Car Paint Repair: How to Remove Car Paint From Mirrors

  • 1-3 hours
  • Beginner
  • 5-15
What You'll Need
Razor blade
Acetone
Penetrating oil
Rags
What You'll Need
Razor blade
Acetone
Penetrating oil
Rags

Car paint repair can be a tricky thing. You can end up with car paint on your mirrors from overspray or because vandals have run wild in your neighborhood. It’s not just an annoying problem but it can even be dangerous as you need full access to your mirrors when driving. There are several ways to remove car paint from your mirrors. As car paint repair goes, this is quite easy, and uses items you’ll have in your house.

Step 1 - Razor Blade

You’ll almost certainly have a razor blade or a utility knife at home. This is an ideal way to remove dried paint from mirrors. You do need to proceed carefully, however, as the blades can easily slice your fingers open if you make a mistake. If you’re using a razor blade, it should fit into a holder. Wear safety gloves to use the blade or the knife. Always push the blade away from you. If it slips, there won’t be the danger of it cutting your body.

Slide the blade under the edge of the dried paint and push. If there are plenty of small splatters, this can take some time in order to remove everything. The blade won’t scratch or damage the glass so it’s safe to use. Once you’ve removed the paint, use glass cleaner and a cloth to take away any smears and put a shine back on the mirror.

Step 2 - Penetrating Oil

Penetrating oil has many, many uses, and car paint repair can be one of them. In some circumstances it can be good for taking car paint off mirrors. Spray some onto a clean rag, and then wipe on the paint. This will work when the paint hasn’t completely dried. It needs to either still be liquid or to have some elasticity; it can’t be too hard. You might need to wipe quite hard to remove some of the paint that’s been on the mirror for a longer period. Keep going until you’ve removed all the paint.

To finish, you should clean the mirror with soap and water, to remove the Penetrating oil, and complete with glass cleaner and a clean cloth.

Step 3 - Acetone

If there’s a female in the house, you will be almost certain to have some acetone around; it’s also known as nail polish remover! As well as taking off nail polish, it can also do a very good job at some aspects of car paint repair. This includes the elimination of car paint from mirrors. Rather than painting the acetone on to the paint, dampen a cloth with it. When you’ve done this, press it into the paint to loosen it, then wipe off, wiping harder where necessary until you’ve removed it all.

Having completed the car paint removal, use soap and water to take off any acetone that might still be on the mirror. Allow it to dry, then use glass cleaner and a cloth on the mirror. This will take away any smears and leave the mirror clear.