In any bathroom or hallway there is a mirror - the main assistant in creating beauty (especially for women). But what to do if dark spots appear on the mirror?
There are several reasons for the appearance of dark (black) spots on the mirror. If there are dark spots around the edges, it's likely that the cleaner you used to clean the mirror has lingered on the back of the mirror and damaged the finish. If dark spots are in the middle of the mirror, they are usually caused by moisture or the cleaner has reached the middle of the back of the mirror and damaged it. Unfortunately, in any case, there is no way to remove dark spots on the mirror. The only solution is to repair the mirror by creating a new frame around it or hiding the stains in other ways. Here are some ideas to help hide black spots on your mirror.
Restoration
This is perhaps the most difficult option for getting rid of dark spots. Its essence lies in the complete restoration of the silver substrate. It is first completely removed and then reapplied. It is better to resort to this method if dark spots have appeared on a large area of the mirror, making its further use impossible.
To reapply the silver layer, you need a special paint called Silver Solution. Its cost is about 50 euros per bottle, so if you have a large mirror, then restoration can be very expensive and impractical.
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Why do dark spots appear on the mirror?
To answer this question, you need to learn a little more about the technology of making mirrors, and they are made from ordinary glass, applying an amalgamating layer to its back side, thanks to which the glass acquires reflective ability. Amalgam is a mixture of various metals, in most cases the main components are zinc and mercury. If applied poorly or if the layer is too thin, the amalgam is destroyed and this happens most often due to exposure to direct sunlight or due to excess moisture.
Aluminium foil
This method will work if the protective coating has been scraped off in some places on the back of the mirror. All you need is to take pieces of foil of the desired size, smooth them out perfectly and use tape to attach them to the places where the holes appeared. If you do everything well, the mirror will be like new, and the restored areas will not even be noticeable on it.
Causes of stains
By its physical nature, the amalgam on the mirror is sensitive to direct influence:
- sun rays,
- Humidity.
Small enterprises producing bathroom furniture try to buy mirrors where it is cheaper, and the final quality of mirror cabinets and simple mirrors suffers from this. We bought a wall cabinet with a mirrored door a year and a half ago and dark spots have already begun to appear along the bottom edge of the mirror.
Moisture and sunlight destroy low-quality amalgam; in our case, the cause of the defects was humidity (where does the ultraviolet light come from in the bath?).
Frame painting
This option will help disguise problem areas on a very old mirror. It works great if the stains are concentrated mainly around the edges.
For painting, you can use the most common spray paint of any color you like, after cleaning the surface with a glass cleaner. And if there is none, then you can simply cover the border along the edges with masking tape.
All the dark spot removal methods described above have been tried and tested by me personally, so I guarantee that they work. They will help you give your old mirror a second life with minimal financial, time and physical costs, instead of throwing it away. Well, to make sure of everything, check all these methods yourself.
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How to slow down the growth of spots?
Since it is almost impossible to remove stains on your own, and buying a new mirror is not included in your immediate plans, you need to make every effort to slow down the process of growth of dark spots on the mirror surface.
The first thing you have to do is rehang the mirror. Dark spots appear mainly due to moisture, in this case it is better to remove the mirror from the bathroom, and if this is not possible, then all existing gaps between the mirror and the subframe must be sealed. For these purposes, special colorless sealants are sold that will not spoil the appearance of the product. Apply the product at intervals once a year; this measure will prevent the spots from increasing in size.
As it becomes clear, fighting dark spots on mirrors is useless and pointless. To avoid a repetition of the situation in the future, you should not be greedy and buy the most budget options for mirror products; in this case, the savings are not justified. For the bathroom, it is advisable to choose mirrors in plastic stretchers that fit tightly to the surface and prevent moisture from entering the product.
To extend its service life, experts advise immediately after purchase to treat the back of the mirror with a mixture of 2 parts soft wax and 1 part turpentine, dry it, place it in a stretcher and seal it. In this case, the mirror will serve faithfully for many years.
Features of removing complex contaminants
Removing complex contaminants from a small surface will not cause difficulties, but if a large one is contaminated, you will have to make efforts to clean it. It is especially difficult to deduce the consequences of children's games. This is considered the most difficult stain to remove.
Special household appliances will quickly remove plaque from the mirror.
Removing stickers. There are only two ways to remove them from a mirror surface, if you can’t just tear them off. A warm, wet cloth is applied to the sticker. After a few minutes it will come off easily. You can use a rubberized device. If you don’t want to get the mirror wet, you can use a hairdryer. Glue residues can be easily removed with alcohol.
It is important to regularly ventilate rooms where there is a lot of moisture.
Marker or felt-tip pen. If they are water-based, they can be easily removed with a rag. Alcohol-based marker lines can be removed with rubbing alcohol or toothpaste.
During the silvering process, it is important to carefully prepare the glass for processing:
1) if the edges of the glass surface are not sufficiently washed to remove grease stains that formed during the carrying and laying of the glass, the silver liquid will not “grab” at the edges;
2) if the surface is poorly degreased, the layer of silver will be uneven and will easily separate from the surface of the glass in the form of a film;
3) if you do not properly clean (rinse) the glass surface from traces of tin dichloride, spots or matte stripes several millimeters wide will begin to appear along the edges of the mirror. Small black dots may also appear;
4) if liquid is unevenly removed from the glass during the silvering process or during drying, the silver layer will separate (slide) along the edges as blackened, destroyed material. Excess drops of moisture can collect and linger on the edges and corners of the glass, destroying the silver plating;
5) if the surface of the glass is damaged during mechanical or chemical treatment, the particles of sodium sulfide and sodium sulfate contained in the glass will react with silver, and black or brown spots will appear on the surface of the mirror - traces of sulfur.
