≡ Menu

Plastic Soda Bottles for Natural Interior Lighting

If you ever want to see prime examples of human ingenuity go for a walk through one of the many shanty towns which sits at the outskirts of nearly every major city in the developing world. There you will find entire neighborhoods constructed of trash, discarded materials, and just about anything that the occupants can [...]

Support VBJ’s writing on this blog:

If you ever want to see prime examples of human ingenuity go for a walk through one of the many shanty towns which sits at the outskirts of nearly every major city in the developing world. There you will find entire neighborhoods constructed of trash, discarded materials, and just about anything that the occupants can find. It is amazing what structures people can make with only a sheet of corrugated metal, plastic sheeting, a stack of cinder blocks, milk crates, and miscellaneous pieces of plastic. But one of the most ingenuitive adaptions to these houses was referred to me by my friend Mike Mcquire, who sent me a video which shows a way to make natural interior light using only a plastic bottle, water, and bleach.

Installing soda bottle solar lights

Photo credit: Gizmag

Watch soda bottle solar lighting videos


The way this works is that daylight hits the soda bottle on the roof and the water refracts the rays through the hole, pouring light into the room below. the bleach keeps the insides of the bottles from molding.

As is shown in the video, this method is not only used by people without electrical lighting but by those who want to save money on electricity as well. The latter strategy will be of more use to people living above the slum line who want to knock down their electricity usage a little by using the forever free lighting of the sun.

Soda bottle solar lights

Part of the value of travel is having the opportunity to see how other people do things, observe their ingenuity, and then copy their ideas in other settings. Although I have yet to observe these water bottle interior lights in person, I will take this idea and share in with others, and the next time I find myself building a structure without an electrical hook up I will be sure to cut well placed holes in the roof and stuff them with  plastic bottles full of water and bleach for natural interior lighting.

More about soda bottle solar lights

Isanglitrongliwanag
DIY Solar Bottle Experiment

Filed under: Economics, Technology

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

Support VBJ’s writing on this blog:

VBJ is currently in: New York City

2 comments… add one

Leave a Comment

  • Rony Herrarte October 18, 2012, 11:41 pm

    Hi there,

    I’m part of a Rotaract Club, here in Guatemala, that is in the process of putting this idea on several houses.

    We already installed one to show other people how it will look and how it works, let me tell you that it does makes a difference specially in rooms with out windows. In a sunny day it looks like you have installed a 80 watts bulb.

    It is important to reiterate that this only works on daylight and perhaps on a very clear night and a full moon, but this will not give light at night. I mention this because many people has come up with this question to us.

    Link Reply
  • Max Derinskiy December 31, 2012, 3:45 pm

    I think that you can make more light if the bottle cap was transparent then the light would hit the middle bottom of the bottle directly thus producing brighter light….but that’s just my opinion.

    Link Reply