How to collect mercury from a carpet: what can’t be done if a thermometer crashes, how and what can be removed

Each of us at least once in our life has encountered such a problem as a broken thermometer with mercury. One wrong move, and the most dangerous contents are already on the floor. Now the main task is to collect it from the carpet as soon as possible.

FOR REFERENCE! The best way would be to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations (for free) or a specialized service, whose services are very expensive. If this is not possible, then you have to clean it yourself at home with improvised means.

Before starting cleaning, it is necessary to remove all household members, including animals, from the room and close the door tightly. In this case, the windows must be opened so that harmful metal fumes are eroded.

IMPORTANT! Make sure that there is no draft when windows are open.

After that, you need to put on household gloves, a respirator or gauze bandage soaked in water and shoe covers (if they are not there, you can use plastic bags).

If mercury gets on the carpet, it becomes difficult to clean it, because small particles can get deep into the pile and get stuck there, it will be very difficult to get them out of there. The first step is to remove the largest and most visible elements. Raise the carpet, and roll them onto a piece of paper.

How and what can you remove mercury from the carpet at home

Now the most difficult thing remains - to deal with the elimination of the smallest elements that remained in the pile. This can be done using ordinary tape. If it is not at hand, you can use a band-aid, self-adhesive paper, paper towels or napkins, which are recommended to be soaked in vegetable oil.

FOR REFERENCE! If suddenly there are no paper towels or napkins in the house, then cotton wool disks soaked in water are quite suitable.

When cleaning with these methods, it is necessary to use a new piece of material every time: cut off a piece of adhesive tape, bring it to the particles, collect it, and put it in a jar of water. They took a new piece, the procedure was repeated. So every time. You can not collect twice in one piece.

Another great way is to clean with a syringe or syringe. It is necessary to push the pile of the carpet and then collect small particles, these improvised tools do an excellent job of this.

An ordinary magnet will also help: it will attract all the particles to itself. After that, they must be removed in a jar of water and tightly closed with a lid.

ATTENTION! When mercury is eliminated, it must be removed in a jar of water and covered with a lid.

After cleaning, thoroughly clean the carpet. For cleaning, a solution of soap and soda is suitable. You can use a cleaner for carpets and upholstery. And also the carpet must be taken out into the non-residential area, knocked out and left to air. In winter, it will also give it freshness. But it is also necessary to flush all floors.

What can not be done if a thermometer with mercury crashes on a carpet in a house

1. Hoover. When cleaning, the vacuum cleaner heats up and the evaporation process intensifies. When blowing air, poisonous vapors evaporate. As well as particles remain in the vacuum cleaner, washing and cleaning it will not help. Of course, you can throw the unit, but not everyone is capable of it.
2. Sweep. When sweeping with a broom or a hard brush, drops of mercury do not collect, but rather break up into smaller particles and then it will be even more difficult to remove them.
3. Dispose of in the toilet. Particles will settle on the walls of the sewer pipe, and poisonous vapors will evaporate, changing the air in the apartment, increasing the content of toxic fumes. This is fraught with poisoning.
4. For the same reason, you can’t throw in a trash bin, garbage chute or on the street. Even being at the landfill, vapor will evaporate, poisoning the air.
5. Do not wash the carpet. Vapors will also evaporate during washing. When rinsing and draining, the remaining particles will fall into the drainage system and settle there. And contamination of the washing machine with harmful metal may also occur. Things that were cleaned, also can not be washed, they must be disposed of.

At the end of the cleaning, all mercury and items must be put in a bag or airtight containers and taken out onto the street or balcony. At the same time, the windows must be open, and the door is tightly closed.

IMPORTANT! After that, it is recommended to call the service so that they pick up the package with things and send it for recycling. If there is no way to call the service, then you can call the Ministry of Emergencies or a specialized company and find out where the disposal points are from and take it yourself.

If after all the procedures performed there were doubts whether everything was deleted, if the content of harmful fumes in the air was not exceeded, then it is necessary to call a specialized service. They will measure the air for the presence of harmful fumes and their concentration. If necessary, specialists will process the premises.

IMPORTANT! Even if all the actions were done correctly and on time, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the household. Children can be shown to the doctor. For prevention, take activated charcoal for five days.