Ever heard of the old wife's remedy of putting toothpaste on your pimple to subside it? Don't! You will just end up aggravating it. But the toothpaste does have another use another use. Read on!
Article taken off doityourself.com
How to Remove Scratches from Furniture Glass
It’s pretty inevitable that, sooner or later, your furniture glass will become scratched. It’s almost impossible to avoid cosmetic damage forever but it’s still incredibly annoying when it happens and that can spoil the lovely look of a favorite piece of furniture. However, in most cases you can rub out the scratch as long as it’s not too deep. In instances of heavy damage, say if the scratch is deeper than 0.004 inches, you’ll need to have a professional polish it out for you.
You Will Need
Tooth whitening toothpaste or powder
Soft cloths
Hand-held buffer
Sheepskin buffing pad
Glass cleaner
Step #1 - Preparing the Glass
If possible, remove the glass from the piece of furniture and put it on a surface where it’s fully supported. If you can’t do that, remember to be very careful throughout the procedure and not exert too much pressure on the glass.
Clean the area around the scratch thoroughly with glass cleaner and a soft cloth to remove all marks and grease.
Step #2 - Rubbing Out the Scratch
Place some of the tooth whitening toothpaste onto a clean soft cloth and rub around the scratch in a circular manner. If you’re using tooth powder, rub it into the scratch and then begin using the cloth. The toothpaste or powder contains a mild abrasive that will slowly rub out the scratch. Take your time, being careful not to push down too hard.
Once you have a layer of toothpaste on the glass, begin gently using the hand-held buffer with a clean sheepskin buffing pad. Again, don’t exert any heavy pressure. Simply let the powder or paste do the work for you. After a few minutes, stop and clean the area with a soft cloth and glass cleaner.
If the scratch is still visible, repeat the procedure.
Step #3 - If Toothpaste Doesn’t Work
If toothpaste doesn’t polish out the scratch, you do have other alternatives. Jeweler’s rouge contains a slightly harsher abrasive so it needs to be used carefully. Apply as you would with the tooth powder, rubbing gently in a circular motion around the scratch. After a few minutes clean the area and inspect.
Step #4 - Other Abrasives
There are other abrasives you can try for rubbing out the scratch. Brasso, which is a metal polish, can work on glass as well. You can also make up your own paste using iron oxide, water and glycerine. You can find iron oxide in the jewelry section of craft stores. You can try glass polishing compound too, although it’s not strictly made for rubbing out scratches. Purchase it at you local glass store.
In all cases, be very careful using these items. Don’t rush the task and just take your time and rub gently. If the glass clouds as you’re rubbing, stop immediately or you’ll end up ruining the furniture glass top.
Step #5 - Finishing the Job
When you’ve rubbed out the scratch, you still need to clean the glass again. You can use an ordinary glass cleaner but to ensure you remove all the paste or powder, try using a vinegar-based cleaner which penetrates deeper and is more effective. If you’ve removed the glass from the furniture, fit it back in carefully holding it by the edges to avoid finger smudges.
