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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Some areas will not recycle broken glass. Check with your local recycling rules and regulations.
