Glass oxidation is an amazingly common problem in households and what’s the worst thing? The removal is really freaking difficult.
Glass surfaces can be:
- Shower Doors
- Windows
- Windshields
- Mirrors
On this article, we will explain everything about oxidation and methods to remove these awful stains.
What does oxidation mean
Oxidation is the process that damages materials such as metals, glasses and basically all the known elements. This occurs when a material is exposed to the environment for an extended period of time, without being maintained.
Now, oxidation is commonly seen in surfaces that come in contact with water.
That happens because water contains several oxidising elements, such as salt.
To give you a better example, the rust we see on some metals? Yeap, that’s oxidation.
What happens in a oxidation
What’s happening in a oxidation is a little bit tricky.
In simple words, when something oxidise it loses electrons during a reaction by a molecule, atom or ion.
This damaging process occurs when the oxidation state of a molecule increases, while the exact opposite situation is called reduction.
Check out this cool article on: The Difference Between Oxidation State and Oxidation Number
How to remove oxidation from glass
There are some cool hacks out there on how to remove glass oxidation, but if the state of the oxidation is critical, i suggest you some more serious methods.
The Homemade Method
Grab some Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide and follow the steps bellow:
- Choose one of those two strong cleaning agents (one at a time)
- Use a piece of cloth and with a little bit of force scrub the stains
If this doesn’t do the trick, then you have a very big problem and you need pro help.
The Pro Method
The pro method is far more efficient. You’ll have to use a rotary polishing tool and a supercut compound in order to penetrate the oxidised layer.
For real, if you have the tools it’s a very simple process:
- Apply the supercut compound on the foam pad
- On the slowest scale apply the compound in the surface
- Switch to the fastest scale and in crisscross pattern polish the glass
- Once you finished, wipe any remaining compound with a clean microfiber cloth.
How to protect glass surfaces from oxidising
Glass oxidation will always occur unless you apply a ceramic coating.
A ceramic coating penetrates the pores of the surface, forming an invisible hydrophobic membrane that protects the glass from oxidising.
You can easily do it on your own by reading this: How To Apply Ceramic Coating
