It can happen to the best of us. When you’re holding a wine glass or a bottle of vitamins and it slips from your fingers, or you’re washing a plate or bowl in the sink and the detergent gets the better of you.
And then, there are those who tend to have butter fingers and regularly drop whatever they’re holding. (We recommend switching to melamine or plastic.)
Sometimes, for some unforeseen reason, the window pane might fall right in front of you. When that happens, you’ve got a problem that must be fixed immediately – you can’t put this off.
When a ceramic mug hits the floor, it’s probably easier to pick up the broken pieces. However, glass tends to shatter into tiny, minute bits and fly into unexplored corners you’d never thought possible.
Rather than just sweeping everything into the garbage bin, you need to be extra vigilant to ensure you’ve got all (or as much as possible) the sharp pieces safely out of the way. Here are some reminders that may be timely.
1 Ideally, you should wear rubber gloves so that you don’t get hurt while picking up the sharp broken glass. Most people, however, are not going to bother, so the advice here is that you should be very careful when handling the broken pieces. While many hands make light work, this is one time you don’t want too many people to help out as too many hands will make cleaning up difficult.
2 Naturally, you should pick up the large shards first. If the pieces are sharp and dangerous, use gloves or kitchen tongs, and double-bag them or wrap them up in newspaper. Better not to throw them directly into the bin as they might tear the garbage bag.
3 Keep your pets out of the way as, usually, they’ll be very excited and want to be in the thick of the action with you. Secure them in another room or put up a barrier, otherwise they might get hurt. Also, wear slippers or house shoes to protect your feet. If you have to bend down to collect the pieces, make sure you don’t absent-mindedly kneel on the floor! Get a stool if you have problems bending down.
4 In order to see better, use a bright LED light or your smartphone’s torchlight to scan across the surface. The light will show up missing pieces that will glitter which your naked eye might have missed. Some newer models of hand-held vacuum cleaners come with LED light so it shows clearly where to vacuum.
5 If there are pieces of glass stuck in the floor mat or carpet, gently shake the bigger pieces directly onto a large piece of newspaper. Be mindful not to shake too hard lest they scatter to other parts of the room. Use a hard-bristled brush to coax the small pieces to the surface.
6 Depending on the type of vacuum cleaner, it may not be recommended to suck up the leftover pieces. If it’s the kind that has a flexible hose and dustbag, then the shards may pierce through.
7 Even after you’ve swept the floor, there may be tiny pieces of glass lying around. Use a slice of fresh bread or cut potato to mop them up. Or, use a damp piece of paper towel. Alternatively, wrap some cellophane tape around your hand with the sticky side facing outward and then pat the floor where you think there may be more glass.
8 Don’t use kitchen sponges, mops or tea towels to clean up the broken glass as tiny pieces may be stuck in them even after they’re washed.
