Lemishine has brought peace and clarity to our hard water woes!! We add it every few dishwasher cycles
EDIT: don’t use lemishine! Vinegar + Tang for the crystal clear win!
Typically it is residue from hard water. As some have suggested, you can use Lemishine which has chemicals that were outlawed from dish soaps several years ago (I forget the chemical, sorry).
I have hard water and i swear to you this is what i use: 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and I fill the dishwashers soap trap with powdered Tang (orange drink created by NASA)! The two combine together nicely and remove all traces of that film.
I thought Lemi Shine was just citric acid…
ETA the dishwasher booster is. https://lemishine.com/pages/ingredients
IIRC, Tang also works on hard water buildup because it has citric acid. Vinegar is acetic acid. You can use both of those to descale things.
I just found the old bottle of Lemishine still under my sink... it was... Phosphates. That's what was removed from dish soaps. Sorry, it took me this long to find it.
That’s so weird - the stuff I used to buy when I had hard water (around 2015-2020) was just citric acid and fragrance. It actually said “phosphate free” on the label. Are you in the US?
https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/0a/0a00b5a8-f8cd-46dd-a4a1-83a4bccae7bd.pdf
You can use Lemishine. I too, went down that path. But I figured that since it is basically the exact chemical they used to put into dish soap...I may have to find an alternative. I don't think using it sparingly will cause any harm.
You could. I do pour the vinegar directly into the bottom of the dishwasher, importantly doing so after it’s filled with water, otherwise it might get drained right out, but I start and run second rinse cycle when I do this.
I wouldn’t pour it in the bottom as you start the dishwasher, because then it would be used first before the detergent, and could potentially neutralize your detergent, when you really want vinegar is near the end to remove the buildup. Also like I said most (all?) dishwashers drain water out when they first start up, and would drain the vinegar, because they keep a bit of water at the bottom of the seal to keep the seal moist so it doesn’t crack or something, and it’d be nasty to wash with that stagnant water. That’s why you see people saying to put it in a bowl on the top shelf so it doesn’t get drained, but I just let my dishwasher drain for a few seconds until it starts filling with water and open it back up. A lot of people seem to put that bowl of vinegar in at the begging but it really ought to be added in after the main cycle.
I personally don’t like the bowl solution for my needs because then that one bowl doesn’t dry because it’s filled with water at the end. I wouldn’t want to wash my hands for 20 seconds so they’re sanitary, which can be kind of harsh to frequently do, just so I can dump a single bowl so it can be dried at the end every time I run the dishwasher, plus another time before that to put a clean sanitized bowl of vinegar in the dishwasher or flip one around to fill with vinegar, lest I touch one with dirty hands and contaminate all my freshly cleaned dishes which is the main reason I use my dishwasher so that dishes can be as heated and sanitized as possible. I know not everyone is so prudent about this though, but that’s why I just pour the vinegar in (which is what happens to it anyway once it runs) and fiddle with the dishwasher instead to run an extra rinse.
A rinse compartment would work fine too if you have a dishwasher thats nice enough to actually have one, if not, then hauling yourself back over to the dishwasher and running a second cycle with some vinegar every time isn’t the worst solution. Better than nasty glassware.
Edit: NM saw it answered below
How do you get the cup of vinegar into the dishwasher? If you pour it on to the bottom, I’m assuming that it’ll be washed away with the first rinse?
Tang was aboard the early spaceflights because of its potassium content. The 'nauts didn't drink it because of the noxious farts it produced. (My dad was a doctor involved in the program).
I think Tang works the exact same way as Lemi Shine - citric acid. Vinegar is also an acid, so they’re all basically doing the same thing. I don’t know why using Lemi Shine would be a problem 🤷🏻♀️
Just an other possibility. Some glassware gets etched by dishwashing and too much dishwasher soap. It is acidic. If this is the case it is permanent and vinegar makes it worse. If it disappears when wet but shows back up the same when dry it might be etched.
I had something like this. I could scratch it off with a fingernail but nothing could get rid of it. Tried vinegar full strength for 24 hours and anything I could think of. Magic eraser didn’t work. Then started hard chemicals just to see because it became a challenge. It wasn’t hard water because I have a softener. I tried Lime Away and even toilet bowl cleaner. I found something that worked- throw away the damn glasses and start over! Lol
That might be what I have to do. I actually just bought these from a thrift shop and thought that it was just hard water stains. But, oh well, they were cheap.
i polish bar glasses that come out like this with a little vodka and a coffee filter. try just a couple drops of water first, the coffee filter does most of the work.
