A broken light bulb doesn’t just leave you in the dark. Shattered glass and exposed electrical connections are a hazard, especially when you’re trying to get the lightbulb base out of the socket.

Given the combination of broken glass and electricity, if a light bulb breaks while still screwed into the socket of a lamp or other light fixture, it’s not a situation to be taken lightly.

Before removing a broken light bulb from a socket, you’ll want to disconnect the electricity to avoid getting shocked. For a lamp, simply unplug it. For hard-wired lighting, ...

We can't assist you in dealing with most of the aggravations above, but we can help with the light-bulb problem. Getting one out that's broken off at the base doesn't have to be a big production.

But when the filament is broken off, as it was at my in-laws’ house, you need to use the pliers in the opposite way: Stick the jaws into the socket and press the handles apart.

A tip from a Chicago reader: Regarding a topic that came up in your column some months ago, I would like to recommend a very simple solution to removing the base of a broken light bulb that’s ...

Anytime you have a broken light bulb that is still screwed in to the socket, just turn off the power and insert the corner of a dry bar of soap into the socket. With a few turns, the bulb will ...

In many years of removing dozens of such broken bulbs from outdoor fixtures, ovens, overhead lights and ordinary lamps, Mr. HP has never found one that would not come out using the last approach.

Among things that frustrate: A hangnail; a pen that doesn't write; sealing a check in an envelope and then remembering you forgot to sign it -- and the bulb is broken off in the socket of your ...

If the bulb is already broken, use a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull the bulb from the socket. Your strand of lights came with a pack of replacement bulbs. Grab one and push it firmly into the ...

Getting the remnants of a broken light bulb out of a socket should be done with caution. First and foremost: Turn off the power by flipping the switch or throwing the breaker for permanent ...