For the best homemade mirror cleaner, fill a glass spray bottle with half-white distilled vinegar and half water. Use this spray to break down grease and grime on mirrors, windows, and other glass surfaces. A hard-working alternative is a mix of vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and dish soap.
The real trick is to use a clean and dry cloth to polish your mirror glass. And the best one out there is the Microfiber Glass Cleaning Cloth. This lint-free cloth is made from a flat-knit polyester and microfiber blend to give you an ultimate shine on any mirror, glass, and stainless steel surface.
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.
In a spray bottle, combine either ¼ cup vinegar with 2 cups water OR ½ teaspoon of Dawn Dish Soap with 2 cups water. Shake the mixture thoroughly. (If you've got hard water, consider using distilled water to clean your mirror so that it won't leave residue.)
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.
Avoid Harmful Chemicals
Even multi-purpose cleaners are too strong for cleaning mirrors. They often leave a toxic residue that makes mirrors hazy. Soapy cleaners also leave behind a residue that contributes to streaks, so avoid those too.
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.
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.
Provided they are clean, microfiber cloths are the best way to avoid thin films left over after you wipe down the surface of your glass or mirror. Some people recommend using rags, or an old tee-shirt, but those materials were not designed for cleaning.
The most common professional window cleaning solution recipe is filtered or distilled water and dish soap. Just a few spoonfuls of dish soap is all that's needed to create foam for gliding and to help break up any grease and dirt on the glass during cleaning.
A simple reason may be because of an accumulation of dirt and lack of maintenance. Another reason could be desilvering - mirrors are made of glass with a silver backing, and over time the mirror may begin to develop black spots. This is called desilvering and it usually happens due to moisture.
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.
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) works great for removing hairspray stickiness from mirrors as well as any other build-up or streaks. Because isopropyl alcohol evaporates quickly, simply wet a clean cotton cloth with it and wipe. For sticky residues, you may need to rub to fully remove the mess.
A: Fog-free mirrors come in two basic types. Some have heaters or hot-water reservoirs that warm the glass to prevent condensation, the tiny water droplets that form when warm, moist air hits a cold surface. The other type works because of a clear, polyester film applied over the mirror at the factory.
Yes, it does, and it costs a lot less money than the store-bought version. Just mix 1/2 cup white vinegar with 1/2 cup water, or use full-strength 5 percent vinegar. Pour into a clean, labeled spray bottle and, for the best results, spray your cloth, not the mirror, then use newspaper to wipe clean.
Combine one cup water, one cup vinegar and a teaspoon of dish soap in a spray bottle. Shake gently to mix. Apply the solution directly to the mirror and let it sit for a few seconds. Wipe the spray on the mirror away with either a microfiber cloth or newspaper.
To avoid this, wet a reusable bamboo round (or cotton pad) with rubbing alcohol and dab at visible problem spots to break up and remove gunk beforehand. Then, clean the mirror with a microfiber cloth and your favorite glass cleaner for an all-but-guaranteed streak-free finish.
Mirrors use glass, but they have a silver backing which is sensitive to acid corrosion. If the vinegar seeps through the glass coating, it'll ruin your mirror's shine. To clean mirrors, you could instead use plain old Windex or another store-bought glass cleaner.
If any streaks do form, you'll easily know whether they're on the outside or the inside. Using a microfiber cloth will keep your windows streak-free.
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.
“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”