DIY guideLights and bulbs
Change a light bulb safely
Switch it off, let it cool, use a steady step stool, and put in the right bulb.
- 5 to 10 min
- 6 steps
- Every step animated
6 steps
Tap a step to watch it again.
Turn the light off at its switch. For a lamp or an appliance, unplug it.
Wait a few minutes. A bulb that was on can burn your fingers.
Stand on a step stool or a step ladder, never a chair. Keep your body between its sides.
Don't stand on the top step, and don't lean far to the side.Turn it counterclockwise until it comes free. Loosen a globe's clips or screws first.
Use the same base, no stronger than the limit printed inside the fixture. Turn it clockwise until snug, then switch on.
A bulb broken off in its socket, a socket that sparks or looks scorched, or a light too high to reach safely? Ask Handyman for help.
What you need
- A new bulb with the same base
- A step stool or a step ladder
Call a pro if
- A bulb broke off in its socket
- The socket sparks, or looks scorched
- The light is too high to reach from a step ladder
Handyman says: Leave it off. I'll find you a pro.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
More power and safety guides
See all 43
Rather have
a pro do it?