Cloudy Glasses in the Dishwasher: Why It Happens and How to Fix It

How many times have you noticed the presence of opaque glasses in the dishwasher after finishing a dishwashing cycle ? It's as if a film forms around the glass. white patina annoying to remove and causes the material to lose its shine.

Why do glasses become cloudy in the dishwasher and what can be done to solve the problem? Here are the most effective remedies to prevent the glass of your dishes from losing its shine.

Some evenings it seems really tiring to have to elbow ourselves to empty the sink of dirty dishes! And so, we find ourselves punctually filling our beloved dishwasher with plates and glasses of all sorts.

The dishwasher is a great convenience but often, at the end of the wash, an unpleasant surprise awaits us: the glass of our glasses is no longer the same, it doesn't shine and has become opaque! A real shame especially if we are talking about quality wine glasses , flutes or liqueur glasses .

Why do glasses become cloudy in the dishwasher?

There are many factors that can cause dullness and loss of shine, and almost all of them are due to the type of wash and the conditions of the water.

One of the main causes is the hardness of the water, an element that can have a significant impact on this aspect because it gives rise to limescale that attacks the surface of the glass and, wash after wash, attacks it leaving an opaque white patina .

The opacity that comes from the hardness of the water triggers a corrosion process on the surface of the dishes that cannot be restored . It is always possible, however, to avoid making the situation worse and to save the shine of our glasses as soon as we notice the first signs of opacity .

How to Prevent Cloudy Glasses

In this case the best remedy is prevention . The best thing to do in these cases is to periodically take care of your dishwasher with a specific product , to be used twice a day. three times a year, capable of removing fixed residues from inside our appliance.

Does the detergent you use make the glasses cloudy?

The opacity of glasses in the dishwasher can also depend on the excessive use of detergent or a wash carried out at too high a temperature .

In this case, be careful: to restore the splendor of your glassware, you might be tempted to use a specific product, called rinse aid .

This is a remedy that we do not recommend: the rinse aid, in fact, is not a substance that repairs the damage created but rather covers it by creating a new patina that envelops the glass. Since these products are not natural and can actually be highly toxic if ingested , it is best to avoid their substances remain on our plates and glasses, thus risking ending up in our food and drinks. Furthermore, it is an unsustainable remedy because rinse aids are composed of chemical substances that can cause serious damage if they end up in the environment.

Grandma's remedies for shiny glasses

If your glasses are already cloudy, try these natural remedies : basically the ever-useful “ grandmother’s remedies ”. Get a large basin and soak your glasses in a solution of citric acid (if you don’t have any, you can use lemon) dissolved in water. A good alternative is white wine vinegar .

With this remedy, glasses and dishes should regain their natural shine . This is the reason why our grandmothers never threw away even old lemons, but reused them to wash plates, glasses and dishes, even when washing by hand.

Small tips and remedies to improve washing

To avoid cloudy glasses in the dishwasher, we can change our dishwasher washing habits .
As we have said, in fact, opacity can depend on the excessive temperature of the water used. Therefore, in addition to selecting the most appropriate values ​​before starting the wash, it is also important to remember to open the dishwasher door once the wash is finished .

In fact, the steam generated during washing may not have adequate venting to the outside and if it is retained inside, it can end up damaging the surface of glass and crystal.

One last piece of advice? Don't abuse the famous 3-in-1 products , because they contain so many substances that they can be excessive for normal daily washing needs, ending up attacking shiny materials and surfaces .

With a few tricks, your glasses can be transparent and shiny again. Better to focus on natural and sustainable solutions , which respect health and the environment.

By following these short tips and suggestions from our blog, your glasses will easily regain their natural shine!