Cleaning your older glassware, particularly if its painted, isn’t always an easy choice to make, since we all tend to be a bit nervous about doing it any real damage.
First of all, prior to beginning to say what I use, and what works for me, I’d like to tell you want DOESN’T work, in no uncertain terms.
I’ve had people tell me for "sick" glass.. that is to say, those glasses which have been damaged in some way(usually by sitting too long in hard water) foggy or scratched glass, that they apply an sos pad, or a steel wool pad to the glass ware.
Sorry, I don’t tend to agree that the cure all for cleaning foggy glass is to scratch it.
Second, never, under an circumstances, let a chemical sit on your glass for a long period of time. If its eating away at the mineral deposit, when its done with that its going to begin eating away at your glass.
If you do apply chemicals to remove the hard water deposits, make sure that you wash them in a mild soap and rinse them thoroughly when you’re done with it.
Never ever ever ever (yes thats a lot of "ever’s") wash your glass in boiling water, or water thats too hot, on a cold glass or too cold on a hot glass. The resultant shattering will shock you witless and needless to say, it doesn’t do any favors for your glassware either.
What DOES work??
I’m a HUGE fan of green cleaning methods and this one is aces in my book. Soaking sick glass, foggy glass or glass that has been deposited with minerals, in vinegar water is top notch, and will usually remove what you want taken off.
I also wash my older glassware in a solution of vinegar and distilled water.
It’s safe, its non toxic, it works like a charm and it doesn’t smell half as bad as the alternatives. In fact I do wash a lot of my day to day china in just mild dishwashing soap, and then rinse it in vinegar water. Many people are unaware that vinegar tends to have some antibacterial properties due to its acid content, which is what makes it ideal for washing things like glasses, aside from its cleaning value.
Another method I’ve found that works for mineral deposits on glass ware is denture cleaner such as polident.
Quite frankly I’m not a fan of the "Ammonia D" window cleaners and I prefer to not use them on my older, or even newer glass.
I rarely find anything that vinegar and water won’t shine up and as such, thats my cleaner of choice for older perfume bottles, crystal and multiple other things.
As a rule, (although I do know someone who does do this) Don’t put them in a dishwasher. the water is hot, the detergent is harsh and the resultant deposits from hard water (if you have it) will make even a beautifully new dish a bit "sick" over time.