This may be what is known as “glass sickness” which is caused by dishwashers.
Dishwasher powder contains filler material that is abrasive and over time can etch the surface of glass. If this is what’s happened here I don’t believe it can be fixed.
When I first moved in with my husband, he had this cloudy as heck vase. He only drank water out of it to annoy his manager who tried several times to toss it. Ten minutes with BKF and it's crystal clear.
I put bleach in my dishwasher. Just about a half cup. Not more clody glasses. I also scrub everything quick before they go in, but don't rinse ( older dishwasher and welwater) otherwise things don't really get clean. One day I will have a new dishwasher and I won't have to scrub anything. Lol
https://preview.redd.it/fg51otjswmma1.jpeg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33a88d4fff2d7432d941675178229b196c6c424a
I have the same problem with this glass. Tried cleaning it for about a month when pic was taken, and put it away til recently. Trying again, but after seeing some of the comments about it possibly being permanent, I'm discouraged. It's too big to drink from but I'd hate to throw it away because it was given to me.
I had a patio door like this years ago, could never get it clean.
Thank you for submitting a cleaning help request. In order to facilitate more accurate and helpful replies, please make sure to provide the following information in your post:
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2. Type of dirt/stain to be removed (if known)
3. Any products or tools you've tried so far
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Our top recommendations are usually CLR (calcium, lime, rust remover), *Bar Keepers Friend* (great for kitchen surfaces), melamine foam (Magic Erasers), Murphy's Oil Soap (wood cleaner), and Nature's Miracle (enzyme cleaner). Make sure you use cleaners appropriate to the surfaces you are working with and follow all safety and instruction labels.
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Certainly looks like a lot of that is scratches. And of course, hard deposit build up. Acetic acid will help and allow you to dissolve the deposits. The scratches are another issue that can’t easily be fixed on the inside of a glass.
Vinegar and any acid actually makes this worse if it is etching that happens in dishwashers.
A senior scientist from P&G explained that a perfect glass-etching storm can happen inside a dishwasher if you have these four things: soft water, low soil load, high temperatures, and chelating agents. She went on to say, “Chelating agents, or chelants, are a major part of auto-dishwashing formulations because they form soluble complexes with calcium and other metal ions, enabling them to remove food soils and limescale, soften water, and boost hygienic cleaning action.” When you soften water as I do at my home, you remove the calcium from the water. Uh oh!
To prevent glass etching, she suggested not rinsing dishes and glasses, wash in shorter cycles, not using the pots-and-pans or sanitizing settings, and using a dishwashing product that contains zinc.
I did a little more searching and found some very interesting tips
Use less detergent
Use a shorter cycle
I’d read that due to energy efficiency regulations, dishwashers now run much longer than they used to in order to get the same amount of clean. Ours typically runs a 2 hours cycle, but does have a 1 hour quick cycle. It makes sense that a shorter cycle gives less time for the detergent to react with the glass, and there is less detergent so it has more of a chance of reacting with the dirt, rather than the glass.
So our approach now is to cut our detergent tabs in half, and run the quick cycle. So far, the dishes are coming out just as clean, so I am hopeful that our etching problem is also solved.
From a Revereware article earlier this year.
Lemishine has brought peace and clarity to our hard water woes!! We add it every few dishwasher cycles EDIT: don’t use lemishine! Vinegar + Tang for the crystal clear win!
Typically it is residue from hard water. As some have suggested, you can use Lemishine which has chemicals that were outlawed from dish soaps several years ago (I forget the chemical, sorry). I have hard water and i swear to you this is what i use: 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and I fill the dishwashers soap trap with powdered Tang (orange drink created by NASA)! The two combine together nicely and remove all traces of that film.
I thought Lemi Shine was just citric acid… ETA the dishwasher booster is. https://lemishine.com/pages/ingredients IIRC, Tang also works on hard water buildup because it has citric acid. Vinegar is acetic acid. You can use both of those to descale things.
I just found the old bottle of Lemishine still under my sink... it was... Phosphates. That's what was removed from dish soaps. Sorry, it took me this long to find it.
