Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: GUEST,redhorse at work
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 08:23 AM

In my day job I'm responsible for the exterior lighting for a British motor car manufacturer. In new headlamp designs, control of condensation is a major concern. Applying much the same principles to a bathroom mirror:

Misting of mirror is caused by combination of three things.
1) High absolute humidity of air in bathroom.
2) Temperature difference between warm humid air and colder mirror surface.
3) Angle of contact between water droplets and mirror surface (related to surface tension) such that droplets can hang on a vertical surface, diffusing the reflected light.

To address 1) only option is extraction/ventilation: replace moist air with dry air.
To address 2), keep the mirror warm. Don't put it on an outside wall. If you can, put it above a radiator or in the airflow from fan heater. On the other hand, infra-red heaters are good for keeping you warm, but useless on mirrors which reflect rather than absorb light, visible or otherwise.
To address 3) most of the materials suggested already will work either by letting the water flow out into a film which doesn't break up the light the same way, or better by making the droplets near spherical, which will run down off the surface under gravity.

In UK, Pilkington sells "self-cleaning" window glass, which works on the last principle. Maybe they should also market it for bathroom mirrors.

nick

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 12:31 AM

The mention of various soaps and cleansers suggests an observation that should be in everyone's knowledge base.

There is a tremendous market for new bathroom cleansers. This is because everything you use as a cleanser leaves its own residue.

When you find a bit of dingy film that won't come off with the cleanser you're using, you need a new miracle cleanser, and the new stuff actually - sometimes - does remove the old scum and everything is bright and shiny again.

Unfortunately, the new cleanser also leaves its own faint residue; and it's sort of a fact of life that no cleanser removes its own scum. After a few uses, it just doesn't seem to work any more, so you need a new miracle cleanser to remove the residue from the former miracle, ...

Few people seem inclined to check whether, once the new miracle product has removed the old residue, the old product will once again work as before - at least for a while, so we have a never ending parade of repackagings of the same three or four products with new names and higher prices.

Once in a while someone suggests "my granny usta'..." and the cycle gets a brief restart; but it's largely a matter of changing the color, adding or subtracting a foamant, floculant, dispersant, detergent, or a bit of perfume to what granny used and charging a lot more than it used to cost granny.

John

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: John J
Date: 26 Apr 06 - 11:52 PM

A spot of washing-up liquid wiped over the mirror and then polished off works ok: the detergent zaps the surface tension of the water globules that make up the 'mist' leaving the mirror clear.

And from one CX500 owner to another: it also works for visors!
An article in the 'Motor Cycle' from around 30 years ago suggested wiping the cut face of a potato across the visor and then polishing it off. I didn't try this, prefering to eat the potato in chip butty form.

John

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 Apr 06 - 04:00 AM

A hair dryer in a damp and steamy bathroom!!
Somebody has a death wish!
G..

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Ebbie
Date: 26 Apr 06 - 12:05 AM

Sheesh. All I do is soap up my hands with bar soap and then soap the mirror. Then I take a dry towel - it doesn't even have to be a clean one - and shine it up. Takes one and a half minutes, tops.

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 25 Apr 06 - 09:42 PM

another tick, here in the US, we have a hair product called Frizz-ease by John Freida which is mostly Glycerine I think. I have heard that wiping some of that on your mirror and then buffing it off will prevent fog. Any anti-frizz hair serum is bound to be of similar formula and should work

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: number 6
Date: 23 Apr 06 - 12:43 AM

Maybe it's time to move.

sIx

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 08:37 PM

DaveO -

Glycerine is a bit like the silicone oil that appears to be the "active ingredient" in the RainAway and similar formulations. Once you put it on a clean piece of glass, it doesn't matter what the directions are - it's very difficult to remove all of it.

That is, with glycerine it's difficult. Some say with silicone it's impossible, although there are ways ... (some of which may require a license to use).

