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How to clean and care for glassware

Reading Time: 6 minutes | Article from 17.5.2024
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Clear, sparkling glasses are not only aesthetic, but also an essential part of any table setting and beverage experience. Whether it's an everyday drinking glass, fine wine glasses or specialty glasses for cocktails, proper cleaning is crucial to maintaining their beauty and quality. In this guide, we will share various techniques, products and insider tips to keep glasses spotlessly clean and restore their shine.

How to clean glassware - at a glance

  • Proper care ensures clean and sparkling glasses
  • Gentle hand washing is always recommended for long-stemmed glasses
  • Polishing removes water stains and makes glasses shine
  • Glass corrosion can be avoided by using a mild detergent and a low washing temperature

Caring for glasses properly

Villeroy & Boch glasses are high-quality products. To ensure that you can enjoy them for a long time, it is important to consider a few things when cleaning and caring for them.

Dishwasher-safe glasses can be cleaned in the dishwasher. To prevent scratches and breakage, place your glasses in the dishwasher so that they do not knock against each other during washing. Always place glasses in the top rack of the dishwasher. Select a glass or delicate program with a short cleaning cycle, at a low temperature, and consider the hardness of the water.

However, not all glasses are dishwasher-safe. The product details of Villeroy & Boch glasses always state whether they are dishwasher-safe or not. As a general rule, long-stemmed glasses should be washed by hand and not in the dishwasher. Use a soft cloth, warm water and a mild detergent to clean your glasses. Then dry them carefully, and polish them if necessary.

Washing glasses by hand

Let’s say you enjoyed a glass of red wine from your new Manufacture red wine glasses the evening before. These glasses are not dishwasher-safe and should be washed by hand. When should you clean your wine glasses? Red wine can leave unsightly marks on and in the glasses, and so it is advisable to soak them the same evening. The next day, wash the glasses in lukewarm water, with a splash of detergent, to remove grease from the surface of the glass (grease may be deposited on glasses from drinking, and due to fingerprints).

How to wash glasses cleanly & safely

After cleaning, rinse your glasses again with lukewarm water to remove all traces of detergent. This is important so that streaks do not form on the surface of the glass, thus preventing the wine from sparkling. Allow the glasses to drain briefly, and then dry them carefully with a soft, clean, dry cloth. This also prevents water stains from remaining on the surface of the glass.

How to polish glassware and restore their former shine

To make your fine red wine glasses really shine, you can polish them. You can achieve very good results with a microfiber or linen cloth. Hold the glasses over light steam beforehand to avoid streaks, and to make them particularly shiny. After polishing, hold the glass up to the light to check whether there are any marks or lint on its surface. If not, store the glasses safely in a cupboard, in their original box, to protect them from dust and stains.

Various cocktails, elegantly presented in Manufacture glasses on a modern bar table with atmospheric lighting.
Glasses and jugs from the Rose Garden collection by Villeroy & Boch on a round marble table with drinks and citrus fruits.


Stains, deposits or corrosion?

Glasses often lose their sheen after several washes in the dishwasher: deposits or corrosion cause them to become milky and stained. But what are the differences and what can you do about these problems? We will explain!

Avoiding glass corrosion

Glass corrosion is caused by high temperatures and strong cleaning agents during cleaning, which causes tiny cracks to form on the surface of the glass. This does not break the glass, but they become cloudy due to deposits accumulating in the affected areas. As glass corrosion cannot be reversed, it is important to take preventative measures. Use mild detergents to clean your glasses, and a low washing temperature. This also applies to all high-quality crystal glasses from Villeroy & Boch, be it water glasses, white and red wine glasses, champagne glasses or beer glasses

Avoiding deposits on glasses

Deposits on glasses can be avoided if you leave the glasses in water overnight or rinse them immediately with lukewarm water. Use a recommended soft microfiber cloth and a mild detergent for cleaning. Be sure to rinse with clean water afterwards to prevent a gray haze from forming on the surface of your glasses.

What else can I do about glasses which are not fully clean?

Are your glasses not clean enough, even though you have washed them in the dishwasher? This could be due to the dishwasher itself. A drain might be blocked, stopping water from draining away, and thus repeatedly rinsing the glasses with soiled water. As a result, dirt particles stick to the glasses as they dry. It is therefore important to check the dishwasher’s drain outlet, and top up the dishwasher salt and rinse aid.

A group of people holds like. champagne glasses with berries in them.


Removing limescale deposits

In addition to glass corrosion, limescale may also cause bottles and glasses to become cloudy. Clean tarnished glasses by placing them in hot water and soaking them for 20 to 30 minutes while adding rinse aid or citric acid. Then wipe off the dissolved limescale with a cloth.

An immersion bath for glasses

Limescale deposits are unsightly and unhygienic. An immersion bath for glasses is a good way to remove limescale gently from delicate and high-quality glasses. Prepare a small tub of warm water for the immersion bath. Dissolve one to two tablespoons of white vinegar in the water and place the glasses upside down in it. After about 30 minutes, remove the glasses, rinse them and polish them dry.

Washing scrub for vases and glasses

Perhaps you just bought a high-quality glass vase from Villeroy & Boch, for example from the Rose Garden collection, and it now has unsightly deposits from the flowers placed in it. No problem: a glass scrub can help. To clean the vase, fill it with water and add a tablespoon of citric acid, coarse salt and a tablespoon of crushed eggshells. Then swirl the vase in a circular motion to loosen the deposits. After about 30 minutes, rinse the vase with cold water. You can also use this method to clean, for example, water or beer glasses.

A special shine with baking soda

If you decide to clean your glasses in the dishwasher, you can use a little trick to make them shine. Add a heaped teaspoon of the popular household remedy, baking soda, to the dishwasher detergent for each wash cycle. Both your glasses and the rest of your dishes will literally shine. Baking soda is also a disinfectant, and removes odors.

Two filled Manufacture red wine glasses on a table next to an elegant Purismo wine decanter.
A Rose Garden vase with pink flowers and a gift on a table.
Four champagne glasses from the Purismo collection with berries on a tray.


Cleaning cloudy and dull drinking glasses

You don't have to sort out and replace cloudy and dull glasses immediately. Thanks to numerous household remedies, it is often possible to save them. But how can milky glasses be cleaned? If your glasses are only slightly milky, all you need to do is polish them carefully with a cloth until the haze is removed. Another option is to soak the glasses in water and a little acetic acid or citric acid for 30 minutes. Even potato peelings can clean milky glasses. Rub the peelings into the glass, and then rinse with warm water

A chilled cocktail, garnished with lime twist, served in a Purismo cocktail glass on a marble table, accompanied by a small serving bowl of snacks and a white vase with green plants.

How to make your glasses shine again

Its not hard to get your glasses clean and shiny. Gentle hand washing is generally recommended. If you want to clean your dishwasher-safe glasses in the dishwasher, select the lowest possible washing temperature, pay attention to the water hardness level and use the correct amount of detergent. Possible limescale deposits or stains can often be gently removed with household remedies such as citric acid, vinegar and baking soda. Polishing after cleaning ensures that your glasses shine like new.

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