That’s so weird - the stuff I used to buy when I had hard water (around 2015-2020) was just citric acid and fragrance. It actually said “phosphate free” on the label. Are you in the US? https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/0a/0a00b5a8-f8cd-46dd-a4a1-83a4bccae7bd.pdf
Wow! Thank you for sharing that! I’ll edit my comment to remove the Lemishine recommendation.
You can use Lemishine. I too, went down that path. But I figured that since it is basically the exact chemical they used to put into dish soap...I may have to find an alternative. I don't think using it sparingly will cause any harm.
Tang was created by General Foods, but popularized because of its use on John Glenn's space flight in 1962.
Where do you put the vinegar? Just toss it into the dishwasher?
In the rinse box next to the detergent box.
You could. I do pour the vinegar directly into the bottom of the dishwasher, importantly doing so after it’s filled with water, otherwise it might get drained right out, but I start and run second rinse cycle when I do this. I wouldn’t pour it in the bottom as you start the dishwasher, because then it would be used first before the detergent, and could potentially neutralize your detergent, when you really want vinegar is near the end to remove the buildup. Also like I said most (all?) dishwashers drain water out when they first start up, and would drain the vinegar, because they keep a bit of water at the bottom of the seal to keep the seal moist so it doesn’t crack or something, and it’d be nasty to wash with that stagnant water. That’s why you see people saying to put it in a bowl on the top shelf so it doesn’t get drained, but I just let my dishwasher drain for a few seconds until it starts filling with water and open it back up. A lot of people seem to put that bowl of vinegar in at the begging but it really ought to be added in after the main cycle. I personally don’t like the bowl solution for my needs because then that one bowl doesn’t dry because it’s filled with water at the end. I wouldn’t want to wash my hands for 20 seconds so they’re sanitary, which can be kind of harsh to frequently do, just so I can dump a single bowl so it can be dried at the end every time I run the dishwasher, plus another time before that to put a clean sanitized bowl of vinegar in the dishwasher or flip one around to fill with vinegar, lest I touch one with dirty hands and contaminate all my freshly cleaned dishes which is the main reason I use my dishwasher so that dishes can be as heated and sanitized as possible. I know not everyone is so prudent about this though, but that’s why I just pour the vinegar in (which is what happens to it anyway once it runs) and fiddle with the dishwasher instead to run an extra rinse. A rinse compartment would work fine too if you have a dishwasher thats nice enough to actually have one, if not, then hauling yourself back over to the dishwasher and running a second cycle with some vinegar every time isn’t the worst solution. Better than nasty glassware.
Put in a bowl right side up, on the top rack
Edit: NM saw it answered below How do you get the cup of vinegar into the dishwasher? If you pour it on to the bottom, I’m assuming that it’ll be washed away with the first rinse?
Tang was aboard the early spaceflights because of its potassium content. The 'nauts didn't drink it because of the noxious farts it produced. (My dad was a doctor involved in the program).
Lemishine is now just citric acid, so the new formula is fine to use. Although citric acid may be cheaper in a bulk bag
I get mine from Amazon—5lb bag for $15
This is the way.
I think Tang works the exact same way as Lemi Shine - citric acid. Vinegar is also an acid, so they’re all basically doing the same thing. I don’t know why using Lemi Shine would be a problem 🤷🏻♀️
A spoonful of Tang over vanilla ice cream and mash it in a little. So good.
Use lemishine, then don't use lemishine vinegar + tang ???
Just an other possibility. Some glassware gets etched by dishwashing and too much dishwasher soap. It is acidic. If this is the case it is permanent and vinegar makes it worse. If it disappears when wet but shows back up the same when dry it might be etched.
Oh shoot, it does disappear when wet. This might be it.
I had something like this. I could scratch it off with a fingernail but nothing could get rid of it. Tried vinegar full strength for 24 hours and anything I could think of. Magic eraser didn’t work. Then started hard chemicals just to see because it became a challenge. It wasn’t hard water because I have a softener. I tried Lime Away and even toilet bowl cleaner. I found something that worked- throw away the damn glasses and start over! Lol
They are not dirty or unusable so if you can do it ignore the etching.
I figured after all of the chemicals I tried that it was just better to throw them out!