To avoid this, before silvering the mirror, wash it with a 10% hot soda solution.
Features of cleaning mirrors without streaks using traditional methods
Many people know ready-made products for ideally cleaning mirrors without streaks. But in addition to chemical means, there are also traditional methods that are in no way inferior, and sometimes cope with the task much better.
Today there are many products for cleaning mirrors.
Ready-made cleaners cause allergic reactions; folk remedies do not have this effect. How to clean a mirror without streaks using folk remedies? Proven and most effective folk remedies are:
Unconcentrated table vinegar. Vinegar is mixed with water 1:1 or 2:2. The mixture should sit for 15-20 minutes. It can only be used with rubber gloves. Moisten a lint-free cloth in the resulting mixture. Apply to the entire surface of the mirror, you can use a spray bottle. Afterwards everything is wiped in a circular motion with a dry cloth.
Vinegar is an effective and affordable remedy.
Alcohol. The product will not only clean the mirror, but also give it shine. Ethyl and formic will do. But it is not recommended to use substances that contain alcohol. They will make even more divorces. If a common problem on mirrors is the presence of greasy stains, toothpaste, deodorant residues and others, then alcohol is the best way to get rid of them. The use is very simple: soak a cotton pad in alcohol, then wipe the surface; you can complete the cleansing by wiping it with newspaper.
The alcohol can be anything: medical ethyl, formic, camphor.
Tea and salt. You will need “chifir” made from green tea and table salt. For 200 milliliters of tea, add 1 teaspoon of salt, stir until completely dissolved. Rinse the mirror with the resulting solution and wipe dry.
You can use both rock and table salt.
Ammonia and honey. Alcohol will work well with fat, and honey will add shine. Mix in a 1:1 ratio. After treatment, wipe with a lint-free cloth.
Ammonia is used according to the instructions.
Folk remedies
Industrial liquids and powders give visible results, but are highly toxic and have a pungent odor. When cleaning the surface, the housewife inhales harmful fumes, and small children love to touch mirrors and lick their fingers. Therefore, many housewives prefer to use folk remedies that are safe for health and the environment.
- Newspaper. Our grandmothers used printed materials to wash glass. Newspaper sheets absorb liquid perfectly without leaving streaks. First, rinse the accessory with boiled water, and then wipe dry with newspapers. This method is suitable for light stains. Glossy magazine sheets are not suitable for cleaning.
- Alcohol. Combine cologne and water in equal proportions. Spray the solution onto the surface using a spray bottle and then wipe dry. Alcohol-containing substances will help wipe the mirror without streaks and dullness, remove splashes of hairspray and greasy stains.
- Tooth powder and ammonia. Mix the components in equal proportions and apply the mixture onto the glass using microfiber. Clean it thoroughly and rinse off any residue with water.
- Chalk and vinegar. Combine 200 ml of water, 15 ml of vinegar and a spoonful of crushed chalk. Let the mixture sit for a while and apply it on the mirror in a circular motion. After five minutes, remove the slurry with old newspapers.
- Potato. Cut the root vegetable into two halves and wipe the indoor attribute with them. Remove any remaining potato juice with paper towels. Potatoes can be replaced with starch. Dilute a tablespoon of powder with water to a paste, apply to glass, and wash off after ten minutes. After this treatment everything will shine.
- Onion. Just like potatoes, cut the onion in half and wipe the cut glass. The vegetable removes traces of flies from the glass. Vinegar will help get rid of the pungent smell of onions.
- Milk. Rub a clean mirror surface with a cloth soaked in milk. Then dry with towels. The method will return the mirror to its former shine.
- Lemon. Cut the fruit into halves and wipe the cut piece on the object. This instant method will help you wipe off the whitish residue on your bathroom mirror at home.
- Ammonia and honey. Mix ammonia with a tablespoon of honey and apply in a circular motion. Clean the composition with a sponge and boiled water. Wipe the glass dry. The mirror will sparkle with cleanliness. However, you should not be partial with this method. The reflective layer of the mirror surface consists of a silver amalgam, which, when interacting with ammonia, becomes stained over the entire surface.
- Green tea. Dissolve a spoonful of salt in a cup of tea, apply the mixture to the glass, and rub. Then rinse with running water and wipe the mirror dry. And if you add blue to the solution, then in addition to cleansing, the mirror reflection will receive a noble blue iridescence.
- Turpentine and wax. Make a cleaning solution from turpentine and melted wax. The mixture is ideal for rooms where temperature changes occur frequently.
- Tights. Nylon quickly removes light stains without chemicals or detergents. Take unnecessary tights and rub the mirror with them until they shine.
Some housewives use baking soda to clean a mirror without streaks and stains, but sodium bicarbonate is an abrasive. Over time, it will give the surface a dull finish.
Does your bathroom mirror often fog up? Combine shaving foam, fabric softener and gelatin. Dip a cotton cloth in the mixture and rub the mirror surface dry. The problem will be solved in five minutes.
