What to Do When You Break a CFL

If you break a CFL, the EPA recommends the following procedure:

1. Open a window and leave the room for at least 15 minutes so vapors can disperse.
2. Wearing disposable rubber gloves, carefully scoop up fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard. Then wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or disposable wet wipe and use sticky tape to pick up small pieces and powder. (Don't use a vacuum cleaner for the initial cleanup; that will just disperse any remaining mercury vapor in the air and leave particles in the bag.)
3. Place all cleanup materials and gloves in a plastic bag and seal it. Recycle. Or if your state allows it, seal the CFL in two plastic bags and put it in the outside trash. Wash your hands.
4. The first time you vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag when you're done cleaning (or empty and wipe the canister). Put the bag and/or vacuum debris, as well as the cleaning materials, in two sealed plastic bags and put it in the outdoor trash for normal disposal.