DIY guideWindows

Cracked window glass: make it safe until it's replaced

Keep people clear, tape the crack so it can't spread or fall, cover it against the weather, and book the glass.

6 steps

Tap a step to watch it again.

Keep children and pets away from the window, and sweep up any pieces on the floor.
Wear thick gloves and shoes. Sweep up slivers; never use bare hands.
Run strips of packing tape across the crack on the inside, then one along it. It holds the glass together.
Press gently. Never push on cracked glass.
If you can reach it from the ground, tape the outside the same way.
Tape a sheet of heavy plastic over the inside of the frame, or cardboard if the pane has a hole.
Take a photo of the whole window and the crack. A glass pro needs its size and kind.
Glass is loose, falling or broken out, the pane is in a door or near the floor, or it's upstairs: keep clear and ask Handyman for a glass pro. Replacing glass is their job.

Handyman says: Keep clear. I'll find a glass pro.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.