How to make glasses made dull by the dishwasher shine again and how to prevent the problem every day without rinse aid
Your dishwasher has just finished a wash cycle and your glasses come out opaque, you don't know if something like this is more boring or queuing at the post office. They seem more covered in a milky film rather than being bright and transparent. How is it possible? Are they still dirty? There is a effective and natural method that makes our dishwasher safe glasses shiny without going down on rinse aid?
It may be the fault of the water, which is too calcareous, or of the set temperatures, which are too high, but a good washing of dishes and glasses cannot be separated from one thing: regular and effective cleaning of the dishwasher itself.
Also read: 10 things you shouldn't put in the dishwasher
Having done that, the problem of opaque glasses can still arise in the long run.
Index
How to prevent clouding every day
One of the most common causes of cloudy plates and glasses ishard water or water with a high content of limestone. The problem with hard water is twofold: First, the minerals in the water reduce the effectiveness of the detergents, so you may need more detergent to clean the dishes. In addition, hard water does not rinse well with the result of a veil of soap or dirty water left on the dishes. Secondly, the minerals in hard water can dry out on the glass surface, thus creating an opaque film.
A first way to no longer have opaque glasses is therefore, paradoxically, do not increase the amount of detergent (too much detergent with hard water only aggravates the rinsing problem). At the same time, it is absolutely useless, as well as harmful to the environment, to appeal to the bright, which does not repair the damage created by excessive water hardness, but rather covers it. Better to use some citric acid.
Also, like the plague, avoid the well-known 3 in 1 products, which contain so many substances that they can be excessive for normal daily washing and only end up attacking shiny materials and surfaces.
In summary, then, here's how to make sure that our glasses do not come out opaque
- set washing a lower temperatures
- replace the rinse aid with citric acid (250 grams dissolved in 1 liter of water). Better not to use vinegar, which is indeed a good product for ecological cleaning but to be used in all situations where it does not end up directly in the drains. Read here: Vinegar: when NOT to use it in cleaning and what to replace it with
- used less detergent preferring liquid or gel ones to capsules
How to make glasses that have already become opaque shine again?
And to remove that patina of opaque from the glasses if it had already formed?
Here are some natural remedies:
Bicarbonate, a certainty
Baking soda gets to where others can't. It is the remedy of the remedies for many ecological and natural cleaning and also for washing opaque glasses. Just dissolve in a little water a few tablespoons of baking soda and leave the glasses to soak even all night: the next morning, rinse them with cold water so you will notice how they have recovered their splendid brilliance.
As for the care of the entire dishwasher, remember that you can use water and bicarbonate to clean and deodorize it: bicarbonate can be used in addition to dishwasher detergent to enhance its effect and to eliminate odors. As well as, to avoid the formation of bad smells, sprinkle the bottom of the dishwasher with bicarbonate before each wash.
Salt and white vinegar
Another remedy involves filling the opaque glasses with sale e alcohol vinegar in equal quantities, mix and leave the glasses to act even overnight. Salt and vinegar will dissolve limescale and fat deposits. Then remember to rinse, but maybe instead of throwing the mixture down the drain, reuse it in a spray bottle to clean the fridge or windows or to wash the floors.
Lemon
©Early Spring/Shutterstock
To remove the opaque veil you can also create and heat a mixture of vinegar and water, dip the glasses with lemon juice and then dry them.
Read also: Lemon peels, don't throw them away and turn them into this DIY dish soap
Marseille soap
Our glasses can shine again even with Marseille soap. Let's dissolve a few flakes in a basin of warm water, then immerse the glasses and leave them to soak for about an hour. Then we scrape off the most difficult parts, rinse and dry.
Other tips
At the end of each wash, remember to open the door of the dishwasher. The steam generated during washing could in fact not have adequate outlet to the outside and can end up damaging the surface of the glass and crystals.
Read also:
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10 DIY anti-limescale remedies
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5 do-it-yourself detergents for the dishwasher
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Dishwasher: how to choose it and how to use it in a more ecological way
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Marseille soap: 10 alternative uses for cleaning the house and the person
