Cleaning wine and cocktail glasses can be a delicate task, but there are several DIY hacks that can make the process more effective and efficient. Before you stick your delicate—but cloudy– glassware into the dishwasher, try these tested methods that help get rid of stains (especially those stains that perpetually cling to glass, like red wine and Angostura bitters).
1. Vinegar and Baking Soda
- Rinse, rinse, rinse. Rinse the wine glasses with warm water to remove any sediment and leftover wine.
- Mix warm vinegar and baking soda. Combine equal parts vinegar and baking soda in a separate cup or bowl; remember, it'll have a chemical reaction, so you don't need much. Let the reaction dissipate and stir the ingredients to form a paste.
- Apply the paste to the glass, focusing on stains or spots. Rub it gently in a circular motion using a soft cloth or wine glass brush. The baking soda solution will gently scrub at wine stains while the vinegar disinfects and cleans.
- Rinse the clean glasses thoroughly with hot water.
2. Steam Cleaning
- Boil two cups of water in a small saucepan.
- Put on an oven mitt. You'll need to be careful, or else you'll burn yourself.
- Hold the wine glass over the steam for a few seconds.
- Wipe the glass with a microfiber towel or polishing cloth immediately. This helps remove fingerprints and water spots on delicate glasses.
3. Rice (for Hard-to-Reach Spots)
If you're trying to clean a wine bottle, decanter, cocktail shakes, or other deep or narrow vessel, this is a good trick.
- Fill the container with half a cup of warm water.
- Add a teaspoon of uncooked rice.
- Swirl the mixture in the glass to reach difficult spots.
- The rice acts as an abrasive and helps clean hard-to-reach areas.
4. Alka-Seltzer (Stubborn Stains)
- Fill the glass with warm water.
- Drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet into the water. Yes, this is delicate enough for delicate crystal stemware!
- Let it fizz and sit for a few minutes. The effervescence from the sodium bicarbonate base helps lift stains from stubborn spots. As if fizzes, you can pour a few tablespoons of water into a couple other glasses. There's enough to go around (so you don't have to use multiple tablets).
- Scrub gently if necessary, and rinse thoroughly.
5. Denture Cleaning Tablets
This works a lot like the Alka-Seltzer.
- Fill the dirty wine glass with warm water.
- Drop a denture-cleaning tablet into the water.
- Let it dissolve and sit for a few minutes.
- Pour it out, then scrub gently and rinse thoroughly.
6. Lemon and Salt
- Cut a lemon in half.
- Dip the cut side in a cup of salt. Table salt will do! Molly Baz wouldn't appreciate you wasting your kosher salt this way.
- Rub the lemon and salt mixture against the stain.
- Rinse thoroughly.
7. DIY Glass Cleaner Using Cornstarch
- Mix 1 tablespoon of cold water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a measuring cup until the mixture is smooth.
- Add one cup of white vinegar and one cup of cold water to the mixture.
- Funnel this into a spray bottle.
- Shake well before use.
- Spray on the wine glasses and allow it to soak the stains. Then, scrub, and rinse thoroughly.
Use a Microfiber Cloth for Polishing
Use a lint-free towel like a dry microfiber cloth to polish the wine glasses after washing. Wipe inside the glass to thoroughly dry all surfaces. This helps eliminate water spots and gives cloudy wine glasses a sparkling finish.
Use Newspaper or Coffee Filters for Shine
After cleaning and drying, buff the wine glasses with a crumpled newspaper or a paper coffee filter. This removes water stains and removes streaks caused by cleaner without leaving smudges or fibers from a cloth or paper towel.
Make a DIY Stemware Brush
You don't need to buy a bottle brush; they're easy enough to make at home!
- Cut a kitchen sponge width-wise into 1-inch strips.
- Stack the strips and secure them with a rubber band.
- Secure the rubber band around the narrow end of a wooden kitchen spoon.
- Dip in soapy water and use as a brush to clean the inside of the wine glass.
