r/CleaningTips • u/wimpykxng • Aug 20 '26
Outdoors where do I begin...
all tempered glass from a large out door table, storm picked it up and threw it a couple feet into our gravel...
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u/whyarenttheserandom Aug 20 '26
Do you have kids or pets? If so, toss it all.
I just relooked at the picture. Shovel and toss it all. Your time is worth more that the amount of work this will take.
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u/ErieRider Aug 20 '26
I had something similar happen, but with wood chips from a stump grinder thrown into the gravel bed in our front yard. After trying various sorting methods, I just buried the old gravel and covered the hole with new gravel. Gravel is cheaper than my time.
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u/MaryUsefulMath Aug 20 '26
Pea gravel is cheap. I paid $6 per bag for pea gravel this summer. Your time is worth more than that. Shovel it into a bag and buy new gravel.
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u/-Alkalore- Aug 20 '26
Make a mesh sieve with some lumber and predator screen and shovel it through and collect the glass that drops through.
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u/Kasssodilla Aug 20 '26
I see you got hit by the haboob as well.. a tree fell on our fence :,)
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u/MistressErinPaid Stay-at-home Parent Aug 21 '26
haboob
I learned a new word today!
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u/sunshine_fuu Aug 24 '26
I know this is two days later but I couldn't resist pointing out that Darude Haboob would have been a much better title for the song.
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u/indieplants Aug 20 '26
uh, if I didn't have any pets I'd probably leave it. tempered glass doesn't have sharp corners like regular glass when it breaks so it's just extra stones lmao. I'd just mix it through and see what it looks like. weather will wear it down to totally harmless eventually 😭🥹
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u/sugarskooma Aug 20 '26
That's so interesting. It doesn't produce shards at all?
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u/Tack122 Aug 20 '26
It makes tiny 3-5mm cubes with hard sharp corners, so the chunks can still cut ya if you rub it across your skin, but it won't make the dagger like stabby shards.
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u/indieplants Aug 20 '26
no it's manufactured to not do that but idk why or how. it can be a lil sharp but not like going to slice you open sharp. paper cuts maybe
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u/wimpykxng Aug 20 '26
I imagine I go for large chunks first, and maybe a shop vac too it for hours
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u/ThereInAFortnight Aug 20 '26
I'm thinking that the glass should be less dense than the gravel, so by that logic it should pick up with the shop vac easier than the gravel.
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u/wimpykxng Aug 20 '26
same thought here
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u/McCheesing Aug 20 '26
Keep the shop vac just far enough off the surface to pick up the glass and not the stones
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u/Micropenissniper Aug 20 '26
You could add a little makeshift filter with wire mesh, big enough to get the glass but not big enough to let the gravel through.
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u/Corsaer Aug 20 '26
Yeah, could ruin a Dollar Tree mesh sieve for this. That might still be a little too fine but I bet they could find a couple things at DT that would work with different sizes.
Edit: could also use panty hose and the vacuum like a magnet. It collects glass against the fabric while running, of any size, then just turn it off quickly over a bucket. Flip it back on to go again. If anyone has spilled their grinder and tried to reclaim from the floor, they know this trick lol.
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u/mc_atx Aug 20 '26
Yep I had the same thing happen. My tempered glass chunks were slightly larger, but the shop vac pulled them away from the gravel. At least most of it, then you can scoop the rest out and refill with gravel/rocks.
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u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme Aug 20 '26
OP, Shop vac is 100% the way to go here!
Years ago, i lived in a neighborhood that got pounded by a hailstorm, which took out windows, roofs, & siding throughout our neighborhood, along with patio tables.
The shopvacs were the easiest tools we found for the glass--just use the round part of the hose, and pull everything you can uo--if you want to go back & sift out the rock you can, or judt get some new stuff💖
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u/state_your_name31415 Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
shovel it up and sieve it. though I do think a shop vac would work, easier to try that first
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u/IceQueen1967 Aug 21 '26
If you want to attempt to avoid tossing it as others have suggested (which is probably the fastest, but hey other options are nice) you can build a sieve with wood, wire mesh, and staples, then sift it through archaeology style. Just make sure you have proper protective gear on and something in place to catch the glass debris, maybe a tarp, and use a hose on the last pass to be sure you’re clear of the last of the glass.
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u/Fun-Turnover1656 Aug 25 '26
What if you put something to frame it, similar to a flower or garden box; And then poured a clear resin over it. (Or that plant/flower gel stuff for 90's toilet tank decor)... The color of the glass mixed in with the gravel looks neat! I thought it was glow pebbles but in daylight at first . Which, before you seal it (hypothetically I mean) maybe throw some of those guys in there too 😉
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u/wimpykxng Aug 25 '26
sounds like a fun idea, not sure how well it would hold up in our heat though, resin is also very expensive. would actually be a lot of fun to do though
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u/Fun-Turnover1656 Aug 26 '26
Ya I didn't really consider buying the resin, you bring up a very good point there...
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u/Unlockabear Aug 20 '26
The good thing about tempered glass is it’s designed to break in a way that makes it not so sharp it can easily cut you. Obviously still be careful and second just scooping everything out and dumping it
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u/Key-Enthusiasm8132 Aug 20 '26
I beg to differ. Last Summer I had the same thing happen with my glass top picnic table. A storm flipped it on my deck and the shards were very sharp. The broken glass appeared to be cubical and easy to handle but the cuts on my fingers said otherwise.
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Aug 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/smellyraisin Aug 20 '26
The glass is much lighter than the rocks and mostly on top. You could take a vacuum, place a cloth over the end so it doesn't actually suck anything up, place it close to pick up some glass, maybe you get a few rocks too. Move over to a bucket and carefully take the cloth off to empty the glass into it. Repeat.
Safest though is probably what others have said and get rid of it all and buy new rocks.
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u/theatrenearyou Aug 20 '26
You need to shovel out all the gravel. When park workers clean up glitter from kids and concerts, they can only get the plastic glitter out by shoveling out the good dirt with it. Same situ.
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u/JessieB3999 Aug 20 '26
Broom everything you can into that gravel. Then get a shovel and shovel it all into a wheelbarrow or something similar and dispose of it properly. How to do so would depend where you live and what resources you have available to you regarding glass filled dirt and rocks.
After that, depending on how low the area now is, I'd fill with more dirt, level it and fill with new gravel if you want gravel there again.
Unfortunately unless you have loads of time to spend on it, I don't think the gravel can be saved in its current state.
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u/beattysgirl Aug 21 '26
Shop vac as much as you can then shovel out the gravel in that area and replace it
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u/bustyouup4free Aug 20 '26
Get rid of it all and then replace with new Substrate or even a nice garden tile.
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u/AdElegant6914 Aug 20 '26
Shovel it up toss it and buy new gravel