Cleaning your Wine Glasses & Crystal is crucial for a GREAT Wine experience. We will show you how to clean your glass and crystal stemware.
The first thing to know is: Do you have Crystal Stemware or do you have glass Stemware? You may already know but if you don’t then it’s really easy to do a test. LIGHTLY tap your stemware with a metal object (Knife, spoon, etc.) If you get a “Ringing” sound, it’s crystal. If you get a “Clunk” type sound it’s glass. Still, having trouble identifying it? Hold your glass up in the sunlight, do you see rainbows? If you do it is crystal, if you don’t, well, it’s glass. If you have crystal, NEVER clean them in the dishwasher. Crystal is porous and will absorb the dishwasher cleaner and the dishwasher will “Bake” the cleaner into the crystal and make them cloudy, and you don’t want that. Also do not wash your crystal in really hot water, as the crystal is sensitive to hot water and they may break on you.
If you have Crystal Stemware:
- Wash by hand in lukewarm water in your sink
- Line the bottom of your sink with a soft cloth or better yet a silicon sink mat
- Use mild dish soap and 2 cups of vinegar
- Soak your crystal stemware for about one minute, then gently wipe with a micro-fiber cloth if needed.
- Rinse with tap water and dry immediately with a clean, lint-free towel to prevent spotting. Do not air dry.
- Store the stemware in a safe, enclosed location.
If you have glass stemware:
Cleaning your stemware in the dishwasher is a convenience that we all take for granted. If you have a wash/dry cycle be expected to get water and grease spots, and who wants spots on their glass when drinking an expensive wine? Even if you use a drying agent, you will just end up trying to get rid of those spots by hand.
Hand washing:
Use a mild dishwashing soap with lukewarm water. Line your sink with a silicone sink mat or a large soft cloth. Your glass may get scratched or get chipped or even broken, so try that method. Let the glass soak for about 5 minutes. If you are having an issue with getting your fingers in the glass, try using a fork that is wrapped in a cloth to get to the bottom of the glass. Think about investing in a proper wine glass cleaning brush. Immediately hand dry the glass with a soft cloth or a fiber cloth. Never use a cloth that has been used to clean a different item.
The Vinegar method:
Vinegar can be used to clean stained cloth, rust, window blinds, your washing machine, among other things. Well, how about using it on your wine glasses? Use vinegar on your stemware for cleaning and to rid them of cloudiness. Vinegar will make your stemware sparkle like a star.
Vinegar and baking soda:
Fill your wine glass 2/3 full with white vinegar and a tablespoon of white baking soda. Stir and let sit for five minutes. Scrub with a soft cloth or sponge. Rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cloth or microfiber cloth.
Cleaner for foggy wine glasses:
If you have hard water spots/foggy this can be a harder-to-clean issue. In a cloth-lined plastic bowl, fill with lukewarm water, add 5 tablespoons of vinegar, and one teaspoon of washing soda. Lay the glass in this solution and let sit for one to two hours. Rinse with lukewarm tap water and dry with a lint-free cloth. The vinegar acts as an acid wash and the washing soda is a “kicker” for a more reliable clean.
Vinegar and nylon net method:
You can get nylon mesh at your local craft store. To use this method, fill your sink with hot water and submerge your vinegar bottle in it for about 2 minutes allowing it to warm up. Drain the sink and replace it with a plastic container that is big enough to hold the glass. Place the glass in the vinegar and let sit for an hour or two if needed. Remove the glass and scrub with the nylon netting to remove any stains or film. Rinse with lukewarm water and dry with a lint-free cloth or flour sack towel.
Denture Cleaning Tablets
Not joking here, folks. You heard that right! Fill your wine glass with water and drop a denture cleaning tab in the water. Let the tab dissolve and leave overnight. The next morning, pour out the solution, rinse, and dry with a flour sack towel or a lint-free cloth.
Sanitizing your Wine Glasses
If your wine glasses have been sitting around for a while you will want to sanitize them before you pour your wine and these are the best two methods to give your guests a clean glass.
Method one: Clean with Grape Brandy
Grape Brandy, otherwise known as grappa, is known to be a great wine glass cleaner. The alcohol in the grappa is used to sanitize the glass. Grappa comes from grapes, grape skin, seeds, and vines so there is no Oder left behind to overpower your wine. Grape Brandy also takes care of those icky lipstick marks. A bit expensive to clean glass so method two is a bit more affordable.
Method two: Steam
Steam is another way to sanitize your glasses that people often forget. It’s easy to do and is safe on crystal and glass stemware. Start a pot of boiling water. While holding your stemware upside down with your two fingers holding at the base of the glass, hold the glass over the steaming pot.
Without touching the boiling water hold the glass over the pot for about one minute, as the steam collects on the inside of the glass. After it has steamed you can let the water drip out of the glass but don’t dry it out. After the glass has cooled go ahead and serve your wine for the 5 S’s.
A sparkling clean wineglass makes all the difference in setting the mood for an event. After all, who wants a dirty glass. Whether you’re cooking your honey dinner for your birthday or hosting a dinner party for friends, knowing all the ways to clean cloudy wine glasses sets you up for success.
