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- 1). Clear the room of children, pets and all people who will not actively participate in the clean-up efforts. Put on rubber or latex gloves, protective disposable jumpsuit, safety goggles and a mercury-approved respirator. Remove all rings, watches and other jewelry to avoid mercury binding to the metals. Place disposable plastic bags over your shoes and secure the tops of the bags with tape.
- 2). Pick up mercury droplets with the sticky side of duct tape. Push tiny droplets to one central location on hard surfaces with a stiff piece of cardboard or heavy stock paper. If a thermometer breaks in a sink, immediately seal the drain to stop mercury from entering the plumbing system. If a thermometer breaks on a carpeted surface or other soft surface, cut out the section containing mercury, place it in a plastic bag with a zip top or secure the top with duct tape. Place small, contaminated items into a bag for disposal.
- 3). Pick up broken pieces of glass with duct tape, place them in a plastic bag and secure the top of the bag.
- 4). Turn off the lights and shine a flashlight at the surface. Look for glistening mercury beads. Pick up the beads with duct tape. Place the duct tape into a plastic bag and secure the top.
- 5). Pick up mercury droplets from cracks, crevices and recesses with a disposable eyedropper. Squeeze the bulb on top of the eyedropper, place the it up to the mercury droplet and release the bulb to suck in droplets. Squeeze the mercury onto a sheet of paper towel and place it into a secured plastic bag along with the eyedropper.
- 6). Sprinkle powdered sulfur over the floor. The sulfur with bind to the mercury and limit hazardous mercury vapor release. Slowly sweep cardboard from the edges of the room to the center and place the powdered sulfur in a plastic bag.
- 7). Remove shoes covers, jumpsuit, gloves, mask and goggles. Place them in large plastic bags and secure the top for disposal.
- 8). Contact your local hazardous material response team if mercury spilled on your skin. They will set up a decontamination area to remove mercury safely. Call your local hazardous waste department or health department for disposal instructions of bags.
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