Removing Wax from Mirrors


mantle clean

Do you have household projects you put off because they seem like they will take a LONG time to finish?  So you put it off for that free Saturday that never comes?

I do!

But the 30 Day Clean House Challenge I am participating in along with Money Saving Mom has inspired me to get some of those projects done.

One of these pesky projects was cleaning off candle wax that had splattered onto a mirror over our mantle.  It has been there since sometime this winter. I have looked at it every time I have cleaned; but I just thought it would take so long to do, I was discouraged from doing it.

But, thanks to the internet (!) I found a quick and simple solution to my problem and got it done today!  Here is how I did it:

wax mirror clean 1

1. I took down the mirror from the mantle (I needed to clean behind it anyway) and laid it flat on a sturdy surface.

2. I put some ice cubes in a sealable plastic bag, sealed it and laid it over the wax.  I let this sit like this for about 10 minutes.  The ice hardens the wax.

wax mirror clean 2

3. Then I took a scraper (you could also use a butter knife, but the scraper doesn’t have sharp edges) and gently scraped the wax away from the glass.  I removed the wax that came up in pieces.

wax mirror clean 3

4. Then I went and cleaned another area of my living room, giving the mirror time to come back to room temperature.  This took about 10-15 minutes.  I just tested the surface of the mirror before going to the next step to insure was back to room temperature.  This prevents a very serious accident!

5. And then the fun part: I took my hair dryer, set it on the highest setting and heated the surface of the mirror where the wax was.  I did this about 2-3 inches away from the mirror.  It is pretty neat to see it draw up the wax.

wax mirror clean 4

6. Last, I sprayed some glass cleaner on the mirror and wiped it away with a lint-free cloth.

The results were beautiful!  I don’t know why I waited so long to tackle this project.

mirror clean


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