Instructions for Cleaning Cloudy or Foggy Drinking Glasses
Restoring drinking glasses that are cloudy from hard water mineral buildup is a quick and straightforward process. Simply gather milky glasses, soak them in a vinegar solution, hand wash them and dry thoroughly to get rid of buildup.
Soak glass in white vinegar.
If stubborn spots still persist, gently rub them off with a little dab of baking soda on your fingertip.
Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to a tub of hot water and soak the glasses for 30 minutes, then wash with hot water and a mild detergent, and then rinse in water and dry immediately with a linen tea towel, I'll give you one free when you use the coupon code 'Tea towel' with your next order!
Sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid reacts to carbon dioxide, water and sodium acetate. The solid baking soda was placed in liquid vinegar producing carbon dioxide gas, which is evident because of the formation of bubbles in the foaming mixture.
When the dish water evaporates off from the dishes that have been washed in hard water, the minerals stay behind. That's where the white film comes from. The inside of the dishwasher can be a reason for the white film appearing on your clean dishes.
Hard water can be problematic for dishwashers, as the minerals in the water can appear as cloudy marks on glasses and dishes. These deposits, such as limescale, can cling onto your glassware and dishes, causing white spots or clouding.
As mentioned earlier, these minerals and compounds are commonly known as limescale. When a drinking glass is filled with unfiltered tap water, limescale tags along and settles in the glass. Once the water in the glass has been used, the limescale sticks around, resulting in the glass having a white residue or film.
Cloudiness in glassware is usually caused by two things: Calcium and magnesium left behind from hard water. Washing them by hand is the most effective way to keep them clean and spot-free, says Vera Peterson, President of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company.
There are two main causes of cloudy glassware, and both tend to happen over time. The first is due to hard water deposits, and the other is caused by corrosion. These two different types of clouding require different precautions to prevent them from happening when cleaning glass baking dishes or drinking glasses.
But when it delivers cloudy, spotted glasses that need to be re-washed by hand? Well, that's just a bummer. While the hard water that's causing that filmy residue can be softened, we've discovered a much easier hack for getting your stemware to sparkle: add white vinegar to the dishwasher right before you run it.
Some people put vinegar in the rinse aid compartment, but the vinegar could compromise the integrity of the compartment's gaskets. To be on the safe side, put the vinegar in a dishwasher-safe bowl on the top rack of your dishwasher. (This also helps the vinegar reach the dishes most affected by hard water marks.)
After you add the hot milk to the vinegar, small, white chunks—or curds—should become visible in the mixture. This is because adding an acid (such as vinegar) to the milk changes the latter's pH (acidity) and makes the casein molecules unfold and reorganize into a long chain, thereby curdling the milk.
However, note that vinegar is acidic and ammonia is basic. When mixed together, they cancel each other out and removes their cleaning properties. You'll basically be creating a saltwater solution that's not cleaning your windows at all. It's best to avoid combining cleaning chemicals.
But common pantry essentials that are often used for cleaning — like baking soda and vinegar — shouldn't be mixed either. Unlike the bleach-ammonia mixture, combining soda and vinegar won't hurt anyone — but don't expect the mixture to do a good job cleaning, either.
Use Vinegar & Baking Soda
White vinegar is a natural solution that can be utilized to dissolve calcium buildup. Sitting overnight, you will be able to remove lime buildup from the drain while avoiding the harsh chemicals in traditional drain cleaners. Avoid putting any store-bought chemicals down the drain.
Use Distilled White Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is a mild acid (acetic acid) that will help break the bonds the hard water minerals have formed with the glass surface. You can also substitute fresh lemon or lime juice (citric acid) in the cleaning solution.
Cleaning house windows with oxidation can be done with vinegar, dish soap and T.S.P. Window cleaning without window oxidation can use ammonia in warm water and buff with a newspaper.
Buff toothpaste into the scratch in circular motions with a microfiber cloth for a few minutes. Once the area feels smooth, rinse excess off with water and wipe clean with another microfiber cloth. Repeat until the scratch has been buffed away.
Home remedy: white vinegar
Grandma knows best – at least when it comes to white vinegar and its magical impact on lime scale. Here's how: pour some vinegar into a flat bowl, place it in your dishwasher, put the glasses in your dishwasher and use a normal cleaning program, without adding any detergent.