Do you struggle with fingerprints or watermarks making your mirrors look dirty? Do you fall victim to streaks when trying to prevent these marks?
We’ve put together this useful guide to help you learn the best way to clean a mirror.
White Vinegar vs. Mirror Cleaner
The first step when cleaning a mirror is to decide which cleaning solution to use. There are lots of options you can find online. We recommend either a homemade solution made of one-part white vinegar to four-parts water, or a shop-bought glass and mirror cleaner.
Each option comes with pros and cons. If you opt for a homemade solution, you’ll know it won’t have added ingredients that could cause streaks, and it’s 100% natural. On the other hand, a shop-bought cleaning solution may leave your mirror pleasantly fragranced.
Spot Cleaning
The first step when cleaning a mirror should always be a quick dust. Next, to avoid scrubbing your mirror (which can often lead to damage), a good tactic is to remove any larger marks with a spot clean. We recommend completing this step using a cotton cloth with your chosen cleaning solution. Saturate your cloth with the solution before gently wiping the soiled area before moving onto the next step.
Detail Cleaning
The key to a clean mirror lies within the details. After all, how clean will your mirror look if the edges still have stains? To combat this, we suggest going around the edges as well as any nooks and crannies with a cotton bud dipped in cleaning solution.
The Main Event
Once you’ve completed the groundwork, it's time for the main event. This step involves cleaning the whole mirror surface. If you’ve completed the previous steps, this will be a breeze. With your cotton cloth - only slightly damp this time – wipe over the mirror using side-to-side or top-to-bottom motions. Try not to wipe the surface in circular motions – this will cause streaks.
Save Yourself a Job
We’ve explained the best way to clean a mirror, but it can be quite time consuming, especially when you have more than one to be cleaned. (And who doesn’t have a few mirrors around the house these days?!). Prevention is better than cure. It’s best to give your mirrors a quick wipe down with a dry microfibre cloth each week, to keep them sparkling.
Another method that we recommend is to take a few steps back where possible when using your mirror. Integrating this into your routine when brushing your teeth / using hair products will reduce the risk of products settling on the mirror surface.
Bonus Tips
- How do you clean a mirror without leaving streaks? Our top tip is to buff the surface with a dry microfibre cloth. This will remove any residual lint that may have been left previously.
- Cleaning a bathroom mirror? In order to prevent the mirror fogging up after baths and showers, try buffing in shaving foam (not gel – this is important) with your microfibre cloth at the very end. This should act as a barrier against the steam for a few weeks.
Hopefully this guide has helped you learn how to clean a mirror! Feel free to connect with us on social media if you have any of your own tips to share.
