Tips for an annoying chore: sweeping up small shards of glass, here’s how to do it
You’re all surely civilized beings who don’t throw crockery or glassware around at home, but nevertheless, something does break for everyone now and then. Large shards are easy enough to pick up, of course, but these tips come in handy when you still need to get rid of those small, nasty little pieces…
Awful, those minuscule, sneaky glass splinters that still turn up in the farthest corners of the room days after a glass breaks—and, with a bit of bad luck, even end up in the sole of your foot. Of course, you can get out the vacuum cleaner or handheld vacuum, but suppose it was a full glass of Sangiovese that just crashed onto the floor; then that isn’t immediately the most practical option. We came across these tips, which may well come in handy in this situation.
Duct tape
Form a piece into a roll with the sticky side facing out. Make sure you use wide tape to protect your fingers, and then transport the shards—with the tape and all—to a piece of old newspaper, which can go in the bin.
Kitchen paper
An old favourite; this sweeping-up method. Fold it double a few times so it’s thick enough that no shards can pierce through, wet it under the tap and use it to dab up the glass splinters.
And although we obviously don’t encourage food waste and try our best to, for example, reuse vegetables, you may have the following two things at home and already be planning to throw them away:
A slice of (old) bread
That heel with a small patch of mould on it? You shouldn’t give it to the ducklings anyway, because it’s poisonous to them too. But if you happen to be standing in the kitchen with broken glass at your feet, you can sprinkle a little water on that piece of bread and use it to pick up the small glass splinters.
Potato
The same applies here: of course, you’re not going to waste a perfectly good one on this; you’d rather use it for jacket potatoes. But if you happen to have one lying around that’s covered in sprouts and dark spots, cut the thing in half and press the cut side onto the shards. Thanks to the moisture and texture, the glass remains firmly attached to and embedded in the potato’s surface.
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