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How to Clean Mirrors Without Streaks

How to Clean Mirrors Without Streaks

What you will learn:
  • Why you get a streaky mirror.
  • The worst and best products to use to clean mirrors.
  • How to clean mirrors without streaks.

Are you struggling to get streak-free mirrors? Have you purchased specific glass cleaning products, only to realize that they don’t work as advertised? Do you often find yourself going over a mirror two or three times to clean it properly without streaks?

You’re not alone.

Cleaning mirror glass can be a frustrating task when, too often, you’re left with a streaky surface. But it doesn’t need to be this way, and in this article, you’ll learn exactly how to clean your mirrors without streaks.

It’s easier than you think.

Four reasons why you get a streaky mirror

The first thing you need to know is why you get streaky mirrors. You may be using products specifically for cleaning mirror glass, yet frustratingly, still be left with streaks.

There are four main reasons why. These are:

      1. You haven’t cleaned the surface properly.
      2. You’ve used an ineffective cleaning product.
      3. You’ve used an ineffective type of cloth.
      4. Your technique is ineffective.

1. You haven’t cleaned the surface properly

The first reason why you’re getting streaks after cleaning your mirror is that you haven’t cleaned the surface properly. If a mirror isn’t completely clean, when you wipe over it, the remaining soils can smear.

Particularly in the bathroom, mirrors can become soiled with creams and lotions that contain oils. If you don’t properly remove those oils, you’ll often be left with streaks even after cleaning the mirror.

Cleaning the mirror’s surface

Make sure you identify the soil on the mirror that you’re cleaning. If you’re cleaning a bathroom mirror, as just mentioned, it’s likely to have oil-based soils. But if it’s in a living room, for example, you may only be up against dust and fingerprints.

Cleaning dust

For removing dust, we recommend using microfiber. Microfiber grips onto fine particles, making it easy to remove dust quickly.

You can use a duster with a handle, like one of our microfiber dusters. We have dusters in three different lengths with high-grade microfiber:

Or you can use a multipurpose microfiber towel. Our microfiber towels use the same quality microfiber as our dusters so that you can pick up dust quickly and effortlessly.

Removing fingerprints

If you have fingerprints on your mirror, you may reach for cleaning products, such as Windex or ammonia. But, believe it or not, all you need is a damp microfiber towel.

A damp microfiber towel can remove fingerprints and other light marks easily from your mirror. Much like dust, any marks on your mirror will be lifted with the fibers from the microfiber—no Windex necessary.

Cleaning other soils

If your mirror has other soils, like creams, oils, or other caked-on dirt, you’ll need to use a product, such as a detergent to emulsify them. Simply get a bucket of hot water, a splash of dish detergent, and a microfiber towel to wipe away the soil.

Using circular motions, the soils should easily dislodge with soapy water and a microfiber towel. If you find it hasn’t come off after the first try, wet the spot with soapy water and let it sit for a few minutes, then go over it again with the microfiber cloth.

Removing labels or stickers

To remove labels and stickers from your mirror, we recommend using an adhesive remover such as a goo-remover or orange oil to emulsify the stickiness and a plastic scraper. If you don’t have a scraper, an old credit card should do the trick.

Allow the orange oil to soak into the sticker before scraping, and be gentle, as you don’t want to scratch the mirror.

Once you’ve removed the label or sticker from the mirror, you’ll need to repeat the previous step to remove oils from the mirror. This will ensure that you clean your mirror without streaks.

2. You’re using an ineffective cleaning product

woman wearing yellow rubber gloves spray and wiping a mirror with blue spray

Another reason why your mirror remains streaky after cleaning it is that the products you’re using on the mirror are ineffective.

Conventional glass cleaning sprays are the most commonly used. But they aren’t always effective, especially if your mirror is particularly dirty. If you haven’t cleaned soils off before using these sprays, you’ll most likely be left with streaks.

And if you’re cleaning your mirror glass with ammonia or alcohol-based cleaners, you may also notice it is hard to get it streak-free, even if the mirror wasn’t very dirty to begin with. This is because the ammonia or alcohol evaporates quickly, leaving a streaky finish.

3. You’re using an ineffective type of cloth

Man wearing yellow rubber gloves using paper towel to clean a mirror

The third reason your mirrors are streaky is that the cloth you use to wipe down the mirror is ineffective.

The most common types of cloths used for mirrors are:

  • Paper towels
  • Newspaper
  • Old rags
  • Microfiber towels

Paper Towels

Paper towels are a convenient staple in most kitchens. They’re an easy fix to mop up spills and messes quickly. But when you use them on mirrors, they often leave behind lint and are usually ineffective at removing soils effectively.

Newspaper

Not too long ago, before the rise of the internet, many households would get the Sunday newspaper. Newspapers became a popular way to clean glass and mirrors because of their accessibility, absorbency, and low cost. But modern-day newspapers contain different inks, and the paper isn’t as soft, making it harder to achieve that streak-free mirror finish.

Old Rags

If you have holey socks or ratty t-shirts, you may reach for these to clean your mirrors. But these fabrics are not that effective at lifting spots and soils from mirrors. Cotton, for example, is not very absorbent and can often push the soils and moisture around rather than lifting it off. Polyester is another standard fabric used in clothing, and it also doesn’t typically absorb moisture well.

Microfiber Towels

Microfiber towels are the holy grail for cleaning your mirrors, and they’re what professionals use for all kinds of cleaning. Not only are they soft and absorbent, but they’re lint-free and can lift and grip the tiniest particles. As mentioned in the previous section, simply wet them, and add detergent to remove heavy soils.

4. Your technique is ineffective

hand in yellow glove cleaning soapy mirror using yellow cloth

The fourth reason you’re getting streaks after cleaning your mirror is that your technique may be ineffective. If you’re wiping over the mirror in an erratic or uneven motion, it could add to the streakiness.

The best way to clean your mirror is to use a circular motion to remove smaller, more caked-on soils. And a side-to-side motion when cleaning the entire mirror, starting from the top, keeping the motion smooth and rhythmic, and working your way down.

How to clean mirrors without streaks

So you’ve learned why your mirror glass gets streaky and how to avoid streaks when cleaning your mirror. But how do you ensure your mirror is sparkling clean? Some may say using a squeegee is the answer, but a squeegee can’t polish mirror glass.

The real trick is to use a clean and dry cloth to polish your mirror glass. And the best one out there is the Microfiber Glass Cleaning Cloth.

This lint-free cloth is made from a flat-knit polyester and microfiber blend to give you an ultimate shine on any mirror, glass, and stainless steel surface. It’s also great for screens and leaves the surface shiny and spotless.

Cleaning mirrors without streaks is easy with microfiber

Let’s recap.

To clean mirrors without streaks, all you need is the All-Purpose Microfiber Towels and Microfiber Glass Cleaning Cloths. Dampen the microfiber towel, wring out the excess water, and wipe over the mirror using a side-to-side motion. Follow with the glass cleaning cloth to polish the mirror.

For dirtier mirrors, use a little dish detergent in warm water first to remove any soils with a microfiber towel. Then follow with clean and damp All-Purpose Microfiber Towels and Microfiber Glass Cleaning Cloths.That’s it. No need for fancy or expensive mirror glass cleaning sprays. All you need is the All-Purpose Microfiber Towels and Microfiber Glass Cleaning Cloths.

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