How to clean cloudy wine glasses
Wine glasses are fragile and easily damaged. So, it’s recommended you clean your wine glasses by hand, regularly and carefully to prevent them from staining and clouding over. Tempting as it is, it’s not advised that you put wine glasses in the dishwasher, as The high temperatures can cause the glass to crack and the humidity can cause the glass to cloud.
For advice on how to clean a decanter, our top tips show you how. Otherwise, just follow these steps to keep your favourite wine glasses crystal clear.
1
Create a solution by dissolving five tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water.
2
Fill the wine glass with the solution and let it stand in the glass for a few minutes.
3
Hold the bowl of the glass rather than the stem, which can be easily broken. Apply a cloth dampened in the solution to the inside and outside of the glass.
4
Rinse the glass under warm water, making sure to wash away any residue from the baking soda
5
Dry the glass using a microfibre cloth or kitchen towel.
Smashed a wine glass and wondering how to dispose of broken glass safely? Our handy guide shows you how.
How to clean cloudy glasses with natural products
The good news is that if your glasses are cloudy because of hard water, then they’re very easy to clean and you won’t need to purchase any specialist cleaning products, either.
Here are a few natural cleaning products you’ve probably already got in your home that will work wonders to brighten your glassware up to leave it looking fog-free and new.
How to clean cloudy glasses using toothpaste
This is an excellent way to get your glasses gleaming again, but it does require a bit of elbow grease! There’s no need to use any of those fancy whitening toothpastes, tartar control concoctions, or colourful gels – a basic white toothpaste will do the job nicely here. As a very, very mild abrasive, toothpaste gently removes that cloudy film while not doing any damage to your glassware, so you can even use this method on any fragile crystal.
1
See AlsoThat Antique Crystal Glassware Gathering Dust in Your Home Could Be Worth More Than $4,000How to remove haze from a crystal vaseHow To Clean QuartzHow to Care & Clean Waterford Crystal GlasswareSpread some toothpaste onto your glasses (inside and out)
2
Use an old clean toothbrush (or any brush with stiff bristles) to scrub away at the toothpaste, smearing it all across the glass
3
Rinse away the toothpaste with some warm water
4
Dry the glass using a microfibre cloth or kitchen towel
Quick Tip: Check out our guide on using vinegar and lemons to disinfect your kitchenware.
How to clean cloudy glasses using vinegar
White vinegar really is a cleaning essential – it works on everything from dirty pots and pans, cleaning a kettle, smeared windows, to yes, even cloudy glassware. The method is so simple, it’ll take you no time at all.
1
Fill a bowl with white vinegar (not malt vinegar).
2
Dip your glasses in the bowl of vinegar for a few seconds and remove. The glasses should come out clean.
3
Most of the vinegar will evaporate as it dries and with it the smell will start to disappear. However, you can give it a helping hand by rinsing the glass under some warm water.
How to clean cloudy glasses using lemon juice
The naturally occurring citric acid in lemons works well to help dissolve those unsightly streaky white stains left by the mineral build-up from hard water. This method is easy, can be used with fresh lemon juice or concentrate and smells pretty good too,
1
In a bowl, mix three tablespoons of lemon juice (concentrated or fresh) to one cup of water.
2
Put the glasses in the solution for five to ten minutes, making sure they are fully submerged.
3
Remove the glasses and the cloudiness should have vanished.
4
Rinse the glasses under some warm water
5
Dry off the glasses using a microfibre cloth or some kitchen roll.
Tip: You can rub a lemon over a freshly washed glass to help remove any cloudy build up as well as get rid of any lingering odours.
How to make cloudy glasses crystal clear again with baking soda
Bicarbonate of soda is another natural cleaning product that can help remove that milky deposit on your glassware. Here are the steps:
1
In a basin, mix equal baking soda, vinegar and hot water.
2
Soak the glassware in the solution for about ten minutes.
3
Rinse and dry the glass as usual.
4
If the stain persists, repeat the steps.
Can you put cloudy glasses in a dishwasher?
Only glass, and not crystal, should be washed in the dishwasher. As glasses are delicate and can break easily, it’s not advised that wine glasses go in the dishwasher. Instead, it’s best to wash them by hand. If you insist on learning how to fix cloudy glasses in a dishwasher, it’s advisable to set it at a short cycle, using a small amount of detergent.
Once the wash is finished, open the dishwasher door, to release the humidity and allow the glasses to air dry. Before putting any glasses on a wash cycle, always check that they’re dishwasher safe. If you want to know the best way to load a dishwasher, our guide tells you everything you need to know.
Maintenance for clean glasses
Once you’ve got all your cloudy glassware looking crystal clear again, regular cleaning will slow down the rate at which your glassware becomes dull. If you hand wash your glasses (the recommended method for cleaning wine glasses), add a few tablespoons of white vinegar to your washing up bowl. If you use a dishwasher, add vinegar to the rinse compartment (the place where you usually put your rinse aid).
While this won’t stop your glasses becoming clouded completely, it will reduce the amount of cloudiness. Moreover, it should take longer for that dullness to build up.
This means you should only need to give your glassware a thorough once over every month or so using the methods listed above.
Your top questions on how to clean cloudy glasses
How do you clean cloudy acrylic glasses?
First, wash the glasses in a solution of washing-up liquid and warm water, using a sponge to scrub the inside and outside of the acrylic glass. Then fill a large bowl or a sink with white vinegar, transferring the glasses into the liquid and making sure they are submerged. Leave them in the vinegar for ten minutes or until the cloudiness has gone. If it has worked, rinse off the glasses and dry them with a microfibre cloth. Otherwise, you can apply a thin coating of baking soda to the glasses, working it in with a damp sponge before rinsing clean and drying. All the cloudy residue should now be removed.
What is the milky film on glasses from the dishwasher?
The most common cause is hard water. Hard water contains a high level of calcium and magnesium ions, which can build up on the glass, coating it with a foggy-like film.
Also, hard water can reduce the cleaning power of dishwasher detergent. So, your glasses aren’t getting washed or rinsed correctly and are left with a layer of dirty, soapy water.
To combat the cloudiness, try adding vinegar to the rinse compartment (the place where you usually put your rinse aid). While this won’t stop your glasses becoming clouded completely, it will reduce the amount of cloudiness and it should take longer for that dullness to build up.
Can cloudy glassware be restored?
If your cloudy glasses have been caused by hard water, then there are several effective ways to restore them, most of which use homemade remedies. We’ve already discussed the power of using a water and vinegar solution. You can either spray on or soak your glasses in the solution, as well as use a cleaning paste of baking soda and vinegar.
But there are plenty of other ways to dissolve the cloudy film on your glasses. Try smearing petroleum jelly over the entire glass. Let the product stay on the glass for a few days, then wipe it off. Wash and dry the glassware as you regularly would.
Alternatively, filling your glass with warm water and dropping in a denture cleaning tablet will help dissolve any white streaky marks. Let it sit for ten minutes before rinsing out with warm water and drying off with a microfibre cloth or some kitchen roll.
References:
1. Hardness of water | U.S. Geological Survey. (2019, October 22). https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/hardness-water
2. Acetic acid - chemical safety facts. (2022, October 14). Chemical Safety Facts. https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/chemicals/acetic-acid/
