This Pantry Staple Is The Best Way To Clean Up Broken Glass

Spilling foods or liquids in the kitchen is inevitable, especially if you aren't the world's tidiest chef. Accidentally dropping a glass plate, canister, or bottle, on the other hand, is a whole other type of quandary. While mopping up spills can easily be done with a rag or paper towel, the same can't be said for shards of broken glass. Unless, that is, you don't mind dissecting teeny tiny slivers of glass out of your hand afterward.

Fortunately, Lifehacker is sharing via Reddit user norwegiancharm the best way to clean up broken glass, and you may be surprised by the answer: bread! "If you break a glass, use a piece of bread to sponge the area where the pieces shattered," the Reddit user suggested. After carefully cleaning up the larger pieces, simply use a slice of bread to pick up the rest. The Kitchn recommends this method too as bread is a common pantry staple and can prove to be more effective than tape or folded dampened towels.

First things first, if you have them, it's best to wear rubber gloves as an extra step of precaution when you're picking up broken glass (via FoodBeast). Next, remove the largest and softest slice of bread from the loaf. Doing so will give you more surface area when it comes time to sponge the broken glass, per The Kitchn. The more bread, the more glass you will be able to pick up, and the harder the bread, the less glass it will retain. Basically, the bread is acting as a sponge, so you want it to be able to absorb as much of the glass as possible.

Dab or sponge the scene of the crime until the bread has saturated all the broken glass. Once the mess is no more, discard your bread carefully. If you're hesitant about throwing shards of glass into your trash, Reddit user akatherder suggests slapping on peanut butter or another type of "adhesive" onto a separate slice of bread, according to Lifehacker. Put the two together for a peanut butter and glass sandwich, and toss into the trash — not your stomach!