Broken Cfl Lightbulb On Carpet

How to clean up a broken cfl bulb.

Broken cfl lightbulb on carpet.

While cfls are being promoted because they are energy efficient their use has also raised health concerns as they contain a very small amount of mercury inside the lamp. How to clean broken glass off carpet. However because cfl bulbs contain mercury the process for cleaning it up is a bit more complicated than simply picking up glass. You can purchase cfl bulbs that have a glass or plastic cover over the spiral or folded glass tube if available.

How to clean up broken cfl bulb. Compact fluorescent light bulbs cfls contain small amounts of mercury. Like any glass product cfls tend to break occasionally causing many homeowners to worry about potential mercury exposure and adverse health effects. A small percentage of this mercury can be released into the air if the bulbs are broken.

Cleaning up broken cfl light bulbs more canadians are replacing regular incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient products such as compact fluorescent lamps cfls. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces. In this episode of spec. Mercury also can be released into the environment if bulbs are not recycled properly.

It s a rather simple process that doesn t require a professional and can be completed within a few minutes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag. Since compact fluorescent bulbs contain small amounts of mercury there. Compact fluorescent light bulbs cfls use 75 less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last about six times longer but it s no secret that cfls contain a small amount of mercury about 4 milligrams per bulb on average.

If every american home replaced just one standard incandescent light bulb with a long lasting cfl the resultant energy savings would eliminate greenhouse gases equal to the emissions of 800 000. You can consider using a drop cloth e g plastic sheet or beach towel when changing a fluorescent light bulb in case a breakage should occur. If you break a compact fluorescent light bulb over carpet carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes.

The amount of mercury in a cfl may be up to about 5 milligrams mg. Cleaning up a broken cfl bulb isn t a difficult or harrowing task. Sense vance shows how to safely clean up a broken cfl bulb.