How to clean a mirror without streaks?
by Dede
+94
Every time I clean my mirrors, they end up having tons of streaks and almost look worse than before I started. What could I use to clean them that won't leave streaks?
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Newspapers work very well after spraying cleaner such as Windex on them. Just wad them up and wipe!
Spray vinegar and water and wipe dry with newspaper
Use glass wipes and dry immediately with microfiber. Don’t let it dry then try to buff them out.
Try using a dryer sheet - never tried it myself but I hear it works.
straight isopropyl/rubbing alcohol & clean white wash cloth or newspaper. No fabric softener on cloth - it leaves smears & smudges. No paper towels-they are either coated or have chemicals in them to increase absorbency but leave streaks & smudges.
Cleaning your glass and mirrors using newspaper will eliminate all streaks.
I have been thinking about your mirror and it reminded me that I recently cleaned a room size mirror for my sister. Because I didn't want to have to climb up the ladder to chase streaks I used glass wax. It isn't the old pink stuff that used to come in a can but it is applied and removed the same way. I found it on Amazon and you apply it with a damp sponge or cloth, let it glaze over, then buff it off with a micro fiber cloth. Her mirror cleaned up with no streaks.
Use a clean cotton/linen cloth (like an old dishtowel) with windex. I never have streaks on my windows or mirrors.
Windex and newspaper works perfectly.
Use a microfiber cloth which you can get at places like Dollar General or Walmart. Also, the cleaner I use is 1 part white vinegar, 1 squirt of dish soap, and 1 part water.
Newspaper works wonders. Crumple it up and use it as your cloth. Wash your hands after because you get inked!
How it is dried and if all dirt was removed is the key to no streaks. My mom always washed with ammonia water and rinsed with vinegar water and her windows always sparkled! She dried with newspaper, but the dry microfiber cloths or towels will do a great job, too. I go the lazy way and use Windex, if I get streaks when dry, I follow with a spray of vinegar and that usually takes care of that streaking.
Applying glass/mirror cleaner to a cloth, rather than directly onto mirror can make a difference. Wipe and buff dry with soft, lint free cloth or newspaper.
My mother in law just told me she goes over the glass with a rag with rubbing alcohol. I haven't had a chance to try it yet but am excited and hoping it works.
A damp microfiber cloth should produce a streak free finish. I use SuperCloth microfiber and water, nothing else and get perfectly clean & streak free on all glass, screens, and appliances. It is similar to the cloth you receive with glasses/sunglasses. It was well worth the investment. They were under $40 for 4 of them about 5 years ago.
You could try some straight rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and see if that helps!
Try cleaning with coffee filters. They are less likely than newspaper to leave streaks.
I use a mixture of water and alcohol mixed 50/50. Most window cleaners contain a certain amount of oil and that's what leaves the streaks. Use a clean absorbent cloth to wipe dry.
I find if I use an alcohol/water moist microfiber cloth to quickly clean the mirror, then follow immediately with another clean microfiber cloth to rub completely dry, I don't have streaks.
Clean in your usual way, rinse with vinegar water, and dry with a microfiber cloth.
Use Invisible Glass glass cleaner. I get it at walmark. It comes in two forms. It works very well. It was suggested to us by a glass company. And I don't use newspaper!!
Also don't wash the windows in the sunlight. Any cleaner will dry too quickly and leave streaks
Use Zep window cleaner
Regular newspapers (not magazine, etc,) the regular black printed newspapers. Clean windows while in the shade, spray with commercial or homemade cleaner of small amount of white vinegar in water. Wipe dry with crumpled newspapers, first horizontally and then vertically. Wear disposable gloves as black print comes off on your hands (or just wash your hands when completed. I use this on my car windows (with car parked in shade of course). So clean, looks like no glass in windshield! Just dispose of newspapers as you go...
I use water and a Norwex cloth. I don't sell Norwex myself, but their cloths leave my mirrors streak-free, no cleaners needed. Before these cloths, I used an alcohol-based spray and newspaper (no lint residue). Hope this helps!
I have always used vinegar and water, but a tip from my grandmother. She would crumple up black and white newspaper to wipe the vinegar off the mirror. She said that the newspaper left no lint, but only a clean, streak free shine. Hope you will try this.
Hello, the secret to streak free mirrors is to ensure you are using a microfiber cloth that has nit had fabric softener used in the wash, fabric softener causes the streaks. How do you remove carbon buildup from pans? Newspapers and microfiber towels are best for wiping and drying windows without the risk of leaving streaks. You can also use paper towels, but some paper towels may leave behind lint. If you notice streaks on your window, it's likely because of leftover residue from commercial products.
White Vinegar and newsaper scrunched up!
Dawn and water worked for a construction clean up crew and thats all we used
Agree with Hope. Get a microfibre cloth - Magic Cloth or whatever. Wring out the cloth to damp. No streaks on inner windows, glass, mirrors. (Outer windows ...... I do 2 passes using 2 pans of water and 2 cloths for outer windows. First gets most grime off. Second is the finishing touch. For mineral deposits on outer windows, I wet the surface and use a soapy SOS to remove the deposits, then rinse well, and use the micro fibre cloth. MUCH cheaper and more effective than window cleaning products. (Using paper towel and ammonia based products nearly drove me nuts with streaking. I think there must be some type of oil product in the paper towels and this wouldn't be from ammonia.)
We use vinegar and newspaper. Works great!
