best Detergent to use for mirror cleaning?

pgc hunter · #1 24-09-2009, 09:51 PM

I'm planning on cleaning my extremely dirty 12" mirror, and I'm wondering what brand/type of detergent should I use to avoid any residue, haze and stuff like that on the mirror? I've heard that scented/flavoured detergents aren't particularly recommended.

help much appreciated.

Gama · #2 24-09-2009, 11:10 PM

Just some dish washing liquid.
Grab some from the kitchen.. Only a few drops will do. It shouldnt leave any residue, as long as you use distilled water to rinse off.

Theo.

DavidU (Dave) · #3 24-09-2009, 11:10 PM

I use any quality non scented stuff, only a small amount. never had a streak. Use plenty of distilled H2O

Today I was reading a different cleaning technique By R.F Royce
http://www.rfroyce.com/cleaning_new.htm
Standard cleaning
http://www.rfroyce.com/cleanfsm.htm

bmitchell82 (Brendan) · #4 25-09-2009, 03:43 PM

i just utilize a few drops of some good quality detergent. ive had the mirror for a year and cleaned it once. then again i make sure its covered when not in use!

big thing that is oh and the bloody spiders keep them out of there they love to make webs in nice still dark spots.

Starkler (Geoff) · #5 25-09-2009, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

I'm planning on cleaning my extremely dirty 12" mirror, and I'm wondering what brand/type of detergent should I use to avoid any residue, haze and stuff like that on the mirror? I've heard that scented/flavoured detergents aren't particularly recommended.

help much appreciated.

If its "extremely dirty" it shouldnt matter really what brand of detergent you use. Any will make it much better than it is

I just use the same home brand detergent I use on the dishes.

Rinse with lots and lots of lukewarm water after cleaning and then a final flush with distilled.
Why some people bother doing the actual wash with distilled is beyond me

Merlin66 (Ken) · #6 25-09-2009, 05:17 PM

I always use the Lux pure soap flakes; dissolve in luke warm water, plenty of cotton balls ( Use once, one gentle swill around - throw away) wrinse well under the tap and final wrinse with distilled water -pat any remaining water spots with the corner of a paper kitchen towel ( NOT scented etc tissues!)
Works every time.

pgc hunter · #7 26-09-2009, 07:52 PM

thanks for clearing that up for me guys!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starkler

If its "extremely dirty" it shouldnt matter really what brand of detergent you use. Any will make it much better than it is

I just use the same home brand detergent I use on the dishes.

Rinse with lots and lots of lukewarm water after cleaning and then a final flush with distilled.
Why some people bother doing the actual wash with distilled is beyond me

Yeah that's pretty much the plan here....I'm just gonna soak it in the bathtub for an hour or so to loosen all the crud, then run the tap over it and finish it off with the distilled water. That's what I did with my 10" mirror and it worked fine

I'm not too keen on the cottonwool idea!

Merlin66 (Ken) · #8 26-09-2009, 08:02 PM

Clarification:
The cotton buds are just held lightly and used to swill the soapy water across the mirror surface. NO pressure applied to the mirror surface, helps to move any stuborn particles without scratching.
This method has been used on upteen mirrors up to 18" over the past 40 years - tried and proven.

pgc hunter · #9 26-09-2009, 08:18 PM

Still I'm not keen on dragging stuff across the mirror besides the advantages gained from doing the cottonwool drag will be eroded after the first couple of nights out as the next round of crud and dew spots begin to accumulate.

I think leaving it to soak in warm water for an hour or so is adequate to loosen the vast majority of crud. Besides ringsing it with the tap water and the distilled will take care of most of the cling-ons anyway, and those few that happen to remain won't be enough to harm the image.

Merlin66 (Ken) · #10 26-09-2009, 08:27 PM

The new "crud" hopefully will be deposited on new areas of the mirror, whereas if the old "crud" is left in place it can start reactions which will eventually destroy the overcoating and the aluminium coating, leading to pin holes etc.
Just my 2 1/2 cents.

pgc hunter · #11 26-09-2009, 08:33 PM

Then the "new" crud must also be "reacting" with the mirror then as it accumulates eh? After all, it's more or less the same breed of dirt and dust. It's going to pile on as soon as the mirror is out of the tub whether or not I swiped it with the cotton.

