Rubbing alcohol is a great way to clean bathroom mirrors. It evaporates quickly and leaves no residue behind. Plus, it's affordable and easy to find at any store. Simply pour some onto a cloth or paper towel, and wipe the mirror clean.
Rubbing alcohol (also known as isopropyl alcohol) can be used to help achieve a streak-free finish on your glass surfaces. You can mix a small amount (around 10% of the total volume) into the cleaning solutions above, or you can use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water as a final step in your cleaning process.
The biggest no-no when it comes to getting your mirrors clean is using paper towels. Paper towels are both single-use and leave teeny tiny bits of residue that can create an even bigger mess. In order to achieve a streak-free shine, use a microfiber cloth.
Rubbing Alcohol Windex Alternative
(Rubbing alcohol is also a safe cleaning solution for stains and sticky messes.) Mix one cup distilled water, three tablespoons vinegar, and ¼ cup rubbing alcohol in a new spray bottle and label it. Shake up your glass cleaning solution and spray it on your glass.
Windex Original Glass Cleaner
Windex is one of the most popular brands of glass cleaners on the market, and it's for good reason. It's incredibly effective at cleaning all sorts of glass surfaces, especially mirrors that immediately show and amplify smudges, fingerprints, and specks of dirt.
Your glass cleaner could be behind those pesky mirror streaks! Many commercial glass cleaners have cleaning agents like ammonia and detergent, which can end up streaking your mirror. So this means you cannot clean mirrors with Windex anymore? Not necessarily, but if you want to avoid streaks, less is better.
The safest cleaner for a mirror is clean, warm water used with a soft cloth. An approved glass cleaner such as Windex or similar products may be used. However, be very careful not to allow the edges of the mirror to get or remain wet over a period of time.
Plus, soapy cleaners leave behind a residue that may contribute to streaks, so avoid those as well. There's also a different type of mirror cloudiness that occurs when mirrors are exposed to excess moisture or abrasive cleaning products, which is usually referred to as "mirror rust".
Rub your mirror in circular motions. Use a damp microfiber cloth dipped in warm water. Use a dry microfiber cloth to remove excess water and prevent streaks or water marks. For deep cleaning, use washing-up liquid or white vinegar and warm water.
Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes are easy to use and work on a variety of hard, nonporous surfaces, including mirrors and glass. The powerful cleaning technology dissolves kitchen grease and fights soap scum.
DON'T: Use a Paper Towel
What they don't realize is that paper towels leave behind small pieces of residue, making the mirror look dusty. Instead, always use a clean, dry flat weave microfiber cloth. The microfiber acts as a magnet for dirt.
Finished surfaces: Since the ethanol in it is a solvent, rubbing alcohol can liquify varnishes or finishes, doing major damage to your furniture or other surfaces in your home. Avoid rubbing alcohol on painted, shellacked, lacquered, or varnished surfaces, including treated wood.
For example, vinegar does a decent job removing dust and water spots, but it doesn't cut through a lot of sticky stuff and tends to streak more than other cleaners. Rubbing alcohol is a potent cleaner but is harsh and strong-smelling, so it's not a great glass cleaner by itself.
99% isopropyl alcohol has the benefit of being non-corrosive to metals or plastics, so it can be used widely, on all surfaces, and won't leave smears, even on glass or screens. As an industrial cleaner because it does not leave a residue that may cause complications in manufacturing.
You probably know using an all-purpose cleaner isn't the best idea, since it'll make the glass cloudy. But even mirror-specific products like Windex, while effective at cleaning, can leave your mirror full of streaks because they contain so much soap.
Rubbing alcohol is a great way to clean bathroom mirrors. It evaporates quickly and leaves no residue behind. Plus, it's affordable and easy to find at any store. Simply pour some onto a cloth or paper towel, and wipe the mirror clean.
How Often to Clean Mirrors. Bathroom mirrors often need daily attention to keep them clean from water, toothpaste, and beauty product splatters. Decorative mirrors should be dusted weekly with a lint-free duster and thoroughly cleaned at least monthly to remove the pollutants that settle on the surface.
Rubbing Alcohol and Vinegar/Glass Cleaner
Place some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad and rub it on the stains. The alcohol dries off quickly so make sure you clean the stains quickly. Spray glass cleaner or vinegar and water on the cloth, if you spray it directly on the mirror, it can create tarnish marks.
Mirrors are a regular part of a cleaning schedule in the home. According to the experts, decorative mirrors should be throughly cleaned at least monthly to remove pollutants that settle on the surface. Meanwhile, bathroom mirrors will need daily attention to keep them clear from splatters, water and toothpaste.
Not only does rubbing alcohol polish mirrors, but it's also useful for cleaning windows and glass crystal too, according to Stephanie Cooper of Energy Cleaning.
If you don't have any dish soap on hand, try using rubbing alcohol with vinegar instead. Add 1/3 cup white vinegar to 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, mix, and you're ready to clean. (Skip the water for this recipe!)