Vinegar with water and newspaper
Hi all!! I have used this method since I was in my 20's and I am way past that now more like in my 60's, I learned this because I was a smoker and the worst windows to clean if you are a smoker is car windows. So I just started using plain rubbing alcohol, but I thought it was going to be pretty harsh, so I took an old spray perfume bottle poured about half of the bottle with the alcohol and the rest with water, and All I did was sprayed it on the inside of my windows on a mist spray and took a paper towel and not one streak was there now I will never buy glass cleaner again. it is good for your eye glasses glass tables and you never have to rinse this off after using it because it also cleans and disinfects like alcohol normally would do.
I use rubbing alcohol. Cleans great.
I had a bathroom mirror that stayed very cloudy looking at the top and slightly cloudy looking throughout the rest, and nothing I tried would get rid of it. Then one day when I went to clean it I grabbed an orange, large Shamwow! from a set that I had picked up at the drug store and it wiped the cloudy look right off! I didn't use anything else with it, just a dry Shamwow!, and I said, "W😮W!"
Buy a Super Cloth! Found on line or QVC
vinegar with newspaper as I use also to clean windows
Damp micro fiber cloth. Easiest and quickest way to clean mirrors. Should work on windows.
Use glass cleaner and newspaper.
Hi Dede, we use windshield washer fluid and paper towels or newspaper. To finish off go over the window with a microfiber cloth.
Shineway foam glass cleaner, sold at $general stores in my area. Best I’ve ever found and recommended by a professional house cleaner.
Hey everybody, this is so funny, the other day I read the same question in Facebook, one lady said you have to wipe your mirrors from the right to the left. So I typed in there.. no no you have to have to wipe from the left to the right! (There's another answer but I'm not going to bring it up) 🤓🤓
I have several cleaning tutorials that might help you https://chascrazycreations.com/diys/how-tos/cleaning/
WOW, I can't believe no one has mentioned this! I had a cleaning business for years and used 1 thing for a myriad of things. Mirrors, windows, stainless steel, counter tops, you name it. 50/50 mix of water and peroxide. Not only does it make everything sparkle, it also disinfects. Just make sure you wear gloves or your hands will be white.
Also, if the lights are close to the bathroom mirror, turn them off and make sure the mirror is cool.
Use window cleaner and newspaper.
Isopropyl alcohol (70%) in sprayer diluted about 1 part alcohol to 10 parts water is best product for cleaning them.
Avoid commercial window cleaning products like Windex and anything scented because they irritate the respiratory system and are toxic to human health.
Newspaper or microfiber cloths are best for wiping off the alcohol before it can dry. Leaves glass clean and without streaks. Good for car Windows too.
The reason why your mirror comes out streaky is because there's too much chemical built up on the mirror or window like windex what has always worked wonderful for me is to take a sponge with with just water and wash the then take a dry cloth or paper towel and wipe a dry right you will never get streaks that way
I use Windex and a paper towel. I don’t need the paper towel get too wet I use a second. When I’m finished I wipe over the whole thing with 90% alcohol on a paper towel.
Windex is the absolute worst product you can use to clean glass, chrome, countertops or anything that you need to be consistently clean and LOOK FABULOUS. Look in your supermarket on the bottom shelf for a product called Cinch. This stuff works so well on glass and so much more that I don't know why no one has ever heard of it. Whatever the chemical makeup is it leaves glass absolutely perfect, sparkling with not a single streak and in half the time we're used to when cleaning glass. The trick is to use as little product as possible with a hugh handful of dry paper towels to get the glass clean and dry. The secret to successful cleaning is using the right materials for the project. I cleaned houses for 20 years, there isn't anything I can't clean perfectly. But I won't skimp on the supplies to get the job done properly and make it look it's absolute best. Try this solution for your streaky glass, I guarantee you that the streaks will be gone. Ask me how to clean anything, any time!
Use glass cleaner and newspaper.
to make a mirror non streaky I use white vinegar
in a spray bottle and news paper fist I spray wipe up n down , then wipe side to side .
this how they do car windows at a detail car wash, works every time.
I share your pain! It seems some of the microfiber cloths that advertise as lint free are the worst for leaving streaky mirrors and glass. I've used the white or beige coffee filters to dry the mirrors with good success!
Alcohol
Glass cleaner and newspaper.
I can understand you. I had the same problem for a long time and had no idea how to solve it. However, after lots of searches, I found a company called jicleaning.com and asked them for some tips. They suggested different products to use, especially for my mirror. Also, they asked me additional questions about my house's environment and gave me some tips and products to maintain the effect for a longer time and not be as sticky as before. You should try them and see, and maybe the situation will change.
Clorox gel toilet bowl cleaner! I know it sounds weird but it's cleaner! And I use it on my shower glass as well and it immediately gets off the soap scum too! You almost can't tell there is glass there it's so clean. If you squeeze it on and let it sit for ten minutes, you song even need to scrub the shower or tub... Just rinse and it smells minty and clean! But you'll never use anything else again!
Water, a little dishsoap and here is the key...a squeegee. Just have a cloth to catch the water off the squeegee after every swipe so it doesn't drip on the floor. It is almost fun. If there are any really greasy spots, pretreat and scrub a bit with your soapy water and a soft rag before doing the whole thing.
I use glass cleaner and newspaper.
i use window cleaner without alcohol and old wash cloths. It’s what we used when working as a maid at a hotel. It actually works and saves money on paper towels that leave tiny white fibers behind and eureka no streaks!