Pulling your clean glasses out of the dishwasher and realizing they look cloudy or smudged can be frustrating. We turned to the pros in the Home Care & Cleaning Lab for tips on how to clean cloudy glassware.
Your first instinct might be to run the glasses through the dishwasher again, but this is unlikely to help. According to our cleaning experts, two different things could be happening: Hard-water minerals are creating a build-up on the surface of the glass, or your dishwasher has permanently etched the glass. Unfortunately, etching can't really be fixed — but if you're dealing with hard-water stains, that's easy to remedy. In fact, you can probably get rid of this cloudiness with items you already have on hand.
The #1 tip to help you avoid cloudy or damaged glassware? Hand-wash your items. While it may take more time, it's the best way to ensure your glasses don't get damaged. The same goes for things like vintage dishware, cast-iron pans, and copper pans or mugs.
Keep reading to find out how to fix cloudy glassware. If you're looking for even more expert dishwashing hacks, read up on this dishwasher space-saving trick that the pros love, plus tips on how to get your dishwasher to dry dishes more effectively.
What You'll Need:
Step-by-Step Instructions to Fix Cloudy Glass:
In addition to drinking glasses, you can use the following method to clean cloudy vases too. For items like glass tabletops and windows that you can't soak in a bucket of vinegar, spray vinegar directly onto the glass surface and allow it to sit for five to 15 minutes. Wipe away the vinegar with a wet microfiber cloth and then use a dry microfiber cloth to dry the glass.
1. Soak glass in white vinegar.
If your issue is hard-water minerals, all you have to do is 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.
2. Rinse your glass.
Then rinse each glass individually by hand under warm or cold water.
3. Dry glass with a microfiber cloth.
Dry your glasses with a lint-free towel or a microfiber cloth before drinking out of them again. 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.
How to prevent future glass buildup
If this doesn't work, chances are your glass is etched — which, sadly, means you're out of luck. "If the film is etching, which happens to some types of glassware in the dishwasher, that, unfortunately, is permanent and can't be removed," explains Forte. That's why you should always wash your most prized vessels by hand.
In some parts of the country, soft or mechanically softened water (water without calcium, magnesium and other metals) combined with dishwasher detergents and heat can cause etching, an actual change to the structure of certain types of glass. It happens on both expensive lead crystal and cheap glassware. If you have softened water, use the least amount of detergent necessary to get a good cleaning, don't overload the dishwasher so water can run off freely and remove glasses immediately after the wash cycle to avoid the high heat of drying, which can accelerate the etching. Dry them by hand or just keep them out of the dishwasher completely and wash them by hand.
Lauren is a senior editor at Hearst. She was previously the senior editor at WomansDay.com and the home editor at GoodHousekeeping.com and HouseBeautiful.com. Her book club, ramen, and jean jackets are a few of her favorite things.
