I Tried This $2 Trick to Clean My Mirrors, and I Can’t Believe How Good It Is
Like many kids, my kids are messy. My bathroom mirrors are constantly polka-dotted with toothpaste splatter and watermarks. Recently, I saw this TikTok video on “bathroom cleaning hacks you’ll wish you knew sooner” that showed an unexpected trick of using shaving cream to clean mirrors. I decided to give it a try and see if it would work.
Why Shaving Cream Works as a Cleaner
The chemicals in traditional foaming shaving cream help keep your face lubricated enough to glide a razor over without nicking the skin. It also cleans the skin as it goes. These same properties work on glass — perhaps even better than on faces. In the video, @homewithleanne boasts that the shaving cream also works as an anti-fogging agent, so your bathroom mirror doesn’t get steamed up after your shower. I hate the streaks left after wiping a foggy mirror, so I was intrigued.
I Tried Using Shaving Cream to Clean Mirrors
For dramatic effect, I smudged some toothpaste on the mirror to create a more obvious mess to clean. Then I put a generous amount of shaving cream on the glass. Using a microfiber cloth, I spread the shaving cream all over. I left a little patch free of shaving cream to test the anti-fogging claims.
When it came time to wipe off the shaving cream, I wet the microfiber cloth and started wiping. Wrong move. That created streaks and I worried I would be scrubbing all morning. I rewatched the video and saw that I was meant to use a dry cloth to buff out the shaving cream. So with a fresh, dry microfiber cloth, I wiped the shaving cream off the mirror in one swoop. Easy-peasy. I had to fold it twice to get all the shaving cream off, but I didn’t have to go over any area twice.
The Results
I don’t think my mirror has ever looked cleaner. Regular glass cleaner gets the mirror clean, but is much more prone to streaks that need to be buffed out. The shaving cream created a streak-free shine without having to go over it again. Of course, I expect the toothpaste splatter to resume tomorrow morning, but it’s nice to know I have a quick fix should I want to clean up quickly.
Anti-Fog Test Results
I turned on the sink and shower full blast, all the way on hot. I had a nice little steam while I waited. My sinuses cleared, and I began to notice the center of the mirror was beginning to fog. The corner I’d skipped while applying shaving cream was no more foggy than the rest of the mirror. Defogging test: failed.
I turned off the water and opened the doors to clear out the steam and then gave the mirror one more wipe-down with the dry microfiber cloth. It was back to its previous sheen, and, thankfully, also free of streaks. Perhaps other brands successfully de-fog, but the one I used did not.
Barbasol Sensitive Skin Thick & Rich Shaving Cream for Men
Walmart
$1.93
Buy Now
Further Reading
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