Dull very old mirror

by Sharonlong627

Answered

I have a beautiful very old mirror, no matter what brand of glass cleaner I use, I can't get the white powder look out. How do I clean my mirror?

5 answers

Monica on Mar 08, 2015
you can try using a warm vinegar and water mix and wipe with newspaper or a local jeweler may have jewelry rouge it's a heavy paste that you apply and take off with a cloth, but its time consuming. Some old antique mirrors appear to be dull but it could be the backing that gives the piece of glass its reflective. In other words in may need to be re-slivered.

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- D & K on Mar 08, 2015
  @Monica ,you can also use good old fashion toothpaste. Not the gel style but the old white stuff. Keep it moist and it will do the same, You can also use it for polishing out scuff marks on furniture, cabinets and it will make a dull piece of metal really shine. I keep a couple of tubes in my equipment trailer just in case.
  
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- Monica on Mar 08, 2015
  @D & K Thank you Dennis. I appreciate the tip. Toothpaste can save you a penny at the local Dollar store.
  
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- Sharonlong627 on Mar 09, 2015
  @D & K I have never heard of this but, worth a try. Thanks so much!
  
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Lynnsbeyondthephoto on Mar 08, 2015
Hi: I purchased an old mirror recently and it has a "haze" I tried different things. One was using shaving cream. lol. What the heck... I'll try anything. Anyway, after cleaning with that and trying vinegar.... it is cleaner, but the "haze" is still there. I have read that you can have them professionally done to remove that.... but if you can still see in it, my thinking is that it is an old mirror, and the haze makes it look more authentic.

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Joanie1051 on Mar 08, 2015
"Haze" and "whiteness" on old mirrors indicates the silvering is breaking down. You will need to get the mirror resilvered.

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- D & K on Mar 08, 2015
  @Joanie1051 , do you know of someone that resilvers mirrors. We had a very old man locally that resilvered mirrors for many many years. Unfortunately when he died so did his business. I find many antique bevel edged mirrors in my line of work and would love to find someone that could resilver them.
  
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- Joanie1051 on Mar 09, 2015
  @D & K Dennis - If there isn't anyone in Temple, you will have to check Waco, Killeen, maybe Austin for someone. Start Googling and see who you can find closest to you. It IS a dying art, for sure. Large furniture manufacturers likely have their own department for the mirrors for bedroom sets and such. Don't know if there is one of these in your area, but that might be worth a try, too.
  
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Sue on Mar 08, 2015
Dawn dish detergent and a touch of ammonia may do he trick. My window washer uses Dawn to clean windows.

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- Sharonlong627 on Mar 09, 2015
  @Sue I will try this, thanks!!
  
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- Sharonlong627 on Mar 17, 2015
  @Sue Thanks, Sue this did the trick. My mirror looks new. I appreciate you sharing this with me. Sharon
  
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Janey on Aug 31, 2020

All of these methods devalue the mirror. It will be worth a lot less. Look better. Worth much less.

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