It is really surprising to know that many people do not know how to clean a mirror properly even though it is a relatively easy process! If you want to make your mirror free from streaks and cloudiness, you should give this article a read. It might be easy to clean mirrors but you cannot make it gleam without the right tips and tricks. You must know the process and you have to use the right materials!
There are a lot of home remedies available to give your mirror that sparkle. Thus, you can clean your mirror without spending your money on harsh chemicals. Some of the safe home materials you can use include vinegar, water, baking soda, and a lot more. Keep reading to find out how to clean mirrors in easy and quick ways.
How To Clean Mirrors Without Streaks
Even if you are a very skilled housekeeper, a streaky mirror will be a regular problem for you. This is because even after cleaning a mirror well, you can still be left with streaks. Often this is because people do not use the right processes and methods to clean the mirrors.
Sometimes despite cleaning a mirror carefully, the marks from the places where you last wiped the mirror remains. This may seem very tiring to you, but you should not give up! It is possible to get a streak-free shiny mirror. You can use the following methods for a flawless gleaming mirror free from any streaks.
How To Clean Mirrors Without Vinegar
The mirrors in your house get dirty very easily from things like toothpaste and fingerprints smeared regularly. It may even get coated with hairspray when you use it to fix your hair. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that just a cleaning spray can remove all this dirt from the mirror. This is partially true. Cleaning your mirror with just a cleaning spray can remove all the dirt but it will also lead to streaks. Since the dirt is not being treated properly it will leave marks on your mirror. When you clean your mirror with a cloth after spraying it with cleaning liquid, you are just spreading the oil and dirt.
When you are wiping down, your sweeping motion just spreads the greasy residue all over the surface. The good news is that you can easily correct this. Just take some rubbing alcohol from your medicine cabinet and spread it on a cotton pad or any soft cloth. Wipe down the whole mirror before you start cleaning it with cleaning spray. Hence, if you pretreat the dirty mirrors in this way before cleaning you will get a gleaming mirror with no streaks. Thus you will be able to get a sparkling surface!
How To Clean Mirrors at Home
How To Clean Mirrors with Vinegar
It might be difficult to believe, but the best way to clean a mirror is by using vinegar! Yes, a vinegar solution, which is easily available in every household, is the trick to a sparkling mirror with no streaks. Mirror cleaners that are available in stores are also effective of course but they are also expensive and have harsh chemicals. Vinegar has a much higher cleaning power than store cleaners and it is also very cheap.
The cleaners you get from stores also have a high percentage of soap in them. Thus, they may cause more problems than they solve. The more soap you use the more there will be streaks on the mirrors. Thus, just take a container and make a solution with equal parts of vinegar and water. Wet a cotton pad or a soft cloth with this solution and wipe down your mirrors. This will effectively clean your mirrors and leave no streaks.
How To Clean Cloudy Surface Mirrors
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a mirror that is not cloudy? Often we clean mirrors but it just stays cloudy. There are a number of ways in which you can clean the cloudy surface of a mirror. First, you have to mix one cup or about 150 ml of vinegar with one cup of distilled water. Shake the mixture very well and carefully pour it into a spray bottle. You must remember to clean out the spray bottle properly before you pour the mixture in so that no impurities contaminate the solution.
Thus you have the best potion to get rid of smears and smudges on your mirrors and to get a streak-free mirror! Another thing you must keep in mind is that you should apply the cleaning solution on the cloth or cotton pad you are using. If you apply it directly to your mirrors then the liquid can accumulate in the corners of the mirrors. This will lead to the liquid seeping under the mirrors and it also might run down the entire length of the mirror. This will cause a lot of harm to your mirrors. Thus, you have to wet your cleaning cloth with vinegar and water solution.
How To Clean Mirrors Easily
How To Clean Mirrors with Microfiber Cloth
A lot of people believe that you can effectively clean reflective surfaces with paper towels and newspapers. This is actually an incorrect belief. Newspapers and paper towels can even make the situation worse by leaving behind various residues. Since today’s newspapers are made with soy-based ink, they could leave behind lint, dust, and newsprint residue on your mirrors and thus make them even dirtier.
Thus, the best option to clean your reflective surface with is of course microfibre cloth. You can even use cotton pads, but microfiber cloth is more effective. Hence, it will be better if you keep some microfiber cloths in your cleaning closet so that you can remove the stubborn streaks from your mirrors.
