1. Clear the broken glass
Wear shoes and thick gloves. Use a dustpan and stiff brush, never your hand. For the small fragments embedded in carpet or grass, masking tape pressed sticky-side-down lifts them out. Vacuum carefully afterwards — fine slivers can puncture a vacuum bag, so empty it straight into a sealed bag for disposal.
Don't pull glass shards out of the window frame — leave that for the glazier so they can size the replacement pane against the existing rebate.
2. Cover the opening
Order of preference:
- Plywood / hardboard sheet — cut to size, screwed to the frame from inside. Most secure.
- Heavy-duty plastic sheeting (builder's polythene, drop sheet) stapled to the frame and reinforced with cardboard. Weather-tight, not secure.
- Cardboard from a flat box + packing tape around all edges. Last-resort overnight cover only.
For ground-floor windows or anywhere accessible from outside, prioritise security — board it. Upstairs or fixed windows, weatherproofing is the priority.
3. Don't tape the cracked glass — remove it
A taped, cracked windowpane will fall in unpredictable chunks the moment temperature shifts or wind hits it. Knock the remaining glass out (towel over the frame, hit from the inside with a hammer), then make-safe as above.
4. Call a 24/7 emergency glazier
Search emergency glaziers in your region. For after-hours and weekend callouts, expect a callout fee of around $150–250 plus the glass and labour. Standard 4mm and 6mm float glass is usually in stock; toughened safety glass for bathrooms and doors may need 1–2 working days unless it's a common size.
If it was a break-in, file a Police 105 report online before the glazier arrives — your insurer will require the reference number for a security-damage claim, and your repair receipt is usually deductible against the same claim.