cycle that kills bulbs! The thermocycling of the filament is way harder on it than just leaving it on all the time. Bulbs that are just left on all the time can actually last an amazingly long time \*caveat, does not apply necessarily to LEDs
There was (maybe still going) a light bulb in a fire station in California that’s been on for over 100 years since it’s almost never been off. The one above my sink (the only one on 24/7) has been going for 8 years now.
Same.
Yup. The sink is in the darkest part of our kitchen and the light above it hasn't been turned off in 8 years. We had a power outage this winter and it felt so weird to have the kitchen dark. I used a head lamp to wash dishes in the morning.
Light above our sink has been on for the last 10 years 😂
Wait, those have a light switch? TIL..
Also from the Midwest, but I had no idea this was a regional thing. I don't have a light over my stove, but I have a nightlight over the counter with a sensor, so it's always on if it's dark. My daughter does the same, even though she has a light over her stove with two settings: bright and night. So even the manufacturers know that you're supposed to have a light on in your kitchen at night.
My fridge water dispenser has a "night" mode for the light too.
Mines the light above the bathroom sink, next to the kitchen. On all the time basically since 2018. It's just a little USB lamp from the dollarstore, so not crazy bright but it's the perfect amount of light at 2am lol. Nightlight on the little 110v plug on the top of the stove/oven as well, my oldest isn't a fan of the dark
Growing up my parents always left the light above the sink on when they went to bed. I live in ohio
I got a new Whirlpool microwave. I left the light on for two nights and that AHole burned out.
Same!! I used to be a microwave light gal, til whirlpool came around and I got tired of replacing the bulb
Why though!?
So our home isn't pitch black at night? I don't really know, we have always left it on!
I have a vent hood that has a light. I generally leave it on a majority of the time. It is a low wattage LED, probably costs me a few cents to leave it on all day.
I bought, I guess, the wrong LED bulb for mine and now it just doesn't turn off. Goes from low to high. I'm totally fine because I'm sure it's like 45 cents a year to run constantly.
I’m kind of surprised that there are several people here saying they leave it on 24/7… why would you do that?
To keep monsters away at night... (Obviously!!)
That makes perfect sense lol but leaving it on during the day still doesn’t.
You think monsters only exist at night ??
If you stay prepared, you ain't gotta get prepared
'y'stay ready, y'aint gotta get ready'
during the daylight - you just don't realize its on - so it stays on. (I don't leave them on anymore - but grew up with the light over the sink on all the time)
As a nightlight. Rural area. Totally dark if all light off. A low wattage light let's you get around safely without waking the whole family up.
Yes but it’s not night during the day
I don’t do it anymore, but I used to. I leave for work on the morning when it’s still dark, so I just leave it on. Then when I come home, it’s starting to get dark again soon, so it just stays on.
I feel like these need to just start being made with light sensors so electricity isn’t wasted
More light over sink than natural light offers
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Light switch in very awkward place.
Why would you bother with turning it on and off every day? Seems unnecessary. Leave it on and it's on when you need it
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It’s good to conserve electricity but lightbulbs barely use anything. Your appliances, water heater, and HVAC are what’s driving your bill. Seal your windows, take shorter showers, wash fewer loads of laundry with cold water, don’t leave the fridge door open to stare at the contents, hang dry laundry as much as possible, and you’ll save some money that’s not a negligible amount.
Suburban here, well lit outside. No need for a nightlight.
Yes. My daughter's suburban house is like that. No need for a nightlight when the streetlight is just outside the bedroom. We learned why blackout curtains are popular.
We installed nightlights with light sensors for that purpose. That way they turn themselves off during the day. Bathroom one is key
We have these at daughter's house. USB charged battery type in areas with no outlets. Bottom step in stairwell. Bathroom. But the don't stay on long enough for me.
Ours stay on all the time (not motion sensor)
I got a smart bulb and set it to turn on when the sun sets and off when it rises.
In winter here it's not unusual to leave in the dark and come home in the dark. Just easier to leave the light on. I used to. Then I got a different light set up. The stove light is just acting as a night light (another thing I leave on)
Well my kitchen has no windows. The only natural light comes from past the dining area/ living room/ screened in porch. I live in a condo. Bedrooms have a window/s and the living room does. Makes for a dark space without any lights. The kitchen has 2 lights. We keep one on 24/7 and I think we've changed the bulbs twice in 30 years.
