The Natural Ingredient That'll Leave Your Cloudy Mirror Dazzling

For many people, mirrors are an essential part of a morning routine. It can be useful to get a good, long look at yourself while getting ready for the day and going through your daily personal hygiene rituals. Well-placed mirrors also do a great job of reflecting light around the home and can make your small space look bigger than it really is. If you're like many other people, however, you end up looking at more than just yourself in the mirror — you also see plenty of smudges and streaks. 

If your mirror is cloudier than you'd like, your cleaning routine likely needs an upgrade. Although it doesn't take much to get your mirror to look clear and dazzling once again, it does take a little bit of know-how and a natural ingredient you likely already have in your home. That ingredient? White vinegar.

A simple solution of water and distilled white vinegar can keep your mirrors clear while eliminating streaks and smudges. Although brand-name commercial cleaners can help freshen up a mirror as well, they're not the best option and often contain harmful chemicals. It's simpler, more eco-friendly, and more affordable to use the white vinegar that you already have in your home to clean your mirror instead.

To get started with this natural solution, you'll simply need to grab a spray bottle and add a 50-50 mixture of water and distilled white vinegar. For best results, you should also have a couple of lint-free microfiber cloths to use. Although you can use paper towels instead, it's not ideal. Small bits of residue may be deposited on the mirror when using a paper towel to clean your mirror, so cleaning with a microfiber cloth is a much better option.

Once you have your tools, spray the water and vinegar solution onto the mirror or directly onto a microfiber cloth. Avoid using a circular motion to clean the mirror, but instead, take the microfiber cloth and wipe it using an S-shaped wiping pattern. Swiftly wipe the mirror from top to bottom quickly using a zigzag motion.

Once you've wiped the mirror clean, look at your mirror from a 45-degree angle to ensure that all streaks and residue have been removed. Spot-clean any areas you notice still need some improvement by dampening a corner of your microfiber cloth and going over stubborn areas again. After you're finished with the initial cleaning, grab an additional microfiber cloth. Go back over the mirror once more using the same zigzagging motion you used before. At this point, your mirror should look as good as new.