How To Clean An Antique Mirror
Although a large number of people prefer to buy brand new, modern mirrors from their local home accessories shop, there is still a significant following of people that are interested in adorning their homes with antique mirrors.
These mirrors, whether they be purchased from antique retailers such as Aldgate Home, auction houses, or family heirlooms that have been handed down over generations, are considered to be treasured items in their homes and quite often, they are extremely valuable from a financial point of view too.
Antique mirrors look great in any home, but as with many items of household furniture and accessories they tend to get dirty after a while. If you are starting to see that your antique mirror at home is getting a bit dirty or cloudy, here is how you can clean it!
Before you begin
The first thing you will need to do is determine whether the mirror simply needs cleaning, or if it is damaged and needs repairing. All mirrors start to have a few speckles missing here and there, and it’s probably best to just leave an antique mirror that has some of its protective backing missing.
If there are large sections of backing that have been damaged or removed over the years, and the mirror is more of an eyesore than something with a few tiny and quirky characteristics, you would do better to have it resilvered.
Bear in mind, though, that this process can be quite expensive, so you will need to think about whether it would be cheaper to simply replace the mirror rather than having it repaired.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s walk through the steps needed to clean your antique mirror. All you need are some things you will find around the home, so you don’t need to go out and buy anything especially for the purpose!
Method 1: using newspaper and vinegar
The problem with ordinary glass cleaner is that it only contains a small amount of vinegar in it, which is fine for light cleaning, but utterly pointless when you are trying to clean a cloudy mirror!
A much better way of cleaning your cloudy mirror is to simply grab a bottle of white vinegar and some old newspaper. All you need to do is simply scrunch up a bit of your old newspaper, dip it into some vinegar (I’d recommend putting a bit of vinegar into a wide glass) and then start cleaning the mirror.
Afterwards, wipe the mirror down with some warm water and a soft cloth to get rid of the vinegar smell. I’d also recommend airing the room afterwards!
Method 2: using shaving foam and paper towels
If you hate the smell of vinegar (I do) then you should probably opt for this method instead! Get some shaving foam (not gel) and spray a bit onto your mirror. Immediately afterwards, get some paper towels (like the ones you use in your kitchen) and quickly wipe the mirror with it.
Take care not to clean the frame of the mirror; you only want to clean the mirror glass itself!
Image credit: Herry Lawford (via Flickr).