4 Ways To Remove A Broken Light Bulb - Pretty Handy Girl

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Have you ever found yourself staring down the base of a broken light bulb? You must resist the temptation to reach up and unscrew it with your fingers. Not a smart idea. Instead you can safely remove it using one of these 4 Ways to Remove a Broken Light Bulb.

Let’s get to it! Before you begin, make sure the light switch is turned off or the power has been turned off to the light.

The Potato Method:

The old method that has always been touted as the best way to remove a broken light bulb has been to use a potato. Push the potato onto the broken shards and turn clockwise to remove. This works well if there’s enough shards, but if the glass is gone you’ll need to try another technique.

The Sponge Method:

Similar to the potato method, if you have some shards showing, simply push the sponge onto the broken bulb and turn counter-clockwise. Depending on how tight the bulb is, the sponge may just tear.

The Newspaper Method:

The newspaper trick works well for bulbs that have short or long shards. Ball up a wad of newspaper and grasp the bulb through the newspaper. Then turn counter-clockwise to unscrew the bulb. Then ball up the glass inside the newspaper and discard.

The Needle-nose Pliers Method:

Finally, if all else fails (or you don’t have any shards), you can use the needle-nose pliers method. You must remove any glass carefully with the pliers. Then grasp opposite sides of the bulb base. Gently twist each base to bend the metal. Then turn both pliers to remove the broken bulb base.

Hope these tricks help! If you have any other tricks for removing a broken light bulb, I’d love to hear them.

Like this tip? You might find more useful tips in my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes!

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