It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

In any case, I don't think dirt and dust is going to do damage to the mirror, we are not talking about chemicals here. If the mirror is cleaned every year or two for example dirt and dust is not going to tear up the coatings or anything like that.

Ian Robinson · #12 26-09-2009, 08:43 PM

I use what every superstrength dishwashing detergent is under the sink, put a few drops in hot water in the sink , (I put the detergent in the CLEAN sink first , then let the action of the tap make the bubbles and do the mixing) , I then soak some pure cotton pads (I knick them from my wife's makeup bag) in the hot / warm soapy solution and then simply place very gently the soaked pads on the mirror and let them sit there for about 10 minutes, no swirling about (if there's any grit on the surface that a blast of tap water from a syringe didn't shift , swirling might dislodge it and produce a scratch .... not good) , I then remove the pads , repeat the process a few times , this has always removed any marks I've had .
I then rinse several times using a syringe filled with warm tap water until I see no more suds and the water starts to bead.
I continue this process for several more rinses , then finish off by rinsing with demin water delivered by the same syringe (as the tap water rinses) , several rinse will remove any tap water contamination in the syringe.

I then stand the mirror so the water demin water drains off the mirror under gravity , no need to touch the surface , evern better if the aircon is running , it'll promote air circulation and demin water evaporation.

If there is a stubbon deposit or stain .... AR grade anhydrous isopropyl alcohol is the go.
You'll have to fill in paperwork to get the isopropyl alcohol (it's a restricted material).
You can buy the stuff in 200mm bottles , and laboratory grade squeeze bottles can be had too from any laboratory supplier.

pgc hunter · #13 28-09-2009, 03:54 PM

Well I'm armed with 8 litres of distilled water, a forecast of "sunshine" tomorrow (see how long that lasts) and a clean bathtub.....Can't wait to see the moon thru a newly scrubbed 12" piece of glass

DavidU (Dave) · #14 28-09-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

.Can't wait to see the moon thru a newly scrubbed 12" piece of glass

go blind for a few hours !

astro_nutt · #15 30-09-2009, 01:07 AM

Before soaking the mirror..wear a pair of good quality rubber gloves when handling the mirror (as the oils from your skin can find their way in the water so do wear them throughout the whole cleaning/soaking/rinsing process) and give the sides and bottom of the mirror a good wipe with metho to remove any excess crud..I have the water in the laundry trough to about 40 C (as you would washing dishes to remove any grease) and mix a few drops of Morning fresh in a glass of water and gently add..place the mirror in for about 10 mins...swirl it around for a minute..then let it soak for a further 10 mins...any stubborn spots left can be dabbed with the corner of an unscented tissue dampened in IA then allowed to soak for a few more minutes before rinsing....
Cheers!

erick (Eric) · #16 01-10-2009, 01:26 PM

Or just slosh and drip/pat dry:-

http://www.obsessiontelescopes.com/l...ror/index.html

Starkler (Geoff) · #17 01-10-2009, 05:03 PM

I always start with a warm rinse to remove loose dirt and dust so that most contaminants are flushed away beforehand and not brought into the soaking 'bath'.

If you are going to be wiping the surface at all you want all the grit gone first.

DavidU (Dave) · #18 01-10-2009, 06:59 PM

Sab, how did you go with the cleaning?

pgc hunter · #19 01-10-2009, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidU

Sab, how did you go with the cleaning?

pretty good. Left it in the tub to soak for an hour, then rinsed it for about 15 minutes to remove as much remaining crud as possible, then rinsed it off with a few litres of distilled water. The thing was literally covered in dirt...theres a pic in my latest obs report. That film of clag is no longer there

There are some remaining spots but it's nothing to loose sleep over, plus its an old mirror and could do with a recoat anyway. But in any case, the views will be better than before. First time I've seen this mirror out of the cell....it's a big heavy 2 inch thick beast!

I got good views before.....now the anticipation is mounting!

gregbradley · #20 01-10-2009, 10:45 PM

Here is a link from another groups same post.

I have never used this but it looks interesting with the reservation they
state it will not remove pollen and water soluble stains:

http://www.photoniccleaning.com/?page_id=39

Greg.