Introduction: How to Make Your Own DIY Black Light
Have you ever wanted a UV black light but did not want to go to the store and spend $20 to buy one?
Pet owners know the feeling when your pet urines somewhere and you smell it but have no idea where it is. As a fellow pet owner, I can relate to this and UV Black Lights can be used to find where these stains could be. They can also be used for: Finding bed bugs, Authenticating driver’s license and passports, looking for Scorpions, and can act as a nail dryer.
This easy and quick method will show you how to make your own UV Black Light from household items. For your supplies, all you will need is:
- A phone with a flashlight.
- Blue and Purple markers (For this I used dry erase markers but sharpies can work as well)
- Clear Tape
- Highlighter
- A white piece of paper
Step 1:
Take your phone out and place a piece of tape over the part with the flash. The size of the flashlight varies depending on the phone, but it is always next to the camera.
Step 2:
Take out your purple marker and color the flashlight in with it over the tape. Next cover the mark with another piece of clear tape.
Step 3:
After you have placed another piece of clear tape over the flashlight. Color the flashlight with your purple marker again. Then put another piece of tape over this mark.
Step 4:
Lastly, take out your blue marker and color the 3rd layer of tape with your blue marker. Wait a few minutes for this to dry.
Step 5:
After this is done your UV Black Light is ready. To test it out, color a white piece of paper with a highlighter and turn off all lights in the room. Once you do this turn on the flashlight feature on your smartphone and see how the yellow highlighter glows off the paper. Now your UV Light is ready to test out and look for all the pet stains around the house.
Step 6: Conclusion
One thing that the phone UV Light differs from the real Blacklight is that you will not be able to use it to find bed bugs or dry nail polish. However, the other functions work great!
Congrats! You were able to make a UV Light for less than $5. Comment below on how this worked out for you.