Fog Free Mirror Repair

Fog free bathroom mirrors are often coated with a plastic film that prevents the mirror from fogging. Unfortunately, these can be easily damaged during cleaning them improperly. After our nearly new fog free medicine cabinet mirror was accidentally scratched and gouged in the middle of the mirror, we were faced with the decision of an expensive replacement from the local hardware store or repairing the mirror.

• citrus gel stripper
• flat blade razor scrapper
• blunt nose pliers
• screwdriver
• window cleaner
• wiping rags
• paper towels
• butyl rubber gloves
• eye protection
• chip paint brush
• newspaper or cardboard

First you need to remove the mirror door from the medicine cabinet to move it to a flat work surface. Make sure to protect the work surface with old cardboard or newspaper. Since most mirrors are over sinks, close the sink drain to prevent dropping the hinge screws into the sink drain.

With the mirror flat on your work surface don your PPE. Apply the gel stripper according to the directions on the stripper you chose to use. I used a chipping brush to evenly spread the gel on the mirror. Wipe off any excess stripper from the sides of the mirror to protect against any damage to the rest of the mirror door. The stripper I used recommended a minimum time of 30 minutes to allow the product to being to work.

After waiting the 30 minutes I returned to the project and noticed the fog free film had begun to fog and shrink a tiny bit away from the edges of the mirror. Using the flat blade razor scrapper I was able to carefully lift the corners of the film enough to get the pliers to grip the film. With the pliers and the scrapper I slowly pulled the film free from the mirror. What worked best for me was to work inwards from the four corners. Be sure to pull upwards, away from the mirror as the pliers will slip off the film as you pull it. Eventually you will remove all of the film.

Clean the mirror first by removing the remaining gel stripper following the products instructions. The gel I used recommended using water. After the gel was removed with water and a rag I disposed of the gel contaminated items while I waited for the mirror to dry. After using regular window cleaner I cleaned the mirror and was rewarded with a gleaming, defect free mirror.

Replace the mirror on your medicine cabinet and your project is complete.