Removing broken off light bulb

Can anyone tell me how to remove a light bulb that broke off in the socket? While unscrewing it, the globe broke off and the rest of the bulb is still in there.

Please help. Thank you.
carolyn

 

Some people swear by the half-potato trick. Turn off the circuit breaker. Cut a raw potato in half. Jam the potato over what's left of the bulb, and use the potato as a handle.

Personally, I don't have much faith in the potato trick.

Turn off the breaker. Cover it with a towel and break away the rest of the glass. Use needle-nose pliers to turn the shell. Bend it up if you have to.

Turn off the breaker. Don't rely solely on the wall switch.

 

John,

I just had to use the potato trick two days ago. I promise, it works. It was an old rusted out fixture on the neighbors front porch. Worked great!

Kay

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Thanks for the feedback Kay. I won't be so skeptical in the future.

 

The rule of thumb is to still turn off the power at the breaker! I know you guys stress that, but people don't understand that simply turning off the switch isn't protection enough. I would hate to think of someone working on a socket and a child or adult throwing the switch! Scary!

I still prefer the needlenose pliers to do the job, but since this one was directly overhead and my ladder wasn't handy it was easier to waste a potato on the job than try to do the stretch act to remove it LOL.

Kay

Moderator:
Chat & Whines, Pets, Health & Fitness
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Thank you go everyone who responded to my question. As it turned out, I turned off the electricity at the breaker and using a leather glove, I was able to grasp the center piece of glass where the filaments are attached ( I don't know what it is called) and I turned it. It came out without that piece of glass that I was holding breaking off. So, even though I had the potato with me, I did not need it.