Stemware care could be challenging if you don’t know how to properly take care of your drink glasses, which should be shining and beautiful when served during your dinner, parties and holiday feasts.
Prefer wash by hand
Although some glasses are dishwasher safe, you should always hand-wash them if possible. First of all, all crystal glasses should be hand-washed since they are easily cracked by the heat and movement of the dishwasher. Secondly, overloaded detergent in soft water could also cause etching on glasses. Therefore, no matter whether the manufacturer says if the glasses are dishwasher safe or not, you should first consider hand washing them.
How to clean
- Line a sink with a soft cloth (Noon & Moon polishing cloth) and fill it with warm water. The soft lining helps to prevent cracks or breaks.
- Use a mild detergent to wash out the glasses one at a time.
- Rinse with a vinegar-water solution and sanitize. The vinegar-water solution can help remove existing water spots and prevent future blotches.
- Dry the glasses
How to dry
Properly drying glasses is a vital part of glassware upkeep. We recommend drying glasses with a microfiber cloth immediately after cleaning them. During this process, note the thickness of the glass to avoid applying too much pressure and damaging the glass. Avoid touching the inside of the glass bowl while drying it to ensure your fingers do not smudge it or leave prints.
Use the following steps when drying glassware:
- Avoid holding the glass by the stem or base since that could result in breakage. Instead, hold the glass by the bowl.
- Use the cloth to gently dry the glass. NOTE: Please do not use excessive pressure.
- Run the cloth along the outside of the glass to clean away fingerprints.
How to clean cloudy glass
What causes cloudy glass
There are two typical causes.
The first one is permanent etching. The minerals in the hard water will scratch or etch the glass. Cloudiness from etching can also occur when metal ions are leached from the glass by over-conditioning hard water and using too much dishwasher detergent.
Second reason for cloudiness is when a film forms as the hard water minerals react with food particles. Serious culprits are the proteins in raw meats, eggs, and dairy products that react with calcium and magnesium in hard water. Washing the glasses in extremely hot water of the dishwasher makes the situation even worse by "cooking" the proteins and creating a tighter bond with the minerals and glass surface.
What you need
- White Vinegar
- Baking Soda
- Microfiber Cloth
Steps
- Soak glass in white vinegar
Soak your glasses for five minutes in white vinegar. Since it's acidic, it'll dissolve the minerals. For very heavy spots, you can warm the vinegar before soaking. If stubborn spots still persist, gently rub them off with a little dab of baking soda on your fingertip. Be extra gentle here. Baking soda is very mildly abrasive and shouldn't scratch, but add a few drops of water to make a paste if you are concerned about damaging the glass.
- Rinse your glass
Then rinse each glass individually by hand under warm or cold water.
- Dry glass with a microfiber cloth
It's best to do this as soon as you rinse them so no new hard water stains build on your glasses while they air dry.
