How Do You Clean Glass Surfaces using Shaving Cream?

Streak-free glass has been a source of contention for professional and amateur cleaners for decades. Manufacturers release every day new formulations for their products, promising to provide us with a perfect shine. Do shaving creams remove dirt from glass? Have we been doing this the wrong way since the invention of shaving cream in 1919?

How does it work?

There's not anything to consider here.

Spray a decent-sized blob of shaving cream onto a towel that is clean. Make sure to rub the shaving cream onto a glass surface such as your oven's window, microwave door, or bathroom mirror.

It appears a bit unclean; however, we're advised it's okay and to trust the process. After a certain amount of time, the shaving cream rubs away, leaving the glass clean and sparkling.

Does It Work?

We tried this trick, and yes, it works. Two mirrors are in the vanity within the bathroom. We washed one using shaving cream and one using Windex.

Mirrors appear identically sparkly. However, shaving cream was three times longer to do. It was also incredibly messy. While we scrubbed and cleaned the shaving cream off the glass, small pieces of shaving cream threatened to fall onto the mirror. They often succeeded in the end, particularly when we reached near the edges of the mirror.

Lavender cream smelled lovely as we worked, and it was clean, just as promised. Is it worthwhile? No.

What the Pro Says

Shaving cream cleanses glass since soap, water, and alcohol constitute the majority of both products. Shaving creams also have moisturizers like Glycerin. (Fun information: Glycerin is the secret ingredient in the bubble juice.)

Glycerin wicks off water from the mirror, keeping it more moist and also helping the soap stick to it when you scrub and polish.

While shaving cream may remove dirt from glass, there's still an enormous gap between if you use it and whether you should perform this.

• It's messy. (We can attest to this.)

• It will leave streaks when you aren't working fast enough.

• This is more expensive than dish soap or glass cleaner.

• Cleaning glass using shaving cream is a lot of work and costs more. Why do we keep doing it again?

Better Ways to Clean Glass

If you're looking to wash glass at a reasonable cost, expert window cleaners will advise you that you just need a few drops of dish soap, water, and the Squeegee. An ounce of dish soap is about the price of one dime and produces five gallons worth of window washing fluid. Then, why should you ever make use of a $2 bottle of shaving cream?

Shaving cream residues contain antifogging qualities as they reduce the water's surface tension. Surface tension causes water to bead onto glass, and that's why it is difficult to see through a fog-filled windshield.

If you scrub your mirror in your bathroom using shaving cream, it will not get clogged up while you're bathing. (Fun fact: Car wax can stop your mirror from fogging.) But, an antifog solution such as Rain-X can last for weeks with each application, which is less expensive than shaving cream. If you are looking for a commercial window cleaner that is fast and clean, we suggest Invisible Glass.

What's the bottom line? Shaving cream should be only a last resort and not a first option. If you're running out of Window cleaner and Rain-X and you're desperate to clear your mirror at the moment, and you've got an empty bottle of Barbasol in your cupboard, it's a good choice for the trick in a pinch.