The Safest Way To Clean Mirrors
The best way to clean a mirror is first, get a cleaner that will work good on a mirror and won't possibly damage it as well. What has always worked well for me is Glass Plus, it doesn't include any acidy chemicals in its ingredients that can possibly effect the backing of the mirror and the edges of the mirror. I'm happy about how well it works on mirrors and glass. This cleaner works so well, you have hardly any streaking at all. It is also a great product for a number of other surfaces in your house as well.
Don't use products that contain ammonia or vinegar in it. They are acids and may cause your mirror to start turning black. There is one place on a mirror that you need to be careful with and that is the edges. The first place mirrors start to 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.
It's best to spray the cloth, instead of the mirror. 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. You want to keep the back of the mirror as dry as possible, especially the edges because moisture will break down the backing on the mirror and you will begin to see black spots.
In bathrooms with vanities or cabinets there is usually a backsplash where the mirror sits upon. Remember that we don't want water to get behind the mirror and attack the backing, but it can happen when someone uses the sink and splashes water up on the mirror. To avoid this, you can take a tube of silicone or poly seam seal and run a small bead of caulk along the bottom of the mirror where it touches the backsplash.
Use care and do not tool the caulking too hard or you'll force the caulk in to far to the backing of the mirror. The one thing about caulk is that you don't know which one could actually cause damage to a mirror, unless you're in the business. Be really careful with latex caulk, we had a problem with it on mirrors before. Silicones like you use on aquariums or polyseam seal have never given us any problems, but you can't lose by being careful.
Some companies manufacture their mirrors differently than others. Depending on the manufacturer, mirrors can have a longer or a shorter life span. The edges of the mirror need to be sealed properly, regardless of how well built the backing is. The double backing or the glazed coating that some manufacturers apply to their mirrors will definetly outlast a mirror with only a single backing. It's not that much more a square foot for a mirror with added protection.
Read this before you order mirrors to be installed in your home.
Do your research on the quality of the mirror you are purchasing. Shop around getting brochures that tell you all about the mirrors that each company uses, some companies will use a lower grade mirror. Because there are many mirror shops out there, you want to get more than one bid for your mirror project.
Some times the lowest bid is not always the way to go. You sure don't want to have to have your mirrors replaced or the job done over again because a company did a lousy job. It will end up costing you more to have a mirror job redone.
Check to see if the edges of the mirror have been sealed properly, this is very important. This will keep air and moisture from causing the mirror backing to go bad.
One thing you might want to think about is having a ceiling exhaust fan installed in your bathroom. If you already have a ceiling fan, use it every time you go to take a bath or a shower. It'll vent out the steam and help keep the moisture level down in the 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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