The black edges on the side of the bathroom mirrors are common due to excessive moisture and are known as mirror rot. It ruins the stylish appearance of the interior because of these dark spots.
Why is My Bathroom Mirror Turning Black? Your bathroom mirror can turn black because of exposure to soapy water, incorrect cleaning sprays, exposed silver nitrate, reaction with air particles, and incorrect installation. In addition, it is due to the seeping of cleaning products, poor ventilation, temperature fluctuations, and poor cleaning methods.
You can see the black edges of the mirror when these are installed on the walls without any frame. The frame helps cover the surroundings and inhibit water entry on the backside.
| Causes | Solutions |
| Exposure to soapy water | Wipe off the edges of the mirror |
| Use of incorrect cleaning spray | Use aluminum-free glass cleaners |
| Exposed silver nitrate | Install demister pad |
| Reaction with air particles | Apply wax to reduce water exposure |
| Incorrect installation | Add desiccants on its backside |
| Seeping of cleaning products | Cover sides with decorative frames |
| Temperature fluctuations | Replace damaged mirrors |
| Poor cleaning methods | Apply cleaning liquids on the cloth |
Exposure to soapy water
The backside of the glass is coated with a tin or silver layer to create the reflection. These layers get damaged or chip off when exposed to environmental factors.
The vanity and shower side mirrors are more vulnerable to black spots. The dark edges issue comes when soapy water splashes during washing come on their surface.
The silver nitrate in a thin layer of silver coating reacts with soapy material. Moreover, toothpaste splashes and hair sprays cause this problem.
You should clean the glass surface and its corners. Wipe off the moisture, soapy water, toothpaste splashes, and hairspray spots from them.
In addition, you can also wipe them off with a squeegee to add them directly to the draining area.
Use of incorrect cleaning spray
Using incorrect cleaning solutions to make the glass surface clean leaves black spots on its surface. The incorrect cleaning situation is worse because you can see these marks on the middle side that are difficult to hide.
Many people use glass cleaners without reading the label guidelines. These contain ammonia as a solvent which can create a damaging effect and scrape off the silver coat.
In addition, the excessive use of cleaning agents can also lead to the chipping of the backside tin and silver layer. Moreover, using the wrong cleaning products to remove the greasy residues makes their corners darker.
I only use glass sprays for their cleaning. Use the ones that are free from ammonia-based solvents and avoid their frequent use.
Exposed silver nitrate
Dark edges of bathroom mirror corners occur due to exposed silver nitrate material. The excessive moisture damages the silver coating, and silver nitrate comes with exposure to the outside environment.
The water splashes from the vanity areas during handwashing damage the silver coating. In addition, the issue also comes due to poor ventilation on the interior side.
Humidity and fog increase when you take a shower with warm water. You can see water vapors on the glass when the bathtub is filled with warm water.
You can add a demister pad on their backside. The heating pad absorbs moisture by maintaining the temperature.
It is also better to keep the exhaust fan turning when you are taking a shower or after a few minutes to remove moisture.
Reaction with air particles
The mirrors start to turn black when a damaged silver layer comes in contact with the outside environment.
The silver nitrate from the glass coatings reacts with particles normally present in the air, and you can see dark spots on their surface.
The rotting process occurs when silver nitrate or metal reacts with the oxygen molecules in your surroundings. I coat the affected or damaged layer with paint to reduce rotting.
In addition, it is also better to hang damp towels and cloth outside the bathroom to reduce moisture and airborne particles.
You can also reduce the rotting issue by coating the backside of glass with a waxy material, which is helpful in the reduction of moisture exposure.
Incorrect installation
The incorrect installation of bathroom mirrors causes rotting and black edges. In addition, these are installed on the wrong walls, which can increase their exposure to moisture and water.
The installation near the showers and bathtub walls is strictly prohibited because of the high relative humidity of these areas. The high moisture can directly affect the silver coating and cause chipping off.
In addition, people also install them poorly and leave a gap between the glass and the wall. The moisture can easily affect the backside when there is a gap between them.
It is better to hang or install them close to the wall without leaving space of a single inch. You can only leave the small space when you want to add desiccants on their backside to absorb water.
Seeping of cleaning products
The cleaning products can also seep into the inner layer of the glass material and cause deterioration of backside paints and silver coatings.
The seeping commonly occurs due to invisible cracks present on their surface. Most of the time, people do not notice these cracks and spray cleaning solutions on them.
These solutions penetrate the inner layer from these cracks. In addition, the issue also comes when the corners are not covered with a wooden or metal frame.
Water and liquid cleaning products come in contact with the backside through these opened sides. Use the decorative frames to hide delivering from the edges of the glass.
Furthermore, you can also use aluminum foil and adhesive tape to cover the affected corners. The aluminum foil mimics the action of silver coating, and you can see the reflection on the glass surface.
Temperature fluctuations
The silver layer can break and chip off due to fluctuations in bathroom temperature. The sudden rise and fall in temperature cause the contraction and expansion of glass material.
The frequent wave of contraction and expansion can make the mirror appear black. The temperature changes come from seasonal effects.
Moreover, the ventilation system is responsible for sudden changes in interior temperature. For example, the temperature changes when you turn on and off the shower hot and cold faucets of the showers.
Replace the mirror because re-silvering is costly and time-consuming. However, replacement is easy and more affordable than the re-silvering process.
Keep the windows and doors in the bathroom open and run the exhaust fan to control sudden temperature fluctuations.
Poor cleaning methods
The poor cleaning methods damage the silver coating on the mirror’s backside. In addition, many people do not know how often to use cleaning solutions on the glass surface.
They use it daily to clear the surface, which can end up with dark edges. Moreover, the issue also comes when you spray the cleaning material directly on the mirror surface.
Direct exposure to chemicals can lead to the rotting procedure. These harsh chemicals react with silver nitrate; you can see black marks on the corners.
Avoid applying cleaning sprays to reduce direct contact with harsh chemicals. Spray the solution on the cloth and then use it on the affected area to remove grease and dirt stains.
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