Best Way to Clean Mirrors

Mirrors can be a powerful item for your interior, offering a way to brighten rooms and make spaces appear bigger, as well as providing a practical purpose to check your reflection. As such, it is important to ensure your mirrors are clean so that they can keep bringing these benefits to your home. 

Unfortunately, mirrors tend to be a magnet for dust, dirt and handprints, and cleaning them properly can be a challenge – especially if you have window pane stye mirrors with extra corners for dust to collect! Here we share the best ways to clean mirrors so you can keep your shiny surfaces clear and smear-free. 

What Do You Need to Clean a Mirror? 

Before you clean your mirror, you will need a few supplies to get the job done. Luckily, you’ll likely already have many of these items in your home. 

• Water
• White vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Microfibre cloth
• Cotton cloth
• Cotton buds

How to Clean a Mirror

1. Start by spot-cleaning the mirror for any stubborn stains, like toothpaste splatters or smeared makeup. Use a little white vinegar on a cotton cloth to remove this gunk. 
2. Dip a cotton bud into the vinegar and use it to clean any details or edges of the mirror, cleaning around screws and grooves. 
3. In the spray bottle, combine one part vinegar with four parts water. Spray this onto the mirror and wipe from side to side before it dries using the cotton cloth. Never wipe a mirror in circles. 
4. Using a microfibre cloth, dry the mirror, also using a side-to-side motion. 
5. Once the mirror is dry, look at the mirror from the side and at different angles to check for any missed areas or streaks. Spot-clean these with the cotton cloth and buff them with the microfibre cloth. 

Tips For Keeping Mirrors Clean

• If tough stains aren’t budging, use rubbing alcohol on a cotton cloth to remove stubborn dirt.
• If you live in a hard water area, you may need to use distilled or softened water in your vinegar solution. Hard water makes it harder to clean and can leave streaks. 

If your mirror needs replacing or updating, or you just want a new one to fill a space in your home, check out our guide to choosing the right mirror for your interior or browse our full range of mirrors at Accessories for the Home.