Welcome toComing Clean, a monthly column where writer Lauren Viera finds the best products for the toughest-to-clean parts of the kitchen. Along the way, she just might convince you (and herself) to actually enjoy this whole cleaning thing.
In pre-pandemic times, defogging drinking glasses was a ritual task associated with having guests. Remember guests? They populated yourdinner partiesandholiday feasts, drinking all yourwineandspiritsin the time before having company was relegated to Zoom happy hours and there was no one around to judge you for your streaky tumblers.
Which isn’t to say that glassware didn’t get used, if you catch my drift. In my home, for one, cycling vigorously through the same half-dozen wine, rocks, andwater glassesover the past year has left them looking a tad lackluster. And with the imminent (we hope) return to in-person guest hosting, a little time set aside for refreshing faded glassware will be worth it. Here’s what you need to know to restore your foggy, streaked glassware.
Washing
If your glasses emerge from the dishwasher looking dull, it’s likely you’ve run them through too many times. (Don’t worry: that limescale buildup isreversible.) Washing them by hand with a special glass-polishing cleaner will restore their shine, and you have choices when it comes to cleaning agents that will make your glassware gleam. Restaurant-grade cleaners, likeStem ShineorRestaurant Crystal Clean, will very reliably vanquish any smudges or streaks, but they’ll set you back anywhere from $25 to $40. So, as a budget option, I tried one of the kitchen’s most dependable cleaning solutions:distilled white vinegar.
To test its efficacy, I created four “control groups” that included vintage wine glasses,stemless wine glasses, andheavy-duty drinking glasses: The first group of foggy glasses got a squirt of dish soap and warm water. I filled the second group with a capful each of vinegar and warm water. Group three got a 50-50 solution of vinegar and warm water. Then I let all of these glasses sit for 15 minutes. Finally, I loaded the fourth group into the top rack of my dishwasher and ran them through a speed cycle with nothing but a bowl of vinegar in the bottom rack. (I removed them before drying—you’ll find out why below.)
After the 15-minute soak, I cleaned each of my hand-washed groups with a soft, quick-drying microfiber towel. Group three, hand-washed with 50-50 vinegar and warm water, won the challenge. Mind you, they weren’ttotallystreak-free, but I blame years of neglect. If, like me, your exacting standard of spotlessness demands heavier cleaning, increase the amount of vinegar, or let them soak longer, or spring for one of those expensive cleaners.
Drying
Plan to dry your glasses immediately after they’ve been washed before any streaks set in. Use a microfiber cloth—quick-drying, no fuzz—and don’t launder the cloth with fabric softener, which can leave streaks. Some folks are so protective of their microfiber cloths, they wash them using only vinegar and hot water to maintain the fabric’s texture and absorbency. If you’re running your glasses through a dishwasher, extract them just after running the wash and finish by hand, like I did.
Need to upgrade your glassware altogether?
Look no further than these guides to the best water glasses, wine glasses, and more glasses we love:
