Yesterday I noticed a Petalware plate had some odd yellow stuff on it. You get that with glass. Sometimes it will be old gum residue from a long-ago label, other times it’s old dirt. Sometimes it’s inside the glass. I cleaned the plate so it looked like new before shipping and that made me think you may like to know tips to clean glass.
Here we go…
Magic Sponge. These are the most wonderful general purpose cleaning tools. The brand I use is Mr. Clean. I don’t know why they work – but they do. My yellow stuff that resisted soap and water and a Dobie pad came right off.
The best thing about Magic Sponges is they don’t scratch. If you have weird stuff, or old food residues, ground in dirt, crayon marks, try Magic Sponge first.
Goop Off. Use this if you have old label residue. Be careful and do it where you have some fresh air since this stuff smells nasty and isn’t healthy to be around for long. Goop Off works on greasy dirt too and it doesn’t seem to affect the glass at all, so try it with other yucky dirt.
Soap and Hot Water Ah yes. Elbow grease plus good detergents and water can remove the greasy dirt glass picks up from being on a top shelf in your kitchen for a few years.
Put a towel in the sink to cushion the glass, then wash it as you would any dish. Don’t use steel wool or scratchy pads or scrubbies, try the Magic Sponges or a dishcloth. It’s OK to let your glass soak an hour or two.
Denture Tablets Our daughter found a box of these that I kept for cleaning glass and was horrified. Mom has dentures! Thankfully, no. I don’t. Denture tabs may remove light cloudiness from glass. It’s not infallible but do try them. It’s easy to find tabs and they aren’t expensive and they won’t harm your glass.
Dissolve the tabs and let your glass soak for a few hours.
CLR Lime and Rust Removal This might remove cloudiness. I have not had a lot of success with CLR but some glass collectors say it is worthwhile as a last ditch try.
Don’t leave it on your glass too long, try for a few minutes, then rinse, repeat as needed. The solution can damage your glass if you leave it on too long. If you try this be very careful, don’t get any on you or your clothes.
What Won’t Come Off, AKA Forever Dirt
Water stains are very hard to remove. Denture cleaners and even lime removal products may help if your glass is only a little cloudy, but if you have badly stained vases you may have to settle for getting them to look better, but not clear.
Occlusions are inside the glass and nothing will remove them. We’ve had several pieces of depression glass with brown streaks inside and these, like occlusions, will last forever.
Scratches and wear don’t come out with cleaning.
Be aware it can be very difficult to tell normal, I’ve-been-stored-a-long-time dirt from water haze or wear. I used to bring a damp cloth with me to wipe off glass; if the haze comes off with a wipe then it’s dirt, and if it doesn’t come off it’s bad news.
Back to You…
Leave a comment with your favorite methods to clean stubborn dirt, haze and marks.