How To Safely Clean Up The Broken CFL Lightings When It Breaks On A Hard Surface?

If the CFL lighting breaks on a HARD SURFACE follow these steps:

1. Close the door to other rooms.

2. Open a window and leave the room for at least 15 minutes.

3. Find 2 plastic bags that you can fit one inside the other. Do not just add the pieces to your regular trash! That could allow the dust may escape into your air space and get into your lungs.

4. Do not use a vacuum or broom! The mercury dust will cling to the broom forever.

5. Do not use your bare hands. Put something between your skin and the broken shards. Use disposable gloves to protect you skin from contact with the shards. * If you don't have gloves, you can try using plastic bags, such as the ones you pack fruits and vegetables in at the store, or the newspaper plastic sleeves. **Be extra careful using this substitute "glove" idea, as they aren't as easy to control as a glove,

6. If you own a disposable dust mask, put it on. Or you can tie a rag over your nose. *This isn't an absolute step, but I highly recommend it to avoid breathing the dust.

7. Find 2 pieces of stiff paper or cardboard. You need one that is large enough to act as a substitute "dust pan" and one that you can use as a "broom".

8. Using the smaller piece of stiff paper gently push the larger pieces towards the larger piece of stiff paper or cardboard.

9. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or rag that you can dispose of in the trash. Don't rinse the rags out and expect to reuse them. You want to capture all the dust on the paper towel or rag and toss them in the trash, not rinse the dust into our water system.

10. Put the rags or paper towels into the first plastic bag.

11. Seal this plastic bag, then put it inside another plastic bag. Take off your disposable gloves and mask. Put them all in the second bag.

12. Seal the second plastic bag.

13. Immediately place these sealed bags in your outside trash container. *Don't leave these bags in your home for long. This will help to avoid any possibility of someone trying to open them to add trash or pick it up and drop it and have the glass cut through and you need to start the process all over again.

14. Wash your hands really well.