Why does breaking a mirror bring bad luck? 

Everyone knows that breaking a mirror can bring you up to 7 years of bad luck. It's up to you whether you believe this or not. So, we are here to tell you everything you need to know about why it is bad luck to break a mirror, the origins of the superstition and tips on how NOT to break your bathroom mirror.

The origin of the superstition 

The glass mirror was first invented by the Romans. Along with Greek, Chinese, African and Indian cultures, they believed that a mirror had the power to take away part of a person's soul. As instead of looking at your reflection they believed they were looking at their soul through the mirror. Therefore if the image in the mirror became distorted their soul would reap the effects. 

Things got extremely worse for your soul if the mirror broke. It was believed that if the mirror cracked or broke that the soul would be trapped inside forever. The person's soul would become trapped in the world that the mirror represented. 

Reversing bad luck caused by a broken mirror 

If you do not want your soul trapped in the darkness forever. There are rituals out there to do just that.  

• As the fragments of a broken mirror still actually reflect a person, and their corrupted soul. You could ground all the pieces into dust...no reflection, no problem!
• Another option is to bury all the fragments under a tree at full moon. This is said to realise your soul. 
• Alternatively you could wash away the bad luck by putting the broken mirror into a southward flowing stream. 

How to avoid breaking a bathroom mirror 

Whether you believe this or not, breaking a mirror can be dangerous to yourself and the people around you. That is why you need to handle your mirrors with care. Dont forget to make sure they are supported enough on the walls. No one wants their soul to be trapped for eternity.  

Handle mirrors with care 

Mirrors need to be handled with the utmost care, and have adequate wall support. All our bathroom mirrors and cabinets come with fixings to install onto a solid wall, but for plasterboard we recommend Gripits or if hanging on a wall with tiles, spring toggles. This gives you that extra room for the tile depth. Please note the weight of all our mirrors on each product page. If you are unsure of how much weight your wall can bear, contact our UK support team. 

Check the wall is suitable for hanging a mirror 

Ensuring wall mirrors are safely secured is paramount. You, you should make sure the wall and plaster can comfortably take the weight of the mirror and that if it's in a place where it'll get knocked often it's not going to be easily ripped off the wall.  

You can check out our guide on how to hang a bathroom mirror for more in depth instructions. Our products comes with guides and recommendations on how and where it should be hung, including the type of screw and fixing you should use. However, hanging your mirror on a plasterboard wall can hold less weight than a brick wall.  

Secure freestanding mirrors 

For free standing mirrors a smooth surface which is big enough to support the whole of the base is needed. If small children are likely to reach for it or pick it up, think about using some tack or an adhesive sticker to secure it in place.  

Alternatively, large freestanding mirrors can come with a variety of wall attachments much like your chest of draw attachment to secure them in place, especially if they are heavy. Always check the user manual, which should be in the website for appropriate fixings.  

How to dispose of a broken mirror 

If you do break your mirror, here are some tips on how to clean up broken glass and dispose of broken mirrors safely.  

1. Firstly make sure you are wearing the appropriate appotiapate clothing. Meaning, wear hard sole shoes and gloves. It’s advised to also have your body covered as well with long sleeve tops and trousers to protect you from smaller particles of broken glass. 
2. If there is any glass left on the mirror use a wide tape to tape this up, parcel tape works best.  
3. After this, with gloves on, start picking up the larger fragments and placing them in a cardboard box. It is advised to pick up these up slowly as they may continue to shatter.  
4. If you have hard floors you can use a brush to sweep up the smaller fragments of the mirror into your dustpan and then into the cardboard box. If your mirror has smashed onto carpet we recommend using the hoover. Then empty the content of the hoover into the cardboard box.  
5. After you have cleaned up your mirror we recommend doing another once over of the whole room the mirror has shattered in to be double safe you haven't missed any small fragments.  
6. We then advise everyone in the household to wear shoes for the next few days. Just until you are 100% happy it is all cleared.  
7. If you have a glass recycling bin you can put the mirror in this being careful tothe slowly tip the content of the cardboard box into this bin.  
8. If you do not have a recycling bin DO NOT put broken glass in your household waste bin. Instead you will need to take it to your local recycling centre, where they will properly dispose of it for you.