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What is the Best Way to Defog a Bathroom Mirror?

By Holly Collins
Updated Feb 16, 2024
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Getting out of a hot shower and not being able to see in a foggy mirror can be irritating. The best way to defog a bathroom mirror is to allow for optimum air circulation in and out of the bathroom. Fog is created when hot air vapors from a steamy shower mix with the cool surface temperature of a bathroom mirror, resulting in condensation.

Circulating air helps minimize the build-up of steamy heat in the bathroom, lessening the temperature differential between the room and the surface of the mirror. Running a fan or opening a window while in the shower can also aid in air circulation helping to defog a bathroom mirror. If the bathroom is small or not well-ventilated, getting enough air to circulate might be a problem.

Anti-fog solutions designed for car windows can be purchased to help defog a bathroom mirror. These solutions work as glass protectors, creating a water-repellent layer that prevents condensation from adhering to the mirror’s surface. Water droplets slide off glass treated with these protectors so fog can not form.

Anti-fogging solutions are applied by wiping them on clean glass. They are reported to remain active and effective for about a week before reapplication is necessary. The same application technique can be used with shaving cream to defog a bathroom mirror. Rubbing a thin layer of shaving cream on a mirror can also act as a water repellent preventing a mirror from fogging.

Pointing hot air from a hair dryer directly onto the condensation will help defog a bathroom mirror. A small clear spot will form directly in the path of the hot air. Moving the hair dryer around will allow the clear spot to grow and eventually defog the whole mirror. However, this method can be time-consuming.

Special bathroom mirrors that do not fog can also be purchased. These mirrors have small heating devices attached to the backsof the glass. When turned on, they will heat the surface of the mirror to match the temperature of the hot steamy air generated by the shower. Because the air temperature in the room is comparable to the temperature of the mirror, condensation will not accumulate and fog will not form.

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Discussion Comments

By anon135828 — On Dec 20, 2010

If you use a light above the mirror and leave it on while taking shower this will significantly reduce the fogging since the warmth from the light will condense the steam.

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