I always found that when I'd clean my mirrors, every product I'd use would streak. Well, I found something that doesn't and it's cheap. Water! I just wet my cloth, wipe down the mirror and use either a torn up sheet or paper towel to dry it.
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If you have a mirrored cabinet (such as a medicine cabinet) that requires you to touch the mirror to open it, thus leaving fingerprints, I have found that placing small vinyl clings/decals at the spot you touch eliminates the fingerprints. I like to change the vinyl clings to correspond with the seasons or holidays. You can involve your children in this, too! By songbird100
There are many products available that claim to do the best job on your mirrors. Even with these products it can be tough to avoid getting streaks and spots. It is important to protect the surface and backing of your mirrors from damage.
Mirrors get so dirty fast especially with fingerprints or if you have kids who love using crayons and other stuff on them. What I find that works wonders is baby wipes...
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What do I mix with vinegar to clean a mirror?
By Ken P
Water, I use a 1/4 cup of vinegar to the rest of your favorite spray bottle of water. I use this solution for my entire house once I have it mixed. I promise you! Stove tops, Glass top tables, counter tops, mirrors! Also is safe to use on Insect bites, and all scrapes!
I use a mix of equal parts of water and white vinegar. I put it in a spray bottle from the dollar store. I have used it for years to clean mirrors and windows.
Be careful with the vinegar. It can cause those black etch marks in mirrors.
I haven't used windex or vinegar in yrs.
I recently purchased an old Vanity Mirror. It is absolutely beautiful, but we have tried to clean it endlessly, but can't seem to get rid of some of the "dark-color" streaks. Any suggestions would be most-appreciated.
I know it's for Stains on Clothes, but I have found it cleans anything. Put a little on soft rag with lightly rub & try a small place.
Try SHOUT!
The dark spots may be where the silver agent has come off/ take it to a mirror refinisher to get an estimate
The dark color streaks are caused by the silver on the back of your mirror gone bad, either from moisture getting to the back of the mirror or from age or from direct sun light over a long period of time. If you have the mirror re-silvered the bright new silver will make all the fine surface scratches stand out and you will not be happy with the re-silvering job. I would buy a new mirror.
My father used to have an antique shop and we also did furniture refinishing. It sounds like the mirror needs to be resilvered. If it is in a frame and that is the part you want to save, you can have the mirror part replaced.
HI USED ISOPROPYL RUBBING ALCOHOL IT WORKS GREAT FOR CLEANING ON ALL GLASSWARE GOOD LUCK.
Hi...and Thank You all for your suggestions and advice. Maybe it is indeed the silver-gone-bad theory. Might be pretty expensive to refinish it. It's a very large, heavy round mirror from the 1930's. Maybe I'll just get an estimate to see what it will cost to re-silver or replace. Thanks Again Everyone!...Fran
Tips for cleaning mirrors. Post your ideas.
If you're frustrated with getting your mirrors streak free, there's a new solution that works in a jiffy. Use the new micro-fiber cloths that are coming out with white vinegar. Don't use fabric softener with the micro-fiber cloths. Another good use is washing the car with them. You don't need soap, just water and your micro-fiber cloth. It works!
By Ardis
These cloths are great for everything
I wash the microcloths in the washer and rinse with vinegar instead of fabric softener. The micro cloths only need water to clean and rinse with.
I run a small cleaning business and I use them all the time for mirrors, taps, glass, etc. If I need to clean something really filthy, I use a regular cloth first to take the worst of the grime off.
This is the old standby that I thought was well known. Just use a splash of white distilled vinegar in water, and wipe off with newspaper. This is the most effective, inexpensive and eco-friendly way to clean your mirrors.
Use some shaving cream for the bathroom mirrors. Wipe off with soft cloth and your mirrors will be fog free.
Will this also work on car glass. The inside of my car window fronr and back are bad some time. Thank you.
Shaving cream has a second life as an easy to use cleaner for bathroom mirrors and fixtures. You do not need to buy an expensive brand. This is a page about cleaning mirrors and bathroom fixtures with shaving cream.
Cloudy mirrors can be the result of a residue build up on the face of the mirror or damage to the backing. To clean your cloudy mirror try either foam shaving cream or straight white vinegar in a spray bottle.
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I have tried everything to get my mirrors in all four of my bathrooms streak free and nothing seems to work.
