Cleaning Mirrors

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have the hardest time cleaning mirrors and I have no idea why. Small mirrors I have no trouble with. It’s those mirrors that are most often found in bathrooms or the closet door mirrors that stump me.

I’ve tried using lots of Windex and then one paper towel to wipe it and then another one to dry. I’ve even tried turning off the light over the mirror because the heat from the light makes streaks at the very top of the mirror.

Problem is, I still leave streaks and I can never get the dust that settles back onto the mirror to go away. I eventually get the damn thing clean, but it takes forever.

Are there any tips out there?

2

Ugh. Windex sucks. “No streaks” my ass. I, like you, had trouble getting my large bathroom mirror clean and streak-free.

This week, I discovered the secret to cleaning them. You see, I decided, in a rare spring-cleaning binge, to wash all my windows, inside and out. I’d tried before with Windex and paper towel and it never worked well. Therefore, I went to Home Depot and bought a squeegee and a window scrubber (I bought this because it could be easily attached to a broom handle so that I could wash the second-story windows–you could probably get by with a sponge or rag, but this scrubber worked rather well) and the “Squeegee Off” soap that was sold next to them. Wow. The squeegee is the way to go. As I was cleaning the bathroom window, I decided to wash the mirror while I was at it. :smack: Just soap up the mirror with the scrubber and then squeegee the water away with overlapping strokes, wiping the squeegee with a towel in between strokes. Wipe up the excess with a towel. That is all there is to it. No rubbing in circles until your arm falls off necessary. The “Squeegee Off” soap even smells nice :).

Of course, I’m not so sure that I want to mix up a whole bucket of stuff to clean a few mirrors, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do next week. I’m thinking of trying Windex with a squeegee and seeing how that goes.

3

Use newspaper. Never used it on bathroom mirrors, but it works wonders on my car windows. For the cleaner, ammonia and water works quite well.

4

Uhh…should have been more clear…spray on the water/ammonia mixture, then dry it with wadded up (not folded) newspaper.

5

My husband swears by the newspaper bit too. I always thought it would leave newsprint streaks, but it seems to work better than paper towels. Go figure.

6

if you want really shiny mirrors then use the squeegee method - the newspaper method is good for windows/glass but it still leaves smears which will be more obvious on your mirrors.

The squeegee (if used properly) with soapy water won’t.

If you don’t want to use the squeegee then be nice to your local glazier and get him to sell you a bottle of the cleaner he uses - chances are its superior to anything you’ll get off the shelf.

Garius
Ex Glazier/Mirror fitter.

7

I have always used coffee filters. Haven’t tried the newspaper. And if you are cleaning the mirror in the bathroom use shaving cream. Why? Because it will cause the mirror not to fog up from the steamy showers you take.

8

I’ve read that using club soda in a spray bottle works well, but haven’t used it myself.

9

Another vote for newspapers.

I just discovered this trick and I’m delighted by it. I just squirt the mirror with plain water and then wipe it dry with the newspaper, and it leaves no streaks at all. Try it.

10

Newspapers, eh? Interesting.

Is there any trick to actually cleaning, though? Like, wiping them in a downwards motion or something?

11

I cleaned houses (briefly) with a national maid service a couple years ago; the “trick” they taught me was to lightly spray the cleaner directly onto a lint-free cloth and then wipe the mirror down. The cleaner was their own brand, but I find the method works well for avoiding streaks at home, even with my biodegradable cleaner.