A Clever Pool Noodle DIY That'll Light Up Your Outdoor Space

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Pool noodles can be so much fun to play with while floating around in the water, and yet they're useful for so much more. For instance, repurpose them into supports to help your tall plants thrive, or use an one in a clever way to protect your fishing pole. What if you could use them in a totally different way that still incorporates the water in your pool, or even a large decorative bowl? One brilliant way to upcycle those pool noodles is to turn them into floating lights. When paired with LED tea light candles, they gently bob atop the water, enhancing the chill vibe of your personal outdoor oasis with their tranquil energy. Even a broken or cracked pool noodle can be used for this project, since it'll be cut up anyway.   

Since LED tea lights come in countless varieties, make sure the product information mentions "waterproof" as one of the features, as these will surely get wet in your pool or a decorative vessel that's wide enough to float a few of them at a time. Solar-powered tea lights are potentially the best for this; since sunlight controls when they're on or off, you won't have to pop them out of their floating holders to find the on/off switch. Solar-powered tea lights are available in multi-packs, such as the 12-pack of SoulBay Solar Tea lights. 

To transform a pool noodle into numerous floating LED candle holders, position a pool noodle across a table and mark it with a pen about every 2 inches. You won't have to mark or cut the entire noodle, since you'll only need one disc slice per tea light. Feel free to save the rest of the pool noodle for DIY copycat stone planters or another creative project. Slice the pool noodle along the marked lines using a sharp kitchen knife. Keep the cuts as straight as possible so the discs are still horizontal at each end, if set upright on the table. 

If the hole in the center of the pool noodle is too small to push a tea light into it, center a tea light over the top of a noodle slice and trace around it. Repeat the process with each disc slice so you'll know where to make an indentation for a light. Gently cut around the marked line with a craft knife or kitchen knife, cutting down slightly less deep than the LED candle is tall. Pull out the excess pool-noodle foam and pop a tea light into each disc; the goal is a tight fit so they don't fall out. Set the tea lights out in the sun for an hour or longer, then float them out into the pool or even a large bowl of water, for fun. Enjoy the ambiance for your next outdoor get together, or even tonight, just because.