You can clean up small mercury spills yourself – for example:
- a broken thermometer or barometer
- a broken fluorescent light globe or tube.
To learn about the safe disposal of household products containing mercury, visit Sustainability Victoria(opens in a new window).
Do not try to clean up large mercury spills yourself. Instead, follow the steps below.
If you have any health concerns about mercury, contact your doctor or the Victorian Poisons Information Centre(opens in a new window).
Large mercury spills
Some household items have larger amounts of mercury than other items. These include:
- thermostats
- pendulum clock counterweights
- home medical items, such as devices used to measure blood pressure.
When any of these items break, this is considered a large spill. Mercury from these items can escape and remain in:
- carpet
- other household cloth, such as fabric on your couch
- cracks in the flooring.
Do not try to clean up large spills yourself. Instead, follow these steps.
1. Clear the area
Remove all people and pets from the room immediately.
2. Create air flow in the room
Close all the doors to the room, then open all the windows in the room. Turn off all heaters and air conditioners.
3. Call triple zero (000)
Call triple zero (000) and ask for fire services. Ask for advice about any potential hazards.
4. Contact an experienced cleaner
Contact a cleaning contractor experienced in chemical clean-ups.
Small mercury spills
When a thermometer or barometer breaks, this is considered a small spill. You can clean up small spills yourself. Follow these steps.
1. Clear the room
Remove all people and pets from the room.
2. Create air flow in the room
Close all the doors to the room, then open all the windows in the room. Turn off all heating and air conditioners.
Let air flow for 15 minutes before starting to clean up.
3. Make sure you do not make more vapours
Do not vacuum or sweep mercury. This spreads it and makes more vapours. Mercury can also contaminate your vacuum cleaner.
4. Clean up the spill
Follow these clean-up steps carefully:
- Take off your watch and any jewellery.
- Put on gloves you can dispose of later.
- Shine a torch on the spill area to find mercury droplets.
- Use an eyedropper or syringe to pick up droplets. Use a pen to guide droplets onto a piece of card.
- Use sticky tape to pick up smaller droplets.
- Carefully place all droplets into a strong plastic container with a lid.
- Do not pour mercury down the sink. It stays in the water trap and keeps spreading vapours.
For mercury spilt over a drain or sink, check the plumbing for mercury.
5. After your clean-up
Once you have safely collected the mercury using the clean-up steps above, you can dispose of it at a Detox Your Home(opens in a new window) event. Check when and where the next Detox Your Home events are happening and register to attend.
Follow these steps carefully:
- Keep the windows open so air can flow through the room for the next 24 hours.
- Take all rugs and mats from the room outside, and hang them in open air for at least a week.
- Dispose of all items that mercury contacted – for example, gloves, eyedropper, pen, card, broken glass and clothing. Put them in a plastic bag and then into your general rubbish bin.
- Do not wash any clothing that mercury contacted in your washing machine. This contaminates the machine.
- Dispose of carpet, curtains, furniture fabric and any other household cloth that mercury contacted. Mercury can stay in these materials and release vapours.
Broken fluorescent light globes or tubes
Broken fluorescent light globes or tubes can release tiny amounts of mercury that are not easy to see. You can clean up these breaks and spills yourself. Follow these steps.
1. Create air flow in the room
Close all the doors to the room, then open all the windows in the room. Turn off all heating and air conditioners.
2. Clean up the spill
Follow these steps carefully:
- Put on gloves you can dispose of later.
- Pick up all the large glass pieces.
- Use sticky tape to pick up smaller pieces.
- Put all the glass pieces in a sealed container for disposal.
- Wipe the area clean with damp paper towel or disposable wet wipes. Put these in a glass jar or sealed plastic bag for disposal.
3. After your clean-up
Maintain air flow in the room for 12 to 24 hours.
Take broken fluorescent light globes or tubes to a recycling centre(opens in a new window). Put other glass and any items that mercury may have contacted in your general waste bin. Do not put them in the recycling bin.
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