Tips to Care for Your Vintage Glass – Water Spots and Haze

Do you have glass that looks like this?

I don’t know where the original owner of the Canterbury glass lived, but they either had mineral-full water or they washed these in the dishwasher. The problem with hazy glass is that the haze does not come off. Sometimes, if you are lucky, small hazy spots can be made less cloudy, but you will never completely remove the haze.

Haze can look a lot like dirt or the grungy film that glass gets if it’s been stored for a long time in the top kitchen shelf.  One time Dave and I were coming home and passed an estate auction out in the countryside by a small lake. We stopped and of course I had to bid on a box of Mayfair pink depression glass sherbets. I thought they were dirty, but the haze was even more noticeable after washing them up.

We soaked them in denture cleaner, in CLRZ, in all sorts of lime removal products, even some strong acid. After months of soaking and scrubbing this sherbet was the best. You can still see the water marks.

You’ll get water marks if you let water stand in vases or if you have bad water or hard water, and you’ll be more likely to get spots if you put your glass in the dishwasher. I know, it’s so much more convenient and you already put your regular dishes and glasses in, so why not use it for your precious depression glass?

You’ll probably not do much damage if you use the dishwasher once in a while, although the hot water and air (on the heated dry cycle) can stress your glass and make it brittle. Use rinse agents and take the glasses out of the dishwasher and towel dry to minimize damage. But you will, over time, see haze and cloudiness. I gave my Mom a pretty cut crystal creamer which she liked a lot and used every day – and washed in the dishwasher every day. After about a year it was getting hazy.

So how to avoid water spotting?

• Avoid the dishwasher.  If you must use the dishwasher then always use a rinse agent and take out right away and dry by hand.
• Wash by hand in warm soapy water, rinse very well in hot water and dry with clean linen towels.  Don’t let it air dry.
• Don’t let water stand in vases or goblets.  Pour it out and wash the glass.
• If you live where the water has lots of minerals or is hard, you will likely notice haze developing, or possibly white deposits on the bottoms of tumblers.
• A Mr. Clean eraser sponge works well to polish your glass, but recognize it won’t remove water spots.  It can help remove deposits before they form.

If your glass does get cloudy, then consider using it when you prefer not to risk your best glassware.  For example, if you have a sherbet like the Mayfair one, then let your kids use it for ice cream.  They’ll not care about the haze and it’s still pretty!