Pro Handyman Blog

How Do I Replace Light Bulbs in a Tall Ceiling?

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To replace light bulbs in a tall ceiling requires some ingenuity.  Most people think they need to get a tall ladder and start the balancing act. In some cases, that may be the only way.

You might first try a telescoping pole. You can buy or rent these and you can attach a variety of tools on the end of them. For flood lights, which have a large semi-flat face on them, a suction cup works well as the attachment. The suction cup screws onto the end of the pole and it has a string attached to release the bulb. Make sure the surface of the suction cup is dust-free. You might spray a little glass cleaner on the end of it to make sure. This will make it so that when the cup contacts the bulb, they actually stick well together. You can untwist the old bulb and place a new one on the cup and screw it back into the socket in the ceiling. Pull the string to release the suction cup from the bulb.

For other bulbs you can buy different attachments. There is an attachment that slips over the bulb to grip it. The opening on this is smaller than the bulb, so you need to push it onto the bulb and then it grips it. From there you can twist the bulb out.

So what if the bulbs are beyond the reach of the telescoping pole? You can use a small ladder along with the pole, but use common sense here…you don’t want to be teetering on top of the ladder with pole in your hand. Depending on the number of bubs, you may be faced with setting up scaffolding or even renting a lift.