Mirrors have historically been made out of silver or glass, though this has had the effect of inflating their cost and making them much less portable than they could be. Unfortunately, this was a matter of necessity in the past, as there were no materials that could adequately substitute for either of them.
With the advent of glassless dance mirrors, we now have a mirror option that offers a variety of advantages over traditional glass mirrors. Today, we’re going to explore some of the key advantages of glassless mirrors, exploring why dance studios and other businesses have largely transitioned to them.
Why You Should Keep Your Mirrors Glassless
Glassless Mirror Safety
One of the main reasons to invest in a glassless mirror instead of a traditional mirror is due to their superior degree of safety. This is because glassless mirrors are shatterproof.
Since glass is the most dangerous part of mirrors, glassless mirrors are naturally the best fit for places like gyms and dance studios, where there’s plenty of movement going on.
While plate glass can be used to make more durable actual glass mirrors (like what you'll find in Luvo store), plate glass also has the disadvantage of being extremely difficult to install. This is due to the weight of these glass panels, which are nowhere near as lightweight as the equally-shatterproof glassless mirrors that you’ll find available.
Better Visibility than a Glass Mirror
Along with their improved safety, glassless mirrors also reflect more accurately than glass ones. This is due to the highly reflective nature of the reflective metalized mylar film that is placed on the mirror’s surface. This helps minimize image distortions on the mirror surface.
Along with less distortion, quality glassless mirrors will create a sharper image that has less of a halo around it than glass mirrors. Optical illusions like ghost images are also minimized in glassless mirrors. Finally, due to their superior reflectivity, glassless mirrors also reflect a brighter image of you.
Lighter Weight than Glass Mirrors
If you’ve ever tried to install a glass mirror in your studio, then you likely know about how heavy they are. Even with something lightweight like an aluminum frame, the glass in a traditional mirror will weigh it down because glass is such a dense material compared to the acrylics used in glassless mirrors.
Due to their lightweight, you may even be able to get free shipping when you order a glassless mirror. Since they're easy to install, you may also be able to pay less to have a glassless mirror installed since the installers won't have to haul as heavy of a mirror, and their risk of injury will be reduced.
Types of Glassless Mirrors: Wall Mount vs. Rolling Stand
Thanks to the lightweight nature of glassless mirrors, you also have a versatile range of options when it comes to installing them in your home or workplace. In fitness centers, physical therapy clinics, and dance studios, there may sometimes be a need for a more mobile mirror.
In these cases, a glassless mirror, with its lightweight, can be mounted on a rolling stand that can be rolled around the workplace. This helps you save money since you won't need to install static mirrors in each room on a wall mount. Instead, you can just roll the aluminum frame of the rolling stand around.
Rolling frames are usually made out of aluminum so that they’re light enough to be moved with relative ease, even by a single person.
On the other hand, there are sometimes advantages to mounting permanent mirrors on walls. The first advantage is that a wall-mounted mirror will be less likely to take damage from accidents since it won't be able to fall over like a mirror that's on a rolling stand.
While glassless mirrors are shatterproof, they can still get damaged when they fall, especially if the reflective elements get scratched.
Cleaning and Maintaining Glassless Mirrors
If you want to maintain the reflective surface of your glassless mirror, then you’ll need to know how to clean it properly. While you’ll want to do much of the same as you would when cleaning a glass mirror, there are a few peculiarities to take note of before you try to clean your glassless mirror.
The most crucial thing to ensure is that you don’t press the reflective film against the rear interior of the mirror, as that will distort the image and result in inaccurate colors. Use a cotton cloth with a purpose-made mirror cleaner that doesn’t contain either ammonia or phosphates.
Keep in mind that this is only for deep cleaning. If there are any scratches on the surface of the mirror, you can buff them out by wiping carnauba wax on the surface. Finally, for more severe damage like dents, you can use a heat gun at a temperature of under 350 degrees F to even them out.
