Fighting LEDs Using Nail Polish

Here’s a super simple hack in case assorted LEDs (TV, Stereo, Fridge, …) keep you up at night:

Dismantle the device, paint black nail polish over the LED, re-assemble.
Should you ever need to use the LED again, you can simply use nail polish remover and a cotton swab to clean the nail polish off!

I’ve done this to most stationary devices I own, and it makes a tremendous difference in reducing clutter.

Sometimes you still need the LED, though. My Brita Yource Pro Select (not sponsored, though I do recommend) water filter uses the LED for navigating the configuration menu, so I could not block it. Yet it was bright enough to be visible in another room at night.

Instead, I simply wired a 1 kΩ resistor in series. Now the LED is far dimmer, yet still allows me to navigate the menu!