How to Keep Your Glassware in Perfect State?

Having a glassware on your dining table means elegance and subtlety that makes everything on the table look as natural as normal glasses do. Glass shines a degree of sophistication that cannot be found in other types of material, such as plastic. However, with time crystal and glassware lose their shine with improper cleaning and old age and end up gaining a foggy appearance.

So, with years of cleaning the glassware so wrongly, here are some ways to keep your glassware in a perfect state.

Here are some tips to keep your crystal and glassware clean and shiny.

Never use the dishwasher in cleaning crystals and glassware. It is always important to keep in mind that crystal and glassware were designed to be cleaned by human hands. Glass is a delicate material, and changes in temperature may damage it, causing formations of fog and cloud. The strong jets of water and the high-water temperature may cause scratches on the surface of the glass. It may also cause cracks and break the crystal.

Use toothpaste for those annoying scratches. This simple household cleaner will help keep your glassware flawless. Just dab some toothpaste on the scratches of your crystal, rub it for 30 seconds, and wipe it off with a soft wet cloth.

Vinegar is also helpful in cleaning glassware and crystal. Heat a pan of diluted vinegar and place the glassware in it for a few seconds. This will remove the cloud formations in the glassware. Then wash the glass with soap and water, and then rinse. If the glass still appears foggy, directly apply the vinegar on the affected area and rub until the fogginess disappears. Allowing the material to soak in the solution for a longer period of time will also help greatly.

Baking soda and water is another great cleaning combination. Apply a paste made of water and baking soda on the scratched and cloudy surfaces of your glassware, then rub carefully. However, exercise caution in scrubbing the affected area. Too much scrubbing may cause permanent marks on the glass.

Wash your glasses with a small amount of ammonia. Let your crystal and glassware sit in a water-and-ammonia solution for 30 minutes to remove cloudy stains. Do not forget to rinse well and remove all traces of ammonia from the glass.

For more delicate or long-stemmed glasses, consider handwashing. Though tedious, washing by hand can extend the life of your glassware and prevent soap buildup. Avoid dish washing altogether for valuable or historic glassware. The high temperatures, water pressure, and harsh detergents involved can cause irreversible damage and cloudiness.

While glass can generally tolerate normal temperature changes, especially humid or dry environments can be harmful and accelerate glass disease and deterioration. Signs of glass disease include slickness, cloudiness, and in some instances, “weeping”. Sweating or weeping occurs when atmospheric humidity interacts with moisture inherent in the glass. This reaction causes droplets of alkali solution to leach out and form beads on the surface.

Though some collectors choose to display their art glass in a vitrine or tucked away altogether, in most cases, this is not necessary. Fragile and chemically unstable glass should be closely monitored and, in some cases, kept in a temperature and humidity-controlled vitrine or case.