How to Keep Your Custom Mirrors Safe and Clean
Custom mirrors are an elegant addition to almost any interior space. Extend the life of your mirrors and make the most of your investment with proper care. If you’re not sure how to care for your new mirrors, take a look at these need-to-know steps by room.
Bathroom Mirror Care
The bathroom is filled with steam, humidity, and moisture. While a hot shower or steamy bath can warm you in the chilly winter weather, it can also wreak havoc on your creatively designed custom mirrors.
Along with the damp environment, your efforts to keep the mirrors clean can also cause issue. Stay away from tarnish and black spots with these simple steps:
- Don’t get the mirrors wet. Avoid damage from direct water contact and keep your mirrors dry all the time. Use glass-walled shower dividers or close the curtain (if you don’t have a shower enclosure) to keep water away.
- Spray cleaners onto a soft towel. Again, moisture directly on the mirror’s surface can cause damage. Instead of spraying liquid cleaner onto the glass itself, spray it onto a soft rag or towel and wipe the surface clean.
- Use a vent. A high humidity level can cause condensation. Avoid the damp coating on your mirrors with a vent system. A properly working vent system should remove the hot, humid air and leave the bathroom’s climate less humid.
- Keep wet towels away. While you might be tempted to hang soaking wet towels on hooks near mirrored surfaces, this can cause damage.
If you’re not sure what products work best to keep your bathroom mirrors clean, and which ones can cause chemical damage, talk to a glass professional. Ask the custom glass installation team what they recommend for cleaning their products.
Kitchen Mirror Care
Mirrors in the kitchen? Even though this isn’t the first room you might think of for custom glass creations, mirrored tile, a mirrored backsplash, and decorative mirrored accents can open the space, add light, and provide visual interest.
If you do choose to install mirrors in your kitchen, these tips can help to keep them clean, safe, and in top shape for years to come:
- Avoid moisture. Like bathroom mirrors, kitchen mirrors are also susceptible to moisture damage. Keep the kitchen sink sprayer far away from the mirrored surfaces. If you do accidentally spray a mirror, wipe it down quickly with a soft towel.
- Skip ammonia. While some ammonia-based cleaning products are ideal kitchen options (especially on germ-filled surfaces), they aren’t safe for your mirrors and can damage the edges.
- Put the scrub sponges away. Even though a scrub sponge can effectively degrease your pots and pans, it isn’t safe for your mirrors. Only use soft cloths or towels to wipe off mirrors in the kitchen.
- Vent appliances well. Moisture and oily residues from cooking can stain and damage your mirrors. Vent all cooking appliances well to stop this issue before it starts.
Consider placement when you install custom mirrors in the kitchen. If moisture or cooking debris are issues you want to avoid, place mirrors or mirrored tile away from your oven, stove top, and sink.
Living Room Mirror Care
While a living room typically doesn’t have the moisture issues a bathroom or kitchen have, you still need to care for your mirrors.
How can you make the most out of your custom living room mirrors? Keep these creative pieces of glass clean and:
- Avoid smoking. Smoke can dull and damage mirrors. Never smoke in or around the area.
- Use doors. If the kitchen, bathroom, or another high-humidity room is nearby, use doors to prevent excess moisture from entering the area.
- Clean often the right way. Like with other rooms, spray cleaner on a soft towel and wipe down the mirrors carefully.
If you have children or pets, avoid high-energy, high-contact activity near the mirrors or install them higher up in the living room space. This can reduce the risk of breakage or other damage.
Do you need new custom mirrors to fill your space? Contact Central Glass Company for more information.