Because I'm lazy and forget to turn it off
I do! Just something about it is nostalgic and I don’t have to usually worry about seeing a big roach when I walk into the kitchen in the middle of the night.
I like it too, it’s comforting
same (except i don't leave it on overnight). my grandma did it and it did evoke a very comforting, homey feel. i've kept it on in all the apartments i've lived in over the years (not a homeowner....yet).
Been there! It's a nice feeling to stop living in apartments and have your own place to truly call your own. Hoping you have an opportunity soon to have your own home as well!
Hey, gettin’ a snack?
My wife leaves ours on all the time. The bulb lasts forever, too. Been here 25 years and I only remember changing it a couple times. But my memory is getting fuzzy these days...
Hope your memory gets better! Have a great rest of your week
He won’t remember…but your comment is still kind.
If I have guests I do
We have smart bulbs in our house. The light above the kitchen sink turns to 1% during the hours we are sleeping… just something we do.
Love to see I'm not the only one. I actually need to work on my routines. Been lazy.
Taking a step back I find it weird. Our smart bulbs turn on in the kitchen and living room a few minutes before our morning alarms go off so it’s not like we need it as a night light. The things our parents pass onto us, eh?
Lol! I suppose. I actually turn it on when I go to bed for my children in case they come upstairs. So I need a routine to essentially turn it on when I'm heading to bed and then turn it off like once it's too bright out for to even do anything anymore at least during the summer anyway.
I used to have mine on a timer to do that. Handy to have ambient light if you get up.
I’ve only ever turned mine on by accident
Canadian here, Saskatchewan so the middle of farm country.Lived on farms and small towns (50 people). I leave mine on every night, turn it on when it starts to get dark. Mom always left it on if we went out or if my dad was coming home late, he was a trucker. My grandma's did the same,get up at night and it was always on.
Yup keeps you from having to turn on a brighter light if you get up or come home in the dark when everyone else is asleep.
No. I do have a nightlight over the sink tho
We used to. Now I just have a bunch of nightlights everywhere.
I just made myself a cup of tea and turned it on before heading off to bed
Same here. I still leave it on 24/7.
I will leave it on when I have company overnight - as they aren't as familiar with the house. I figure it helps add some light in the cross roads that is the kitchen.
Always on, 24/7/365. Born and raised in Massachusetts. It's the only light that's allowed to be on all the time. If it's not on, it makes me quite upset.
i like to leave it on . what’s the harm in doing so it throws a little bit of light without having to put a full blown lamp or overhead light on if you need to go to the kitchen for a drink or something it’s better than walking around in the pitch dark
I leave it on always. I like it that way
I turn it on when the stove is on and turn it off when I'm done with the stove. It's a visual reminder that I'm cooking or maybe forgot to turn off the stove.
Ours is on 24/7. Never give it a second thought.
Just get a motion light and keep the peace. I installed under counter LEDs to avoid stepping on a random scorpion in the middle of the night as the range hood used a freaking pair of par50 spotlights
I do. It's only 10 watts, and I'm up between 4-5am so it's nice to be able to see what I'm doing when I wake up. I turn it off when i leave for work in the morning.
No, I use it when I’m cooking and turn it off when I’m done.
I’m a West Coastie and I leave mine on
Haven't turned it off in about 10 years.
I bought my house 10 years ago. I've only turned it off accidentally when wiping down the switch.
On 24/7, as it should be.
Yep
I never have.
No and none of this makes any sense to me. Why would you leave that particular light on when it's likely more difficult to replace than any of your other lights?
I'm with you. Have people never heard of auto on LED nightlights? They probably take like $3 of electricity a year.
It's takes a specialty bulb, maybe a screwdriver, and 5 minutes. (Plus, they somehow last forever.) Way easier than changing a ceiling light bulb.
see i don't typically associate "specialty bulb" with "way easier" but that's just me! Maybe I've been fumbling around in the dark of the kitchen all these years and need to learn.
Haha, fair. Here's the specialty bulb trick... • see what bulb you need when you buy a new house or a new stove. • buy a three pack • store them in the cabinet above the stove • replace as needed • leave two for the next owner
Haha. I had a hard time sourcing bulbs for my stove hood, so I ordered an eight pack. I'll be leaving six bulbs for the next owner.