John

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 07:41 PM

Seems to me that years ago I read that you use glycerine soap to wash the window you want fog-free. Whether you need to leave a thin film or not, I don't know. Too long ago.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 06:55 PM

about 10-12 seconds with a hair dryer does away with the fog on the mirror for me.

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From:
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 04:27 PM

Leave the bathroom door open...then again, I live alone and have a cat who is strongly opposed to closed doors( I believe he thinks I'll escape out the secret back entrance)...pick your moments on this method, I guess.

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 03:28 PM

Hehehehe!

(Runs off giggling like a lunatic)

:D (tG)

BTW - Have you tried any of the stuff yet anyway? Did you find the rain-away? The other one I remember is covering the glass with a static film - I think something like cling film works but it has to be pulled realy tight so there are no creases.

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 02:32 PM

Got me not at all....

:-P

Heh

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 02:17 PM

I have to agree. Gotcha though:-)

No hard feelings?

:D

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 01:03 PM

Or rather...

t(-_-t)

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 01:01 PM

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 11:42 AM

Ayway, Clinton, what do you mean, My shower stall has neither (Window or vent). Ya... right.... I'll believe THAT when pigs fly....

What do you mean you have seen it? I do NOT believe things I read on the internet... especially when someone says "Believe me, I'm telling the truth... I saw it" cause if you ask any lawyer, judge or cop they'll tell you that eyewitness testimony is the bottom of the barrel.... ;-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 05:29 AM

I had some stuff for my Motorcycle helmet visor - Mrs G used it all up on the Bathroom mirror! Marketed by Bob Heath visors in the UK. Guess there must be equivalents all over the place. It was very effective for both uses anyway:-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 04:57 AM

Another use for toothpaste on a car, rub your windscreen with it and rub it in well with a circular motion like you were using cutting paste.
Wash off well, and I do mean well, you will remove all traffic film and end up with a sparkling screen.
Giok

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 22 Apr 06 - 01:08 AM

Clinton -

A rental property without ventilation in a bath/shower room probably is in violation of current building codes, and in some places a "grandfathered" variance is required to be brought up to date when there's a new tenant.

If you wanted to be a real A... (nah, Clinton would never ...) - well, someone who wanted to "apply pressure" might do a little research...

John

Subject: RE: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 08:07 PM

Yep! 2 songs actually...

Go to the Mirror
Smash the Mirror

http://www.wonsworld.com/tommy/html/Songs.html

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 08:02 PM

Didn't The WHO have a song about this subject?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Helen
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 04:52 PM

I had problems with an old mirror fogging up in the bathroom and tried an anti-mould bathroom cleaning gel. It kept the mirror fog-free for a few weeks and then I reapplied the gel as needed.

When I was a kid my parents ran a petrol (gas) station and one of the products was a little packet which contained a soaped up piece of cloth-paper (like the little hand wash towels you get at fast food places but steeped in soap) which you smeared on the inside of the windscreen to stop it fogging up. It worked really well.

I had a problem with a greasy windscreen inside my last car and my Dad said to try Mineral Turpentine. I wiped on a smear of that and it got ten times worse in an instant (what have I done??!!) and then as I kept wiping it away it cleared the greasiness and left it clear for quite a while.

Helen

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 02:25 PM

"Use an exhaust vent. Open a window"

My shower stall has neither, and I doubt the landlord would unpocket to have one installed (No matter that in a few years they're gonna have to GUT and re-do the whole bathroom because of lack of ventilation)

I'd never build a shower-stall without a window that can be opened

"Rain-Away"
Ya know what... I think I have a bottle of that in the basement, that I bought for my car wind-shield and never used... thanks fer reminding me!

:-)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 02:21 PM

If you are in the US, there is a brand of product for car widows called Fog-X made by, approprietely enough, the makers of Rain-X. Works like a charm.

You cna also by something in a push tube at Ski Shops that is to keep ski goggles from fogging. it's a waxy substance but it works.

