Tried that viral 'antique mirror' cleaning hack with vinegar and baking soda

Saw a TikTok showing how to restore old mirrors with just vinegar and baking soda. Tried it on my grandma's 1920s vanity mirror. Totally stripped the silver backing off. Learned the hard way that old mirrors have a delicate coating and that trick is a scam for vintage pieces. Anyone else ruin something from a viral cleaning trend?

4 comments

4 Comments

valc911mo ago

That TikTok tip actually works fine on modern mirrors made after the 1960s. Your grandma's mirror was already fragile and the coating was probably degrading anyway. The baking soda just accelerated what time was already doing to it. Vintage mirrors need special care, not internet hacks.

juliarodriguez1mo ago

And another thing nobody's talking about - TikTok hacks are almost never tested on different surfaces or materials. That baking soda paste might be fine for a 1990s bathroom mirror but totally wrong for something with a different backing. Mirror backing has changed over the decades, from silver to aluminum to various protective coatings. Different metals react to abrasives in completely different ways. So it's not just about age, it's about what kind of materials your mirror actually has. We're all treating mirrors like they're all the same thing when they're totally not.

jakewhite1mo ago

Honestly, TikTok hacks never factor in humidity levels which changes how anything reacts on a mirror surface.

the_tessa1mo ago

Forget @jakewhite's humidity point, what about the temperature of the water you mix with that paste lol