Bathroom mirrors are usually exposed to high amounts of moisture, which makes them susceptible to fogging. While this can be annoying sometimes, it is entirely normal and inevitable for bathroom mirrors to fog, even our top farmhouse mirrors are prone.
Today I am going to share with you different ways you can prevent your bathroom mirror from fogging. Some of the methods I am going to discuss in this article can be performed using home materials.
But before we get into these different methods, perhaps you should first understand what exactly causes the fogging on shower mirrors. Don’t worry; I am not going to full-blown chemistry here. A fog that forms in your mirror is just condensed water vapor after it comes into contact with the colder surface of the mirror.
With that in mind, the easiest way to prevent fogging on your mirrors, therefore, is by running cold water so that the bathtub and other objects around it can cool down. That way, the steam coming from your hot shower will condense mostly in and around the tub, and thus will not reach up to your mirror.
But that method is wasteful, so below are the best ways to prevent your shower mirror from fogging.
Homemade Methods
Sometimes the solution is never too far. There are some home products that you can use to keep your shower mirror fog-free. Here are some of them:
- Soap: before showering, rub soap over your mirror so that the surface becomes translucent. You can also use Vaseline or liquid soap to cover your mirror, then after you are done, you can clean your mirror with window cleaner to remove the mess. Shaving cream and toothpaste can also be used in place of soap. The reason why cleaning products prevent mirrors from fogging is that they are surfactants, and thus avoid particles of steam from attaching on the surface of the glass.
- Vinegar solution: make a solution of water and vinegar in the ratio of 1:1 and use it to wipe down your shower mirror. To increase the defogging power of your solution, you can add a few drops of liquid soap.
- Shampoo: fold a paper towel and pour a small amount of shampoo (whatever brand you are using), and wipe it over the mirror; then take another clean paper towel and use it to dry the mirror.
- Cover your mirror: if you are in a hurry, you can just cover your mirror with a towel to keep away the moisture.
- Open your doors and windows: remember the little chemistry we learned above? Your mirror gets steamed up due to temperature difference, and so eliminating that temperature difference is one way of preventing the fogging. Running cold water is one way to avoid temperature difference, but this is not economical. The best way is to open your windows and doors to bring down the temperatures. This will prevent the steam from your shower from condensing on your mirrors and forming the fog.
- Hairdryer: this method can be used after you have showered. Just take out your hair dryer and point it at your shower mirror (make sure it is close to the surface but not close enough) and blast it until the fog disappears. Note that you can set your hair dryer to cool or hot.
Specialty Glass Products
If you want something a bit advanced, try a speciality glass product to help keep your shower mirror fog-free.
- Rain-X: this product is made specifically to prevent mirrors from fogging. You can buy it in physical stores or online, and either spray it or wipe it onto your bathroom mirror and then allow your mirror to dry. This perhaps the most efficient method of preventing your shower mirror from fogging one application can last for about a month.
- Install defogging pad: this electrical device attaches to the back of the mirror and clears any fog. This pad can remove fog from even most saturated bathrooms. However, this method is quite costly in terms of money and time, and therefore I recommend using the cheaper ones like opening your windows and doors before showering. Nevertheless, defogging pads will provide you with a permanent solution to mirror fogging.
- Glycerin: This is another speciality product that you can use to defog your bathroom mirror. You can get it from the pharmacy then dilute it with water and use it to wipe down your mirrors. The good thing about glycerin is that it is non-toxic, and therefore it is suitable for houses with pets and young kids.
If you liked this article make sure you check out what kind of mirror to install in a big bathroom and our many other articles on this site.