The Hack To Easily Hang A Pendant Lamp

While it's one of the simpler upgrades you can make to your home, replacing your existing light fixtures can be a bit intimidating. Dangling fragile glass pieces several feet above the ground will always be a bit uncomfortable, but it gets even scarier when you have to rely on an assistant or attempt to hold the hanging light fixture with one hand while you install the hardware into the ceiling with the other. Thankfully, however, clever content creator and DIY expert Ryan Walker shared a hack for hanging a pendant lamp that's so simple, you'll be shocked that you didn't come up with the idea yourself.

Instead of having to hold your new pendant light while installing, Walker suggests using a backpack as a makeshift support, essentially creating a jumbo tool belt across the front of your body. This way, your shoulders won't be aching the next day from having to support the weight of the hanging light, and there won't be any worries about dropping your expensive new fixture and shattering it on the floor.

To use this hack yourself, all you will need is one additional thing: a backpack. It's important to make sure that this backpack is large enough to fit your hanging lamp fixture, so unzip the bag and try out the sizing before you climb up the ladder to begin installing your new pendant lighting. Once you've found a bag that's the correct size, sling the straps over your shoulders with the bag portion on the front of your body, then place your light fixture in the large zippered pocket. Now, you'll have both hands free to perform the installation.

In Ryan Walker's Instagram post, he also shared one more convenient aspect of this hack: You can use the pockets along the side or at the front of the backpack to hold your tools so you're not stuck climbing up and down the ladder. This hack for safely hanging a pendant lamp might seem a bit silly at first glance, but consider trying it out for yourself — sometimes a simple switch can make the job significantly easier and safer.