One thing you should know about mirrors, it is very important for you to get the right materials to use. What has always worked well for me is Glass Plus, it does not contain any chemicals in its ingredients that can possibly damage the coating on the back of the mirror and around the edges of the mirror. It really does a good job on mirrors and glass. Without all the streaking, you won't have to work as hard.
It is such a great product for a lot of other surfaces in your house as well. Stay away from vinegar and ammonia. The reason you shouldn't use these two is because they are acids and they could cause your mirror to go bad. Out of the whole mirror, the edges are the most vulnerable. The first place mirrors start to bad are at the edges.
Lint free paper towels or a lint free cloth is best to use when cleaning glass or mirrors, they will save you time and extra work. Don't spray the mirror, spray the cloth instead. One thing you really need to be careful about is getting any of the cleaner behind the mirror, it would be better to spray the rag and not to spray the mirror. This will help keep the edges of the mirror and the back part of the mirror dry. A mirrors worst enemy is moisture. Moisture can cause your mirror to go bad, as moisture will start to break down the backing on a mirror.
A lot of vanity mirrors are installed with the mirror sitting directly on the backsplash. The problem with this is that water can be splashed up on the mirror and the water now has an opportunity to get behind the mirror.
Take yourself some polyseam seal or silicone caulk and apply a small bead along the mirror and backsplash to close off that void. Use care and do not tool the caulking too hard or you'll force the caulk in to far to the backing of the mirror. There are some caulks that can damage the back of a mirror. We had a bad experience with latex caulk taking the back off of mirrors. We never had any problems using poly seam seal or particular kinds of silicone, but you can't lose by being careful.
Mirror manufacturers have different qualities with the backing they apply on their mirrors. Some companies use a protective glaze on the back of their mirrors, while others will put twice the amount of backing on theirs. The edges of the mirror need to be sealed properly, regardless of how good the backing is. The double backing or the glazed coating that some manufacturers apply to their mirrors will definitely out last a mirror with only a single backing. These mirrors do not cost that much more a square foot.
Always make sure that the mirrors you are going to have installed in your home are of good quality. Usually, a manufacturer will have some type of literature describing the quality of their mirrors and what materials they use to make them. Before settling with a company to do a mirror job for you, do some research into the company to make sure that you are going to be getting what you are paying for, like quality. Some people learn the hard way by not doing their research and wind up paying twice for a mirror job. It will end up costing you more to have a mirror job redone.
There is a mirror sealant made to seal the edges of mirrors to prevent deterioration of the backing of the mirror. Always check to see if this has been done. Mirror sealant will help keep moisture from causing the edges of the mirror to turn black prematurely.
A good way to help make your mirrors last longer is to have an exhaust fan in your bathroom. When taking a shower or a bath, it is a good idea to turn on a ceiling exhaust fan if you have one. This will keep the moisture level down in the bathroom. The less moisture a mirror has to deal with, the longer it will last. Bathroom exhaust fans are not that expensive and are pretty easy to install.
I'm a glazier by trade. I enjoy writing articles like these. God bless you. [http://www.e-bookssite.com]
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