How to Clean a Mirror

Created: Monday, 11 October 2021 16:47

Four Steps to Cleaning a Mirror

Many people already know how to clean a mirror with a microfiber cloth and window cleaner. If you're looking for a quick fix for a moderately dirty mirror, that will do the trick. However, if you want to give your mirror a deep clean to make it look as close to brand new as possible, then you'll want to follow these steps:

1. Remove Dust

Before spraying down the mirror, you first want to wipe the mirror down with a clean and dry dust cloth. This removes all the dust and larger pieces of debris, preventing streaks when you use liquid cleaner later. If your mirror has a frame, you can use an old toothbrush to get the dust between the edges of the mirror and the frame.

2. Spot Clean

Next, grab rubbing alcohol and a cotton cleaning cloth to spot clean any obvious marks on the mirror. Target all toothpaste stains, hair spray marks or makeup smudges. To keep your mirror in good condition for as long as possible, avoid hard scrubbing to get rid of these marks. Instead, dip a corner of your cotton cloth into the rubbing alcohol and wipe across the stains. Repeat as many times as necessary until the stains are removed.

Keep working on spot cleaning until your mirror is free of large stains and pieces of grime.

3. Spray With a Cleaner

It's finally time to break out the spray bottle! Window and glass cleaning solutions work great on mirrors. If you don't have any store-bought solutions, there is no need to worry. You can make your own easy, homemade mirror cleaning solution using a well-shaken mix of three parts water and one part white vinegar.

Before you spray, make sure you have the correct type of towel. Paper towels will leave streaks or residue on the mirror, making it take even longer to clean. Instead, for best results, use a microfiber cloth. If you don't have a microfiber cloth, Towel Super Center offers premium microfiber towels, perfect for wiping down mirrors and other surfaces you need to keep scratch-free.

Once you have your spray solution and your microfiber towel, spray the solution onto the towel and start cleaning!

4. Wipe Down

Finally, it's time to wipe down the mirror. Use your microfiber towel to wipe down the entire mirror, taking care of fingerprints and streaks you were unable to spot clean.

To get the best results, wipe in an "S" pattern rather than simply wiping straight across or up and down — this motion creates less streaking. Furthermore, try to lead with the same edge of the microfiber cloth, which keeps the dust contained and stops you from spreading anything you've just wiped off.

After you've wiped down your mirror, take a step back and admire your work! If you see any leftover spots, you can quickly go back to wipe them down. Once the mirror is spotless, you're done — enjoy your sparkling clean mirror!

Other Tips for Cleaning a Mirror

Following this cleaning routine will get your mirror clean in no time. If you're looking for more tricks for mirror cleaning, check out this list of mirror cleaning hacks and tips:

• Don't use a newspaper: It's possible you've heard you can use a newspaper to clean a mirror if you don't have a suitable towel. This tip has circulated widely across the Internet because it used to work. Unfortunately, the quality of ink used in modern newspapers has changed — if you use most newspapers now, you won't get the same shiny results, and the wet ink might smudge the glass or the frame around your mirror.
• Avoid scrubbing the glass: If you haven't cleaned your mirror for a while, there might be some spots that are difficult to remove. Rather than pressing hard and scrubbing to get rid of these blemishes, try using repeated, gentle wipes. Scrubbing hard can damage the area, so while spot cleaning might take longer, it is safer for your mirror in the long run.
• Fold your cloth: You can get more use out of your microfiber cloth by folding it twice in half. When one layer gets dirty, rather than reaching for another towel, you have three more layers to work with. By using a clean portion of the cloth as you clean, you'll be able to achieve a spotless mirror.
• Don't spray cleaner directly onto the mirror: "Black edges" on mirrors occur when liquid seeps into the edges of a mirror. To prevent the risk of black edges, don't spray cleaner directly onto the surface of the mirror, where it can easily drip down to the edges. Instead, spray cleaner onto your cloth and wipe your cloth on the mirror.
• Avoid cleaning across mirror joints: If your mirror is broken into several panes, with joints in between, try to wipe each section individually rather than wiping across the joints. This will ensure that liquid doesn't build up inside the joints and damage your mirror.
• Wiping down your mirror after a shower doesn't work: We've all done it — the mirror is foggy when we step out of the shower, so we grab a towel and wipe it down. Unfortunately, while this might get rid of some grime and gunk, it will leave streaks, smudges and lint all over the mirror.
• Use a cleaning cloth to get rid of paper towel residue: If you've tried cleaning your mirror with a paper towel, you might've added tiny flecks of lint to your mirror instead of cleaning it. When this happens, the best thing to do is to start over with a quality cleaning cloth, either microfiber or cotton, and rub in a circular motion. 
• Keep your mirror spotless after cleaning: When you go through all the work of dusting, spot cleaning, and wiping, you want to keep your mirror clean for as long as possible. If you quickly wipe your mirror with a lint-free cloth every morning and occasionally spot clean with rubbing alcohol and cotton when you notice a stain, you won't have to deep clean your mirror nearly as often.

Purchase Mirror Cleaning Cloths From Towel Super Center

Mirrors are an important part of every bathroom, and it's crucial to keep them looking clean. At Towel Super Center, we understand the importance of having enough clean towels to keep up with all the tidying you need to do. Our microfiber towels are perfect for important jobs like wiping down your mirror. Smooth and highly absorbent, our towels will keep your mirror clean without streaking or leaving lint. Visit our online store to purchase our premium microfiber towels today!