Taking a bar of soap and scribbling on the mirror like a crayon and then buffing that out with a towel works well enough in our house.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 01:34 PM

There are lots of home remedies that work to some extent. If you want the "pro" product, check with your auto parts store for some "Rain-Away" or similar product, intended for use on windshields. There are interior and exterior grades, but for shower room use it doesn't make much difference which you use. You need to rub it onto a clean surface and buff it pretty well to get a good coating that will last for a fairly long time.

Ventilation is best. If you're getting serious fog on the mirrors, you're also getting soggy wallpaper - or moldy grout.

A sort of trick, for the really determined, is to mount light fixtures around or along the edges, and use those really hot incandescent "makeup" light bulbs. With the glass sufficiently heated by the light bulbs, fogging will be reduced some (no warranty on your installation, but I've had one setup that worked pretty well).

You can actually get "heated mirrors," with a thin layer of metal coating on the glass that can be wired to heat the glass enough to prevent fogging even under rather extreme conditions, in a way similar to the anti-ice (which is an effective anti-fog as well) used on airplane windshields. The ones I've seen for home installation tend to have a distinct "color cast" to the reflections, but if you don't mind looking like a beach bum with a heavy tan it's not too objectionable.

They've had some problems with these in public baths, because the color cast makes people think they've got a half-silvered (one-way) mirror and someone might be watching from the other side of the wall. Somehow or other, denying it makes it even more questionable, for those of suspicious inclination.

Of course the ultimate solution is to move your ablutions to the back porch in a tin tub. Granny ain't gonna carry enough hot water out to you to make steam on anything.

John
John

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Peace
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:37 PM

Think of the time you can save by preventing fogged-up mirrors. Here is a trick to earn yourself an extra five minutes of snooze time.

   
Steps:
1.   Apply a thin layer of shaving cream or liquid soap to the mirror with a lint-free cloth. The cream or soap will form a thin film that will prevent fogging.

2.   Buff in the cream or liquid soap until it is evenly and thinly applied. A slight film will be visible, but it should dissipate after a few hot showers.

3.   Leave the cream or soap on the mirror--do not wash it off with water. You'll find that your mirror no longer fogs up after a hot shower.

4.   Reapply the shaving cream or liquid soap after a week or two when the mirror begins to fog up again. Wash the mirror with glass cleaner between applications to avoid a buildup of film.



Scuba divers spit into their masks to prevent fogging. I don't know if this also works for mirrors. If you try it, let us know will ay Clinton?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:36 PM

When SCUBA Diving you always spit on the glass first to keep it from fogging. A dab of soap or glycerin smeared thin also works for the squeamish.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Kaleea
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:31 PM

Don't shower. No fog. Amazing! Ok, but really. Use an exhaust vent. Open a window. There are glass cleaning products which claim "no fog." Read the labels where you buy glass cleaners, or look for these products at a hardware/auto store. They are also sold for use on the interior of the glass in your car. I have used some of them, even ones supposed to work for glasses, but they didn't seem to work well. One product was being demonstrated years ago in wallyworld. The lady cleaned my glasses with the stuff, then put them into a stream of steam from a vaporizer-type thingie. No fog! Then I wrapped my winter scarf around my face & went outside into the cold Minnesota winter. FOG!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Emma B
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:23 PM

Toothpaste

Ouch! You cut yourself shaving and it's no wonder -- you can't see your face clearly in that fogged-up bathroom mirror. Next time, coat the mirror with non-gel toothpaste and wipe it off before you get in the shower. When you get out, the mirror won't be fogged.
See more uses for Toothpaste.

- found this one too - curiouser and curiouser!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:17 PM

neat!

Any others?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Emma B
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:16 PM

Never tried this Clinton but a thin coating of car wax paste buffed to a shine is supposed to work!

Subject: Folklore: Keeping Mirror From Fogging Up
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 21 Apr 06 - 12:11 PM

Something that can be sprayed on them or something?

Any ideas?