How to Get Glass Out of Carpet [A Step-by-Step Guide]

When carrying a glass object such as a vase or a glass of water, we tend to pay close attention to our footsteps to avoid causing a mess. Nonetheless, having a lot going on around you can easily distract you, causing the glass item to slip from your hands and fall into the carpet. No we will tell you how to get glass out of carpet.

If you’re fortunate, the item will still be intact. On the other side, if you have the same luck as me, you’re in tremendous trouble, and you’re in for a long day collecting every tiny broken bit. But don’t worry. You won’t go through this process alone.

In this article, you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to get rid of every tiny piece of broken glass easily and without damaging your carpet or hurting yourself.

How to Get Glass Out of Carpet

Way 1: Wear Shoes and Thick Gloves

As we all know, picking up shards with bare hands is risky. This move can easily result in serious injuries such as deep cutting that require stitching. Therefore, before you start doing anything, make sure to have the appropriate pieces of gear.

The good thing is that you don’t need any expensive equipment to protect yourself from glass shards. All you need are thick rubber gloves and shoes (with thick soles preferably).

Thick gloves will protect you from puncturing your hands while picking the shards, whereas shoes will come in handy if you unintentionally walk on small bits.

Way 2: Turn the light On

Glass shatters into different sizes, making some difficult to locate, especially the small ones. Ignoring the tiny pieces and leaving them embedded in your carpet isn’t a good move at all since they will eventually make their way into your foot. Therefore, here are some simple and practical approaches for finding glass bits.

Make sure your room is well-lit, and if possible, open the windows to allow in some sunlight. The trick is when lighting your room, the glass shards will sparkle, which should assist you in spotting them. Try also to examine your rug from different angles to easily find broken pieces of glass.

Remark: You can also use a flashlight instead of the overhead light or the sun’s light.

Way 3: Pick Up the Large Shards

This step is quite straightforward. Simply pick up the larger pieces of shattered glass and place them in a trash can or plastic bin. Do not put the shards in a bag since they will rip it off and fall back into your carpet or another place.

Way 4: Vacuum Your Carpet

Even when you’ve gathered all the large glass pieces, your work isn’t over yet. You are, in fact, in the middle of the road. As previously stated, when a glass object breaks, it shatters into many pieces of different sizes.

While the big glass shards are easy to remove, the tiny ones are pretty difficult to see since they get easily embedded into the carpet. That’s why your vacuum cleaner comes in handy.

First, vacuum up any locations where you suspect glass pieces may be hidden while pressing the vacuum’s head deep in your carpet. We suggest you avoid back and forth motions at the beginning of the operation to not damage the rug. Some shards are too tiny to notice yet large enough to cut the piles of your carpet or harm its backing.

Once you believe you have removed all the shards that might harm your carpet, you can start running your vacuum in all directions to thoroughly clean your rug and remove every tiny splinter that may have been left behind. It is necessary to repeat this procedure many times to ensure that nothing is left behind.

How to Clean Glass from Carpet Without Vacuum

While the vacuum is excellent for removing glass shards from the carpet, it’s not the only option. When a vacuum cleaner isn’t available at home, you can be confident that the tips mentioned below will provide you with the desired results. Without further ado, once you’ve picked all the glass shards, here is what you should do:

Way 1: Use a Broom

Take a broom and give your carpet a good sweep to remove all the shards you didn’t pick in the first step. Don’t sweep too hard to not scatter the pieces all over your room. Instead, go gently, and gather them all in one place.

Way 2: Sticky Tape

To do this, get some good sticky tape, cut a strip of it, and apply it to the affected area of the carpet. Gently press down on the tape to ensure that it sticks to the glass bits.

Repeat this procedure until you pull every tiny bit from your rug. This approach won’t only pull off the splinter on the surface of your carpet but also the embedded one.

I understand that this technique might be a little time-consuming. However, when it comes to getting glass bits out of your carpet, it’s the most effective and least expensive method available.

Remark: If possible, avoid using Duct Tape on your carpet since it often leaves residue behind, which can sometimes be a pain to remove.

When to Seek Professional Help?

If you believe you won’t be able to do this work on your own, or you think there are shards left behind despite following the steps outlined above, then you should hire a professional cleaner to take care of this task.

Keep in mind that glass shards are hazardous to you and your family. And leaving them might cause serious injuries that involve stitching in some cases. So please take this seriously.

Bottom Line

The methods described above have been shown to be effective in removing glass from the carpet. And despite trying to cover everything, we are still missing something: our readers’ feedback on the techniques as mentioned earlier.

We would much appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on the tips as well as the results you got from using them. And if during the cleaning process you came up with an effective technique that isn’t mentioned above, feel free to share it below so more people can get the same success as you.

One of the most common problems homeowners encounter during cleaning chores is white powder on the carpet. If you face this issue while removing glass from your rug, you should definitely check our article that provides an in-depth guide on the cause of the white powder on the carpet and how to get rid of it.

Conclusion

Getting glass out of carpet can be a challenging task, but it is not impossible. Here are some steps you can follow to remove glass from carpet:

1. Wear protective gloves and shoes: Before you start, make sure to wear protective gloves and shoes to avoid injuring yourself.
2. Clear the area: Carefully remove any large glass pieces that are visible on the carpet. Use a broom and dustpan to sweep up the larger pieces and dispose of them in a trash bag.
3. Vacuum the area: Use a vacuum cleaner to clean up any smaller glass pieces and debris. Be sure to use the crevice tool attachment to get into tight spaces and corners.
4. Dampen the area: Dampen the area with a damp cloth or paper towel. This will help the glass shards stick to the cloth instead of the carpet fibers.
5. Use a lint roller: After dampening the area, use a lint roller to pick up any remaining glass shards. Press the lint roller firmly onto the carpet and roll it over the area several times to ensure you get all the glass.
6. Check the area: Once you have finished cleaning, inspect the area carefully to make sure you have removed all the glass. You may want to repeat the process several times to ensure all the glass has been removed.

It’s important to be extremely careful when dealing with broken glass, as it can be dangerous and cause injury. If you’re not comfortable removing the glass yourself or if the area is heavily contaminated, it’s best to contact a professional cleaner to handle the job.