Broken Fluorescent Lights! Bummer...

Don't worry, there are several steps you can take to make sure that the bulbs are cleaned up safely. Keep in mind that in California fluorescent bulbs and tubes are not trash, and you should take the broken bulbs to sites listed on our Fluorescent Tube or Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) pages.

Before Clean Up: Air Out the Room

• Have people and pets leave the room, and don/t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating and air conditioning systems.

Hard Surface Clean Up

• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with a 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 us a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Carpet or Rug Cleanup

• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with a 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 pup the bag and vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Clothing, Bedding or other Soft Material Clean Up

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with the broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the inside of the bulb, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. This is because the mercury and glass may stick to the fabric. 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 Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL), such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL. As long as that clothing has not come in into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb you should be fine.
• If shoes come into direct contact with powder from the bulb, wipe them off awith a damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the dowels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

Disposing of Clean Up Materials

• Immediately place all clean up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing the clean up materials.
• In Santa Barbara County, you may take these materials to hazardous waste facilities listed on our Fluorescent Tube or Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) pages.

Future Cleaning of a Carpet or Rug.

• The next several times you vacuum, shut down any central forced-air heating and air conditioning system an open a window before vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating and air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after you are done vacuuming.

More information.

People use other products that contain mercury, not just fluorescent lights. In the event that any of these products break, there should be certain steps that need to be taken for safe clean up and disposal. In addition to producing information on the do's and dont's of fluorescent light and mercury thermometer breaks, the US Environmental Protection Agency has a website that provides information on storing, transporting and disposing of mercury. www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#/whatnever.