Gorta Yuki
If your dishwasher is driving you crazy with the spots left behind on your glassware, here’s help.
Our dishwashers are indispensable for their practical help to get through the daily onslaught of dirty dishes, cutlery, pots and pans that cascade from our kitchen and dining tables.
In a perfect world, we’d run an extra cycle just for glassware – you know that setting you never use…? But in the real world, a dishwasher works as sort-of a “dish cupboard” – a holding pattern if you like – to get dirty dishes off the sink and benchtop until there’s a load full enough to run a cycle. Glassware is always just part of the mix.
The trouble is, a full dishwasher cycle has its work cut out to clean all of the dirt and grease of cooking and eating. Glassware often shows the tell-tale signs of a heavy wash cycle with residual spotting, rather than a sparkling clean finish.
How do you get the sparkle back into your glassware? Take a leaf out of the book of restaurant staff:
- Fill a jug or bowl with boiling water
- Hold your glass upside-down over the steam to create a cloudy covering
- Wipe the glass clean with a linen tea towel to remove any spots or streaks
How do you get the sparkle back into your glassware?
“Over time, glass will naturally get cloudy and lose its natural shine,” says Electrolux Home Products Fabric Care and Dish Care Category Manager Mark Kampmann. “However, it is possible to get this sparkle back, all through the power of white vinegar! A quick rinse in a detergent/ vinegar combination will make your glassware as clear as when it was bought. From this point, it is all about maintenance.”
How do you stack your dishwasher so glasses come out mark-free?
“Make sure you stack smart!” says Mark. “A common mistake is to place all dishes facing the same direction. Although this might seem like the natural way to stack them, this technique won’t provide you with the best clean. A cycle will have the best results if the dishes mimic the shape of the dishwasher’s spray arm. As the spray arm is usually located in the middle of the machine, plates at the front should face the back, and dishes at the back of the machine should face the front.”
What is the best way to manage the daily dish load to bring clear glassware?
“Glasses losing their shine and sparkle can seem to be commonplace,” says Mark. “But with proper dish care, you can ensure that your glassware will stay clearer for longer:
- Clean your dishwasher – regularly! This will not only avoid unpleasant odours, but also make sure that your dishes are getting the most thorough wash
- Try a powder-based detergent instead of gel detergents as they can leave a film on your glasses
- Don’t overload your dishwasher when stacking, again assuring your dishes receive a thorough clean
- Set the right washing cycle – e.g. hotter and more heavy-duty cycle for dirtier loads!
You might also like:
Undeniable proof you need a lift dishwasher in your life
Top 3 dish racks to change your life
7 things you forget in a deep clean
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
