You may feel like bathroom mirrors are a nightmare to clean with so many things against you, like toothpaste marks, fingerprints, water spots and limescale build-up. Are you wondering how you can really clean a bathroom mirror so that it sparkles? How do you get rid of those irritating stains, a build-up of limescale, and avoid any streaks?
Follow our guide on how to clean a bathroom mirror for a streak free spotless finish every time.
What you’ll need to clean your mirror properly
First of all, here are the cleaning tools you’ll need:
- Two cotton cleaning rags – preferably a flat-weave microfiber cloth. This helps to stop debris from clinging to the cloth and creates a lint-free finish
- Hot water, or distilled water rather than tap water – this prevents mineral deposits from being left on your mirror
- An empty spray bottle
Step-by-step guide to cleaning your mirror and leaving it streak free
Now we are going to be looking at the easiest way to clean your mirror quickly and effectively leaving it streak-free, giving your bathroom that high-quality finish you are after.
1. Prepare to clean
Start by lightly wetting the surface of your mirror with either hot water or distilled water and a little dish soap. Grab your two microfiber clothes and you are good to go.
2. Start by cleaning tougher stains
The best way to clean a mirror is to remove the tough stains first such as dried toothpaste splashes, hairspray residue, and smeared fingerprints. To remove these tough stains we recommend using hot water and a cotton pad or clean cloth and a little dish soap.
Firstly wet cotton pad or cloth and wipe top to bottom. Avoid going in a circular motion to prevent smearing the stain around. This should wipe your tough stains away ready for your whole mirror to be cleaned.
Alternatively, you can use glass cleaner, but this solution usually smears the tougher stains as store-bought sprays contain excess soaps and chemicals, which we do not recommend on safety-film-backed glass.
3. Wipe the mirror down with a soft cloth
Time to start cleaning! It’s best to go from top to bottom – to help stop the appearance of drip marks – and wipe from side to side or up and down – to avoid streaks.
Fold your cloth twice over, so it’s a quarter of the cloth’s full size. This allows you to use different sides of the cloth as it fills up with dirt when you’re cleaning the mirror. You can also open it and use the inside of the cloth once the outside part is dirty.
Finally, finish by drying and buffing your mirror with your second cleaning cloth. And, look, your mirror has never looked better!
4. Don’t forget the other surfaces
Don’t forget the top and sides of your mirror for that added sparkle. Simply use the rest of the cleaning solution you made with the water and dish soap and spray on your microfibre cloth and quickly wipe these down. Alternatively you can use this solution for other surfaces such as inside your mirrored cabinet and your glass shelves etc.
Five tips to keep your mirror clean
Here are our 5 easy tips you need to know when cleaning your bathroom mirror.
1. Clean stains straight away
Cleaning your mirror straight away can save you time in the long run and keep your bathroom looking its best. Getting into a routine of wiping down your mirror every time you see a toothpaste stain or dirty fingerprint makes it less likely for the stains to build up making cleaning much quicker and easier to do!
The simplest solution would be to keep a bottle of your premade cleaning solution (solution mix above) and a microfibre cloth either under your bathroom sink or within your bathroom cabinet for easy access.
2. Don't go overboard with cleaning products
You don’t need the latest gadgets or newest cleaning product to keep your bathroom mirrors sparking all year long. A lint free microfiber cloth goes a long way to tackle the everyday light stains and grime build up.
Consider natural cleaning solutions like the one listed above for your mirror. Not only are they kinder to the planet they are often cheaper than commercial windows or glass cleaners. Natural cleaners contain soaps and added fragrance which can leave your mirror with steaks and residue.
3. The right cloth is key
You may have heard that newspaper is the best to clean mirrors with but that is now outdated from the modern ink which is used during print production. The best type of cloth to use is a microfiber cloth which prevents lint and debris building up when cleaning.
Having the right type of cloth can cut down your cleaning time and leave your mirror streak free with ease. The small fibres of the cloths have been crafted to stick to anything they come into contact with. They will absorb and dirt, grime or dust on your mirror and the cleaning solution you use leaving you with a streak free mirror.
4. Invest in a mirror with a demister pad
Save time on cleaning dirty mirror marks left by water with a built in demister pad. Our heated demister pad mirrors are not only efficient, but they can help with dampness in the bathroom. Our built-in mirror demister pads safely and gently heat up your mirror to quickly clear the steam and reveal a beautifully illuminated reflection, leaving no water residue.
5. Wipe the mirror from side to side
Don’t listen to the myths of cleaning your mirror in a circular motion. The best way to clean your mirror is to work from top to bottom and then side to side. Working from top to bottom means that if your cleaning solution starts to drip it wont leave any streaks behind. Finish off your mirror by looking at it from different angles to see if there are any leftover streaks and repeat the process of wiping top to bottom and side to side if necessary.
