Don't have power and ran out of candles, here's a cool hack

Don't have power and ran out of candles, here's a cool hack

Despite having LED solar-powered or battery-powered lights, power banks and candles, we are only human and can sometimes be left in the dark...

A female holds a candle close to a socket on the wall
A female holds a candle close to a socket on the wall/iStock/Victoria Kotlyarchuk

Data revealed that South Africa exceeded its power breakdown limit earlier in June 2025, leading experts to predict that we could expect load shedding at any time. 

According to Business Tech, "Delivering its winter outlook for 2025, Eskom said its base case for the winter period was no load shedding.

However, it warned that, in the “worst-case” scenario, if demand exceeds the expected outage limit of 13,000MW, the country could experience 21 days of stage 2 load shedding.

With talk of possible 'no-warning power cuts', it's always best to stay prepared. So, keep the backup power devices charged and ready to go, and always have a backup plan. 

The first backup plan when you're stuck without candles or your LED lights aren't charged is a DIY home-made candle that is said to last 12 hours. 

We are unsure whether it lasts that long, but it's worth a try. Most of the ingredients are things everyone already has in their homes. 

Remember to practice fire safety protocols when using candles or any fire in your home. Watch the video below from Instagram on how to make a homemade candle. 

The second idea has been floating around social media, and while it would be a great science experiment for the kids and could be the answer to saving on your power usage, it isn't entirely accurate. 

The video we found shows a young lady using two potatoes, a coin, and a phone charger to charge her phone. But this is a ruse. While it is quite possible to use a potato to generate electricity, the power would never be enough to charge your phone. 

Watch the video from Instagram

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Image Courtesy of iStock

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