Here's One Way To Safely Clean A Mirror



Posted: Friday, June 26, 2009

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Caution: Don't clean that mirror yet, it's better if you use the right cleansing agents. Glass Plus is my choice of cleaning products that are available, it doesn't include any chemicals that are acidity in its ingredients that might possibly destroy the backing of the mirror and around the edges of a mirror. It works great on mirrors and glass. No streaking means less work.
This is also a great product for a number of other projects as well. Stay away from vinegar and ammonia. They are acids and may cause your mirror to start turning black. Out of the whole mirror, the edges are the most vulnerable. The first place mirrors start to go bad are at the edges.
Before you start to clean mirrors or glass it would be better if you begin with lint free paper towels or a lint free cloth, it will make cleaning a whole lot easier. Start out by spraying the cleaner on the rag or towel and not right on the mirror itself. Always spray the cleaner on the rag and not on the mirror itself, you run the risk of getting the cleaner behind the mirror and you do not want that. So keep the edges of the mirror and the back part of the mirror dry, a mirrors worst enemy is moisture This can cause your mirror to go bad, as moisture will start to break down the backing on a mirror.

Usually mirrors sit right on the backsplash of a cabinet that has a sink in it. This is where the mirror tends to get water behind it every time a person uses the sink and splashes water up on the backsplash. This can be taken care of by applying a 1/8" to a 1/4" bead of silicone caulk or polyseam seal caulk where the backsplash and the mirror meet.


When you tool the bead of caulk, don't use a lot of pressure because you will cause the caulk to make its way to the backing of the mirror. There are some caulks that can damage the back of a mirror. Latex caulk ate the backing around the edges of mirrors once. Certain silicones and polyseam seal always seem to work well for us, but it pays to be careful.
Some companies manufacture their mirrors differently than others. Depending on the manufacturer, mirrors can have a longer or a shorter life span. Mirrors need to be properly sealed around the edges for protection no matter what the manufacturer used on the backing. The double backing or the glazed coating that some manufacturers apply to their mirrors will definetly outlast a mirror with only a single backing. The cost for a good mirror is not that much more per square foot.

Always make sure that the mirrors you are going to have installed in your home are of good quality. Ask the company that you are using to provide you with a brochure that will tell you in detail all about the mirror that you are buying. Unfortunately, the mirror business is a very competitive business, so be careful and make sure that you don't take a lower bid from a company that is not going to provide you with a quality job, in the long run it will end up costing you.

Quality and a good installation is worth paying for the first time around, it's less aggravating and cheaper. To have mirrors replaced, will costs a person almost twice as much as the job did originally. Check to see if the edges of the mirror have been sealed properly, this is very important. A mirror that has been properly sealed will last much longer than one that hasn't.
One thing you might want to think about is having a ceiling exhaust fan installed in your bathroom. Turn on your exhaust fan when showering or taking a bath, this will keep the humidity level down in your bathroom. Eventually a mirror is going to go bad, but keeping down the humidity will make a mirror last longer. Exhaust fans are not that difficult to install, as long as your pretty good with handling tools, but some things are always best to leave up to the professionals.

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