How to Remove a Broken Light Bulb with a Potato

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 14, 2022 References

Breaking a light bulb while it's still in the light fixture can be a real pain. Without a bulb to hold onto, removing what's left of the light can be a lot more challenging. Thankfully, you can still easily remove the broken bulb using only a potato. The potato will grip the broken bulb, acting as a handle that will allow you to remove the bulb without trouble.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing To Remove The Broken Bulb

1
Turn off the power. After you've broken a light bulb, it's very important that you turn off the power to that bulb. Without the protective glass bulb, it can be easy to electrocute yourself if you touch the exposed wires of the light bulb. Make sure that the broken light bulb is no longer receiving any power before proceeding.^{[1]
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- If you aren't sure the power is off, you can try turning off the power at your house's circuit box.
- You can try turning off your main breaker to stop the flow of power to the entire house.
- Do not remove the light bulb when the power is on. You should be confident that the bulb is turned off.
2
Clean up the area. Before you get started removing the broken light bulb, it's a good idea to clean the area up. You don't want to work in a space that has any small pieces of glass laying on the floor. Make sure that the area is glass free and thoroughly cleaned up before removing the light bulb with a potato.
- Broken glass is very sharp and can cut you easily. Make sure you've picked up all the broken pieces of glass.
- Put pieces of broken glass into a sturdy container before putting it in your garbage. Loose pieces of glass can cut and injure sanitation workers.
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3
Get ready to remove the light bulb. Once you've turned the power off and cleaned the broken glass away, you can prepare to remove the light bulb. Setting up your workspace can help make the job go smoothly and will let you know if you are missing anything you might need. Make sure you've got the following key items before you get started:
- You may need a ladder to reach the bulb.
- You will need one potato.
- Get a knife ready to cut the potato in half.
- Wearing heavy work gloves can help protect you from cuts.
- Using safety glasses can help protect your eyes.
- Having some basic first aid items can be a good idea.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Preparing Your Potato

1
Get the right size potato. In order for this method to properly work, you will need to find a potato that is the right size for your broken light bulb. The potato should be larger than the broken bulb, leaving enough room to comfortably hold onto the potato when it comes time to unscrew the bulb. A potato that is too small might not grip the entire bulb or may be difficult to handle.
- If you are unsure of what size potato you might need, pick the largest one you have handy.
- You will be cutting the potato in half. Make sure that half of the potato will be large enough to cover the broken bulb.
2
Cut the potato in half. Once you've got the perfect potato for the job, you'll need to cut it in half. Don't worry if the cut isn't exactly half of the potato. It's only important that you expose the soft inside area of the potato and that there is enough of it to grip the broken light bulb with. Keep the other half of the potato as a backup.^{[3]
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- Be careful when cutting the potato.
- Don't worry if one half of the potato is bigger than the other. Start by using the bigger half of the potato first.
3
Dry the potato off. Potatoes will often hold a lot of water inside them. Cutting a potato in half will likely release some of this water. A wet or damp potato can be difficult to hold onto when using it to remove a broken light bulb. It's always a good idea to dry the potato off as best you can before taking the light bulb out.
- Focus on drying off the parts of the potato that still have skin on them.
- You won't be able to fully dry off the exposed, inner part of the potato. However, it can help to get it as dry as you can.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Removing The Broken Bulb

1
Push the potato into the broken light bulb. Now that your potato is ready, you can use it to remove the light. Gently push the cut face of the potato onto the broken part of the light bulb. Slowly apply pressure until the broken parts of the bulb stick firmly into the potato. The potato and the light bulb should feel securely connected.^{[6]
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- The potato should cover most of the broken areas of the bulb.
- Don't smash the potato onto the light. Always use a gentle pushing motion.
2
Use the potato as a handle and twist the broken light out. After you've pushed the potato into the light bulb, you can begin twisting the potato and removing the bulb. Twist the potato as if it were part of the bulb and the light bulb will begin to unscrew from the socket. Keep turning the potato until the bulb is fully released from the socket.^{[9]
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- Work slowly and carefully while remove the bulb.
- You will likely need to twist in a counter-clockwise motion.
- Be ready for the broken bulb to fall out of the socket.
3
Dispose of the potato and the broken light bulb. Once the light bulb has come out of the socket, you can dispose of both the potato and the bulb. It's a good idea to put both the potato and the bulb in a secure or sturdy container. Both the bulb and the potato are likely to contain shards of broken glass and a sturdy container can help keep everyone safe. After you've wrapped up the potato and the bulb, you can throw them both out as you normally would.^{[12]
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- Some areas will not recycle broken glass.
- Check with your local recycling rules and regulations.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it safe to do this?

Kusuo Saiki

Community Answer

Yes, the potato will hold all the glass inside. Just make sure you don't eat the potato afterwards.

Warnings

Always make sure the power is off before removing the bulb.

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Be careful around any shards of broken glass.

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