Mirrors, especially bathroom mirrors, get surprisingly dirty for something that rarely gets touched. They are prone to splatters, dust and gunk from flossing. As gross as it is to see all the projectiles on the mirror, it’s almost equally annoying to clean a mirror only to see lots and lots of streaks.
A few years ago, I switched my cleaning supplies to Blueland. The all-purpose and bathroom cleaner work well, however, the glass cleaner is atrocious. Streaks GALORE. Rather than spend more money on new products, I took to the internet to see if there was a simple homemade solution. I’ve been burned enough times with store bought window/mirror cleaner.
I stumbled upon the YouTube channel, “Clean My Space” a few years ago and remembered that the owner, Melissa Maker, made homemade cleaners in the past. Lo’ and behold, she had a great recipe for DIY glass/mirror cleaner. So, what is the best way to clean mirrors?
The Formula
Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 cup of water (distilled preferred) and 1 Tbsp of corn starch to a spray bottle. Apply liberally and wipe off in an “S” pattern using a microfiber cloth.
Equal parts water and vinegar sounds pretty standard, but the surprise ingredient of corn starch helps remove gunk without causing scratches on your mirror. I thought this was an interesting addition and decided to try it for myself. I made sure to wait until my bathroom mirror was nice and gross before testing it out.
Now typically I’m not that messy of a brusher or flosser but for experiment’s sake I embellished my brushing technique to create more mess. You’re welcome.
I let the gunk set in there for a few days. My husband unknowingly helped contribute to the experiment too. Unfortunately, the lighting in my bathroom makes photo evidence of the results difficult to see.
The Results
On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the best, here’s what I rate this experiment:
Streak residue: 5/5
Gunk removal: 4/5
Easy to make: 5/5
At first, I was worried the streaks were going to be bad, but after wiping it, the remaining water evaporated off nicely. Gunk removal was good, but not perfect. Some of the more stubborn flecks needed to be wiped a second time. Making the solution was extremely easy. I had a spare bottle and all the ingredients already in my kitchen.
Overall, it is an easy to create and effective recipe that I encourage you to try if you’re dealing with some bad streaks on your mirrors or windows.
Read more on this subject by checking out this article I wrote.
Very good written post. It will be helpful to everyone who employess it, including yours truly :). Keep doing what you are doing – looking forward to more posts.