Having clean wine glasses will improve your wine drinking experience and make your wine collection look even classier. Below are some handy ways that you can clean and maintain your glasses so you’ll never worry about stains or smudges again.
In This Article
Wash Your Wine Glasses the Easy Way
All stains, cloudiness, or smudges on your wine glass are caused by oils, residues, or chemicals. These will inevitably leave unwanted aromas in your wine, which could ruin your wine-drinking experience.
With just a few tools at home, you can get these unwanted stains off for good. For cleaning your wine glasses at home, there are a few tried-and-true methods that always work the best. Follow the steps below to keep your wine glasses looking their best.
Rinse Your Wine Glasses After Using Them
First, you’ll want to rinse your wine glasses with hot water after each use. This will remove any wine stains, lipstick smudges, or fingerprints on your glass immediately.
Use Simple Dish Soap
When you’re ready to clean your glasses, fill them halfway with hot but not scalding water. Then, add a small drop of odorless dish soap. Let your glasses soak for 10 to 20 minutes in the mild soapy water.
There are all special soaps on the market, made especially for wine glasses. These soaps are gentle on glass and crystal and work magically to clean your glasses.
Wash with a Clean Cloth or Brush
After soaking, wash your glasses with a damp cloth and use the soapy water to gently scrub the glasses. Clean the rim and inside of the glasses thoroughly, especially the deep crevice near the base.
Instead of using a paper towel or a sponge, reach for a clean cloth. This will prevent any scratches or paper towel residue from building up on your glass after rinsing it.
There are also special wine glass cleaning brushes on the market. These brushes have soft bristles that won’t scratch your glass or leave a mark.
Rinse with Clean Hot Water
After scrubbing, rinse well with clean hot water. Try to remove any soap residue on the inside and outside of the glass. Don’t be afraid to use a lot of water to rinse your glasses well.
Air Dry Your Glasses
After you’ve hand washed your glasses, place a clean towel on a counter and place your glasses rim side down to air dry. This will prevent any smudges from developing on your glasses.
Polish with a Clean Cloth
After your glasses have dried for a few minutes, it’s time to polish them with a clean cloth. Try to use a special cloth that’s made out of microfibers. These cloths are especially made for wine glasses and won’t leave any scratches or marks.
If you don’t have a special microfiber cloth, then a simple white cotton cloth will work wonders. These cloths are easy to find and inexpensive.
To get a superb polish, you can hold your glasses carefully over boiling water before polishing. This will steam your glass and add a little moisture to its surface. Afterwards, simply twist your cleaning cloth inside and gently rub the glasses outside.
Are Dishwashers Safe for Wine Glasses?
Dishwashers are easy to use and convenient for washing dishes. However, compared to handwashing, they don’t do the best job.
If you have glasses that are dishwasher safe, you can clean them in your dishwasher. However, be prepared to see some residues, especially on the inside of the glasses. Dishwasher safe glasses have short stems that are durable and thicker, preventing them from breaking easily.
Crystal glassware is more fragile and should never be washed in a dishwasher. These delicate glasses could break inside the machine. Not only will you use a glass, but you’ll have a potentially dangerous mess to clean up.
If you use the dishwasher to clean your wine glasses, secure them on the upper rack. Keep the cycle short and the water temperature cool. Keep enough space between your glasses to prevent them from breaking each other.
Most glasses that have been washed in the dishwasher develop a cloudy residue. This common effect is usually because of hard water. To prevent this, use a special glass rinse with your soap.
After washing, leave the dishwasher door open to let out any steam. After a couple of minutes, you can use a clean cloth to polish them.
Although this method works, it is still not as thorough as hand washing. In the end, you’ll save time by handwashing and avoiding the cloudiness or watermarks that dishwashers often leave.
How to Get Out the Toughest Stains
If you’ve left your wine glasses out for too long, then chances are you have some serious stains on your hands. Fortunately, even the toughest wine stains can come out.
If your glasses have stubborn stains on them, soak them in warm water and vinegar for an hour. The acidity in the vinegar will slowly dissolve the stain and remove it from the glass.
After soaking, scrub the glass with a clean cloth or microfiber cloth until the stain vanishes. Then, simply rinse your glass with hot water to remove the vinegar water and wine particles.
If this doesn’t work, add a scoop of baking soda to your hot water and vinegar solution. This will create an even tougher reaction on the stain that’s harmless and won’t leave chemical residues.
Give your glass one last rinse with hot water. Repeat this process until all the traces of the vinegar and baking soda mixture are gone.
Looking for a in-depth guide? Read our guide on How to Make Your Wine Glasses Shine Like New.
Keeping Your Wine Glasses Clean is Important
For any serious wine lover, keeping wine glasses clean is a must. Clean glasses not only look better, but they won’t impart any unwanted aromas on your wine caused by residues. You’ll also be able to enjoy the color of your wine without having to look at any ugly smudges on your glass.
Fortunately, by following a few steps, it’s easy to keep your glasses clean and prevent stains from happening. Keeping your wine glasses clean involves taking precautions and having a solid cleaning routine after every use.
This way, you’ll never have to look at stains, smudges, fingerprints, cloudiness, or smudges on your glasses again. After all, cleanliness matters when you’re drinking wine.