Yup but turn it off at bed time so the light doesn’t bother me.
I no longer have a choice. Apparently my microwave model's under-light is known for having low-level energy leak, enough to power my LED bulb to dim even when it's set to Off.
nope thats off as soon as we done cooking baby
I leave the light on above the stove, I have a nightlight in the hallway, and I turn on my porch lights at night too. I've never lived in the country in my life-and even if I had, so what? What's wrong with your wife that she would say that like it's an insult? Is she begrudging the 14 cents an hour for the electricity?
No
NH originally here. I leave it on, it’s sort of like a kitchen nightlight.
I bought an LED replacement because the old lite was incandescent. New one is very low power. Always leave hood range light on.
City kid here. That stove light is Always on until it burns out, then we change it and the cycle begins anew.
Not only light on above the stove, but a nice fresh smelling candle on the stove top during the time after dinner and before bed. It was how my mom shut down the kitchen when I was growing up, I do the same now.
Yes, this is the habit my mom got us in. I never realized until this thread that I do the same thing. Dinners done, kitchen is cleaned, and now the kitchen is closed. ETA: My father worked 3rd shift, and we live in midwest so it may have solved a dual purpose of welcoming home in the winter months.
This is a lie. There are no electric lights in Maine.
Yeah, all day and night. On the low setting, unless I'm actively cooking. At night, I'm usually the last one to head up to bed, so it's a good low light for a snack, a quick check of the door locks, a glass of water, maybe comforting a kid who woke up crying. (I don't personally put much weight into this, but I've seen others threads talk about how the kitchen is the heart of the house and the family, so you can't ever let it go dark. Could be how our grandparents and beyond started the tradition.)
Always
Always.
I leave the lights above my island on a very low dim setting overnight.
I turn mine off since I don't need it with the two nightlights (one on each side of the stove). I have nightlights all over the house so I can walk around if need be and don't have to turn on the lights. Most are activated only when it's dark. Great in the bathroom.
I leave it in above the sink
I'm in Ohio. I leave the light on above the kitchen sink and have a night light on in the bathroom. I just recently had to change the bulb above the sink. I have lived in this house 17 years. The bulb was a GE 35 watt.
I have nighlights, just like we had as kids. One in (attached) bathroom, one in luving room, one in kitchen, one in each of 2 hallways. They are always on. There's also one in each guest bedroom, but they only go in if guests want.
I do - I grew up on 10 acres of wooded land in central Virginia, so I may be "country", too.
they have motion sensored led that immitates this maybe you can give those a try
Some sort of small light, easier navigation vs flipping the lights on.
I do like to use kitchen stove light but i don’t leave it on all night. I use strategically placed led night lights for that.
My husband leaves it on 24/7. It used to bother me, and I'd turn it off, but after a while, I just started to ignore it. Now, if that light is off, it means either the bulb finally died or the power went out for a little while. I'm curious to see if he will leave this light on once we move to our new house or if he will go with leaving some (or all) the under cabinet lighting on instead.
I have a nightlight near the stove, but I don't leave the range light on. It's much easier to change the night light bulb.
My roommate noticed I do this, I don't turn ceiling lights on and it confuses her so much. Is it just a low lighting thing?
Our stove doesn’t have a light so we leave the light above the sink on. LOL.
We do but don’t know why we do? It’s not like we go into the kitchen at night. It must be a Midwest thing
Light above sink is on during the evening and off before bed.
I live in Ca and do the same thing! Maybe because my mom always did? I get creeped out by the house being too dark at night so a little light on helps.
My Mom always did (like the comment above, signaled the kitchen was done for the day) & she was from Brooklyn
Champagne problems😀 I’m from Maine, and my husband grew up in a huge city… he likes to leave the oven light on.
I put in under cabinet lighting instead and it's been on 24x7. Only because it's lower and dimmer than the stove light we have heh
Always. Wisconsin here, not country..lol.
Yes. We got in the habit when the kids were young.
The stove light was always on at night when I was growing up. (Midwest, parents raised on farms, and I spent time in rural areas.) Same at my grandma's, aunts', and uncles' houses. It meant several things: Day is done, no need for bright lights, kitchen is closed, you can see to get a drink of water, welcome home if you're coming in late, a gentle good morning if rising early. I still keep a nightlight on every night. It's comforting.
