When it comes to installing new plugs in your home, one of the often-overlooked facts is how many options there are. 

Weather your plug is broken, out of style, or just not appealing to the eye, there are many reasons to want to change them. Professionals suggest they be updated every 10 years.
Odds are if you aren’t in need of replacement, you will be soon.

When it comes time to get them swapped out, you may be confronted with a bigger decision than you thought. No matter what store you find yourself in, you will inevitably be surrounded by so many options it can make your head spin.

Technology has progressed so quickly in the last 10 years the options have become almost limitless. The good news is we don’t have to get overwhelmed by it all. With a little guidance, we can easily reduce the options into a few practical categories.

Color

Let’s kick it off with the easiest decision of all. What color do you want?

For the last 30 years, it has typically been as simple as two colors. Ivory and White. Light Almond made its presence felt throughout the 1980’s but has since found its way back to obscurity.

Ivory held its ground from the 1970’s to the late 2000’s, but white has since found its home at the center of fashion. As we all can remember, beige was the standard for neutral colors until about 5 years ago when gray made a bold move to the forefront. As demand and manufacturing increased, so did the need for new colors.

These days, without looking too far out of the way, you can find options for: Black, Gray, Light Brown, Dark Brown, Red, Blue, and Gold.

Yes, you may have trouble finding other corresponding devices but as far as basic receptacles a simple google search will produce multiple websites with similar offerings. 

STYLE

At the moment there are still two basic options. Standard and Decora. Standard describes your basic plug. Two round ports stacked on top of each other almost in a figure eight pattern. Décora is short for decorator.

This suggests its main function has been to serve as a more visual appealing option, highly desired by interior decorators as an upgrade to the ho hum of standard installations. They are more of a flat rectangle with a polished finish.

FUNCTION

What is it you would like it to do? Are there operations out of the norm you might be asking from your new receptacles? If so, you are not alone.  

With so many options available, and some you may not know exist, let’s just name a few to get going.

Night Light Plugs. Remember how we grew up with the hall night light? Remember how they would get broken with balls bouncing and dogs running and all things kids?

Well now they have incorporated them right into the plug itself. No more worry of damage. Oh, and in case you’re wondering they have a built in sensor, so they know when to come on and shut off automatically.

USB/Charging Plugs.

In this age of technology, we rely on handheld devices to keep us going all day long. All these fancy devices are battery powered and need to be charged.

I’m sure if you’re like me, when you need a charging port, there is not one in site. Who wants to take their tablet to the bedroom to charge when they are deep into watching the latest season of their favorite show on the couch?

No one, and now they don’t have to. They originally came out with USB port receptacles a few years ago. Now with Apple and other products having more specific charging parts, those became available as well.

Let’s just say no matter what kind of charger you need, one is available with a little bit of digging.

Plug mold and Pop ups.

We will round this list off with options for the countertop. Plug mold and Pop ups. With the emergence of the title “clean back splash” we have found ourselves with the need for reduced clutter on the countertop, and that means no devices.

No plugs and no switches visible. This means switches will need to find a new home, and the plugs will need to adapt to the environment.

Plug mold is a multi-device strip that can be installed at the top of the backsplash. This way there are many places to plug in all while not being visible until you need them.

Pop ups. Back to the design and title of “clean back splash” we have to find a way to hide the plugs and not everyone is a fan of plug mold. That’s where pup ups come in.

Just like your favorite Syfy movie, you push the button and up pops the receptacle.

There has been a lot of push back as these style plugs have proven hard to clean and require more maintenance than most, but these new age looking plugs can sure make a lot of people smile.