We have all been told that we should be using compact fluorescent light bulbs in our homes in place of the usual incandescent light bulbs we are all used to.  While it is true that a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is better for the environment than an incandescent light bulb, disposal of a broken bulb is very different.

A CFL has a small amount of Mercury in the bulb and when a light bulb breaks the mercury spills out. It is very important to cleanup a broken CFL properly.  Mercury is a heavy metal of which some forms are known to be highly toxic.

After I found out the correct way to clean up a broken CFL I told my friends and family.  My sister in law told me that she had many CFLs break and she just vacuumed them like a regular light bulb.  I looked on a CFL package for cleanup instructions and there are none, therefor most people do not even know how to properly clean up a broken bulb.

I have read and I highly recommend that if you plan on using CFLs in your home that you only use them in lights and lamps that are out of the reach of small children as they can be knocked over very easily and cause a light bulb to break.  This actually happened to me a couple of weeks ago.  My 1 year old daughter knocked over a lamp and the bulb fell onto the wall and burst onto the wall and carpeting.  Luckily we knew the proper procedure for cleanup and followed the steps below.

What to do if you break a CFL:

1.Turn off any fans and central air and open windows

2. Leave the room for at least 15 minutes

3. Clean up the light bulb area as follows:

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

4. Dispose of the broken CFL in your trash can outdoors.  Wash hands with soap and water.

Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

All of the information above is from the EPA website.  All of the above should be followed in order to safely clean up a broken CFL.  For more info from the EPA visit their website.

Different Kinds of CFLs

Standard, Straight and Spiral more info

Helpful Links

Energy Stay CFL information

Snopes Faqs

Planet Green

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