How to Safely Remove the CFL So It Does Not Break
The EPA's Energy Star program recommends this procedure to remove your CFL and avoid breaking the bulb releasing mercury vapor:
"CFL manufacturers recommend that you install and remove the CFLs by grasping the plastic portions of the base only. If the CFL is screwed into a light socket by twisting the tube rather than the plastic base, it can cause the vacuum seal or glass tubing in the CFL to break. Once certain parts are exposed to oxygen, they are more liable to become defective and/or overheat."
So do not twist by the glass but grab the CFL at the base to twist counter-clockwise and remove.