How To Clean Mirrors in Bathroom
You know that mirrors in your house often gather dirt and grease even though you clean them regularly. Sometimes the smudges and the streaks also refuse to get cleared even after you clean the mirrors thoroughly. You may even spend a lot of money on expensive cleaners but it all went in vain. The situation is even worse for bathroom mirrors since they have a lot of household dirt such as toothpaste, fingerprints, and coats of hairspray. These stains also can not be removed with regular cleaning solutions such as soap and water.
Thus, you must also keep in mind that using too much soap and detergent to clean mirrors can make them cloudy. It can also result in streaks on the mirror and may cause a foggy layer of film to form on it. Thus, you have to use the right products to clean your reflecting surfaces. If you use the correct cleaning materials you can easily remove stains and have a shiny, sparkling mirror. For bathroom mirrors, you can use some white vinegar mixed in water to prevent streaks from forming. You may also use any other type of mild acids such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar!
How To Clean Mirrors With Clothes
It is always better to use a cloth to clean your mirror instead of newspapers or paper napkins. The only thing you must keep in mind is to use thin cloth. You must not use thick towels to clean the mirror. This is because thick towels or cloths hold particles like lint and dust. The thick material could rub these dust particles on the surface of the mirror and result in smudges and streaks. Thus you must always use a thin flat weave microfiber cloth to clean your mirrors as it works much more efficiently and does not hold any particles.
You must always remember that you should not waste time. If you use the wrong materials it will take you a very long time to clean your mirrors. Instead, you can buy the right cleaning products and use the correct methods to clean your mirrors efficiently.
How To Clean Mirrors with Windex
The best way to clean your mirrors is to use clean and warm water. Use a soft cloth or cotton pad to clean the mirror well. You can also use any other cleaning product. We would recommend Windex or any similar product because it does not have a high percentage of soap in it. You must also be careful to not let the mirror and its edges get wet and remain wet for a long time since it will damage the mirror.
You should not use any acid or alkaline cleaner for cleaning your mirror. This is because alkalis and acids will damage the surface and edges along with the backing of the mirror. You should also not use any harsh abrasive cleaner on any reflective surface.
You should also not use any mirror cleaner that may have a heavy ammonia base. This can harm the edges of the mirror too. An important point to keep in mind is to use a soft cloth to clean the mirror that is free from grit. This will make sure that the surface of the mirror does not get any scratches.
You also have to make sure that the cleaner solution does not get collected in the edges of the mirrors because that may damage the backing of the mirrors. If there is more than one mirror on the wall then a cleaner solution may accumulate on the joints of the surface. Thus to avoid this you must clean the mirrors in the direction of the joint. This will make sure the cleaner solution does not get accumulated in the joints. You should clean your mirrors regularly by washing them, rinsing, and then drying them.
How To Clean Mirrors with Newspaper
Another cheap material available at home that you can use to clean your window with is newspapers. First, you have to spray your window with cleaner. This will make sure they sparkle and are left with no streaks or smudges. Then use the newspaper and rub the mirror in circular motions so that the grease and dirt get mixed with the cleaner spray.
Finally, you have to rise. Wipe down the mirror and then across so that there are no streaks left on the surface. You have to make sure the newspapers absorb all the cleaner liquid. Thus you will be left with a sparkling clean mirror.
How To Clean Mirrors with White Vinegar
Streaky mirrors look bad and reduce the shine of your house. You must use the right product and method to give your mirrors the shine it needs. The best materials to clean your mirrors are always available at home itself. To make the cleaning solution, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch, 150 ml or one cup of white vinegar, and one cup of water together. Stir this mixture well and then carefully pour it into a spray bottle.
Shake it properly before spraying the mirror with it since the cornstarch can settle down at the bottom of the bottle. Thus, you must shake the mixture before using it every time. Spray this solution on the mirror and then wipe it off using a cloth or a cotton pad. Thus, you will be able to get a clean mirror free from any streaks!
We would recommend using a microfiber cloth to clean the mirrors. If you use newspaper instead of cloth because the latex which is present in newspapers can cause a soapy and foggy mixture to form on the mirror surface.
Home Remedies To Clean Mirrors
How To Clean Mirrors with Baking Soda
Some of the best materials to clean your mirrors are available in your home itself. These methods are extremely easy and effective and make your mirror shine without any streaks. The best part is that they are cheap and easily available. Thus, one of the best cleaners you can use to clean your mirrors is by using baking soda.
You have to first take a damp cloth or cotton pad. Now sprinkle some baking soda all over your cloth. Take this cloth and rub the surface of your mirror well. Now using water, clean the whole surface of the mirror again with a clean cloth. Finally use wiping towels and give your mirror one last scrub. Thus, you will be left with a sparkling mirror!