Many VAS members have made their own telescopes, ground their own mirrors, or both. If you are currently working on building a telescope or want to learn how, please come to the next monthly VAS meeting and find a pool of resources and expertise !
Make a cleaning solution as follows:
75% distilled water, 25% rubbing alcohol, add 3-4 drops of mild
dishwashing soap.
It's better to immerse the mirror in this solution, but you can also
just swab the mirror with it as long as you rinse with the solution
when your done.
Use sterile cotton swabs to swab it. DO NOT use circular strokes, use radial strokes. I start at the center of the mirror and swab outward to the rim. Seems to work fine. The alcohol speeds drying and eliminates spotting.
Tip mirror and rinse when finished. Try to drain as much residual solution off as possible. You can sop up the drops with a dry swab. Once a year is usually enough.