How to Properly Clean Mirrors With Streaks

Staring straight into a mirror while writing this, and the first-hand experience of how frustrating mirror streaks can be is easy to relate to. We’ve all been in a situation where we have tried to clean mirror streaks and ended up with a dirtier mirror, that’s what we’re here to fix. Can you really get rid of mirror streaks? 

You can properly get rid of mirror streaks by cleaning them with a mixture of white vinegar and water, as long as you use a microfiber cleaning cloth and pre-treat the mirror with rubbing alcohol before using the mixture, your mirror will look perfectly clean. 

Everyone loves a mirror they can walk by when leaving the house to check out their outfits and overall look, one they can use for a makeup session before going for an occasion, one they can look into while brushing or flossing, and one they can carry around to touch up their look during the day. 

All of these are justified and necessary if we must add, but just like several other items in the home, mirrors also get dirty, dusty, or lined with streaks and we need to get rid of them to see through clearly, and as usual, we’re going to help with that. 

What Are Mirror Streaks? 

It would be wrong to assume that everyone knows exactly what mirror streaks are because they are common so it’s best to provide a simple definition. 

Mirror streaks are the visible traces of dirt, dust, dirty handprints, liquid, grease, or product residue that sticks to your mirror and makes it appear blurry or unclear when you look into it. It’s a little tricky to keep a mirror streak-free or to get all the dirt off correctly, so stick with us. 

How to Properly Clean Mirrors With Streaks 

No one enjoys always looking into a mirror and seeing a blurred version of themselves, this is why most people try to keep their mirrors as clean as possible, despite this being an easy task you need to know exactly how to do it right else you’ll be stuck with a blurry mirror. We have provided below tips that are certain to help you clean mirrors the right way for the best results; 

1. Make use of a flat microfiber cleaning cloth for best results when cleaning mirror streaks 

It is always a smooth and well-done job when you use microfiber cleaning cloths instead of cotton wool, silk cloths, cotton cloths, or a tissue to clean streaks off your mirror.

Microfiber cleaning cloths are made to easily lift dirt off a surface, they also hold the dirt securely in between their fibers after lifting it off a surface, and this means that they can easily absorb the grease, dirt, dust, or product residue that cause streaks on your mirror.

It cleans your mirror properly without leaving behind lint or particles in the process. Keep one side of the microfiber dry while you clean so you can always go over it a second time for best results. 

2. Clean your mirror with white vinegar and water

White vinegar has an acidic composition that allows it to work as a powerful cleaning agent that can clean dirt, grease, or dried-up residue easily. You can simply mix some white vinegar in a spray bottle with an equal amount of water and spray it onto a cleaning cloth and use it to wipe off the streaks on your mirror.

As mentioned above, it is important that you used a microfiber cleaning cloth to remove the streaks, do not use too much of the mixture to avoid ending up with a messy-looking mirror, clean thoroughly and your mirror will look as good as new.

If you have access to distilled water, you can use that instead of ordinary water as it is more effective for this cleaning process.

How to Properly Clean Mirrors With Streaks
Image: @ag.reka via Twenty20

3. Ensure to clean your mirror from top to bottom or side to side

Most people are convinced that the right way to clean a mirror is in circular motions, but that only reintroduces the first from the cleaning cloth back to the mirror over and over again as you go in circles. This method is frustrating and usually still leaves streaks on your mirror because of its ineffectiveness.

It is best to clean your mirror from top to bottom in tight concise strokes or from side to side if that seems easier for you. This ensures that you get a good job done and all the streaks are cleaned out without new stains being left behind.

4. Apply rubbing alcohol to your mirror before you begin cleaning to get a sparkly clean result

Asides from blurry streaks on the mirror, if you use your mirror for your makeup every day, you should be accustomed to lipstick stains, mascara smudges, and eyeshadow stains getting stuck to your mirror now and then.

If this is the case, you simply need to get rid of those stains by applying rubbing alcohol to a cotton swab and using it to get them off your mirror before you go ahead to clean with white vinegar and water to remove all the streaks this process might also leave behind.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

How do you get streaks off mirrors?

You can get streaks off your mirrors using an equal mixture of white vinegar and distilled water in a spray bottle which you’re expected to spray in a microfiber cloth and clean your mirror in a gentle yet thorough manner. 

Why do my mirrors streak when I clean them? 

Your mirror streak when you clean them because you are not cleaning them with the right solution, it could also mean that you are using the wrong texture of cleaning cloths to clean them, it could be a result of using a dirty or greasy cloth on your mirror, and it could also be because you are cleaning them in the wrong pattern.

How do I make my mirror streak-free? 

To ensure your mirror is streak-free after you clean them, make sure you prep it with rubbing alcohol which would take out most of the smudges and dried streaks, and then finish by cleaning the mirror with a microfiber cleaning cloth sprayed with white vinegar and distilled water 

What is the best thing to clean mirrors with?

The best way to clean your mirrors is to make a solution or mixture with equal amounts id white vinegar and distilled water. White vinegar has an acidic level that allows it acts as a powerful cleaning agent for your mirror and other surfaces, it has been proven to leave your mirror streak-free. 

Summary

It’s very common for everyone to have streaky mirrors at different corners of the home, workplace, or even in their purses.

Some people may disregard the streaks until it’s really hard to see before they start searching for a way to get rid of them, but others can’t stand the stains immediately they appear and seek out a way to clean them as soon as they notice them.

When you try to clean and you constantly see streaks being left behind, then you need to diligently take note of the four tips we have provided to help you ensure that you get a streak-free mirror after you clean. 

Ensure to incorporate white vinegar and water into your cleaning process, unfailingly use a microfiber cleaning cloth, prep your mirror with rubbing alcohol, and clean your mirror in a top to bottom or a side to side pattern to get satisfactory results.