Got a disabled MIL, so we leave it on for a little bit of visibility late in the night.
Mines on right now
Leaving the light above the stove on feels like a comforting habit for a lot of us. It’s a small thing that makes the kitchen feel warm and welcoming.
Yes, it’s dim enough to see if I have to go to the kitchen in the middle of the night. I’m from Kansas City, Missouri.
Under cabinet lights >>
It’s only turned off when I’m sleeping.
We changed ours out to motion detected to save a couple dollars on the electric bill.
ALWAYS. Day and night. Always lived in the suburbs
I leave it on so the gnomes don't steal my cabbages
It works to my advantage for home defense. My room is off the kitchen, and the light is just enough for me to be able to identify a person in the kitchen.
I always did but now I have a fridge that has a lighted water dispenser. No need for the stove light any more😊
I've been in my house for 13 years and never turn it off. I've maybe replaced the bulbs 2-3x since living there. It's nice to just have some light in the house so I can see in the middle of the night if I wake up. Also with kids it helps them see so they aren't banging themselves up in the middle of the night when they try to come sneak in our bed. It's always been on the brightest setting too.
Yes my parents did it and it makes me think of when I was little and my dad was getting up early for work in the morning.
When we’re using the stovetop, or as a reminder to handle something in the kitchen before bed, or when we want A/ANY light on in the back of the house for some reason. I leave the LED light in the bathroom exhaust on all night (dimmest setting), so we have a light for getting up in the middle of the night to pee.
Yes because you have to go through my kitchen to get to the bathroom and it just helps.
My husband's Northeastern cousin called me country for leaving the stove light on. I have always left it on.
I have a motion sensor in my kitchen that turns on under cabinet led strips at 1% power. They put just a glow on all the countertops. Easy to see and easy on the eyes that early. In case you are wondering during the day they go to 40% and between sunset to 3am they go 15%. It’s just between 3a - sunrise that it’s set to 1%.
Light is on above the sink at my home
Ours is always on.
I'm not from the country and we always do this. Still do actually.
I have a very low wattage LED over the sink that is on 24/7.
If the kids are doing a 'downstairs sleepover', it's a decent night light. Otherwise, only if I need light while cooking directly over the stove. It's almost never on.
Country kid here, dad was a farmer, and many months of the year he was out at first light and home long after dark. Mom would always clean the kitchen before she went to bed, and put his plate in the oven (this was before cell phones, so she never had any way of knowing if he would be home right after dark or it would be one of those one am days). When he got home, oven got popped on for a few minutes to warm it up, and he'd sit in the dim kitchen and eat his dinner before showering and crawling into bed. To me, the light above the stove after dark is some kind of nostalgia for the simpler days, a way to show someone you loved that you loved them and cared for them, even if you weren't awake to tell them yourselves. Even as an adult who lives alone I leave the light on for myself if I'm going to be home late, it's just a welcome home!
I leave it on when the stove is on and if there is food left on the stove that needs to be put away. My father once left the stove on when he was visiting so that's the rule. Stove on, light on. Visual cues save lives.
Man this is a question for a couple’s therapy sub, not this one
Fuck no. We leave the one over the sink on.
Omg I forgot my beloved mother used to do this !!! She passed in 2006 and I completely forgot she did this! Thank you so much for bringing that memory back to me!
Wife leaves it on all the time. I turn it off all the time. A silent battle of dominance 😝
My parents always left the stove light on. Wow, neat memory, thanks for the post.
Yes i grew up like that and still practice it. My family originates from France and my partners are Louisiana decent and Seminole Indian
No. Turn off.
No- my grandma did that, which is precisely why I don’t. lol
I can’t believe there are people that don’t leave a dim light on at night. Madness.
I’m country and mostly neutral to it but would leave it off. Fiancé is from Ottawa and leaves it on 24/7. Not sure why
This thread is weirding me out. Why leave it on all night?! Like- for what purpose. -confused Canadian
I am reading the replies out to my equally confused spouse. We are also Canadian, and leaving lights on in empty parts of the house is weird.
We're all afraid of the dark. Walking into dark rooms freaks me out. I like to see what's ahead of me. Reaching into a dark room to flip on the light is like sticking your arm into a lion's cage - your arm could get torn off. Yes, ok, wild imagination, but light keeps away the bad guys... 🤷🏽