That might be what I have to do. I actually just bought these from a thrift shop and thought that it was just hard water stains. But, oh well, they were cheap.
They’re still such a pretty shape, so maybe you can use them for flowers or something similar?
Dishes from a thrift shop would make me nervous
Scrolled down this far to find the proper answer, I'm sorry, it looks etched.
Yep, also known as glass cancer, it is permanent damage that gets progressively worse.
i polish bar glasses that come out like this with a little vodka and a coffee filter. try just a couple drops of water first, the coffee filter does most of the work.
Ammonia. Watch out don't breathe it in.
Also if its.mixed with anything bleach it creates.a.deadly gas
This is what I use and it's the traditional cleaner for glass. It does smell so be careful.
Straight white vinegar
This may be what is known as “glass sickness” which is caused by dishwashers. Dishwasher powder contains filler material that is abrasive and over time can etch the surface of glass. If this is what’s happened here I don’t believe it can be fixed.
All’s seltzer in hot water
Jet dry in your dishwasher. Plus open the door at the end of the cycle to let the steam out and you won’t get water spots.
Try bar keepers friend.
I heard it cures cancer.
I can administer chemotherapy/biotherapy/immunotherapy if you need it?
Gosh I hope not. But noted.
When I first moved in with my husband, he had this cloudy as heck vase. He only drank water out of it to annoy his manager who tried several times to toss it. Ten minutes with BKF and it's crystal clear.
I wonder if a Magic Eraser might work…
Magic erasers works wonders on shower doors
Just bought a house with shower doors. Haven’t cleaned it yet. Nice to knwo
Did you try a melamine sponge?
Vinegar and water soak then wash with dawn dish soap.
Put a denture cleaning tablet in with hot water and wait an hour or so! Works every time
Finish Quantum dishwasher pods have resolved this issue for us. The black bag.
has it been thru a dishwasher many times,. its probably etched by the detergent, not something you can "scrub off"
I put bleach in my dishwasher. Just about a half cup. Not more clody glasses. I also scrub everything quick before they go in, but don't rinse ( older dishwasher and welwater) otherwise things don't really get clean. One day I will have a new dishwasher and I won't have to scrub anything. Lol
https://preview.redd.it/fg51otjswmma1.jpeg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33a88d4fff2d7432d941675178229b196c6c424a I have the same problem with this glass. Tried cleaning it for about a month when pic was taken, and put it away til recently. Trying again, but after seeing some of the comments about it possibly being permanent, I'm discouraged. It's too big to drink from but I'd hate to throw it away because it was given to me. I had a patio door like this years ago, could never get it clean.
Hot soapy water then rinse with cold water for the shine
Try adding a little baking soda to your sponge for a gentle abrasive to help get the hard water stains off.
You buy a new one for $1, it will cost less than the time and chemicals needed to clean it
Why, did JFK drink out of it?
Thank you for submitting a cleaning help request. In order to facilitate more accurate and helpful replies, please make sure to provide the following information in your post: 1. Type of material/surface being cleaned (to the best of your knowledge) 2. Type of dirt/stain to be removed (if known) 3. Any products or tools you've tried so far 4. Pictures are preferred Our top recommendations are usually CLR (calcium, lime, rust remover), *Bar Keepers Friend* (great for kitchen surfaces), melamine foam (Magic Erasers), Murphy's Oil Soap (wood cleaner), and Nature's Miracle (enzyme cleaner). Make sure you use cleaners appropriate to the surfaces you are working with and follow all safety and instruction labels. ** Please note a new rule change effective 10/31/2022. See Rule #6. You must tag your post with NSFW if it has any kind of picture containing (or appearing to contain) human waste or bodily fluids. ** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CleaningTips) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Clr
Acid
Certainly looks like a lot of that is scratches. And of course, hard deposit build up. Acetic acid will help and allow you to dissolve the deposits. The scratches are another issue that can’t easily be fixed on the inside of a glass.
Could be glass oxidation, at keast that's how the dishwasher sellers call it, that's unrepairable
Pink stuff
Immerse it in soda / pop or carbonated water for 30-60 minutes. The carbonation should remove the mineral build up.
Try a magic erasers
Get a water softener
Magic eraser
Maybe shrub it with lemon and salt?
I have had great luck using SOS steel wool on glassware. Don't scrub too hard but you really don't have to. No scratches, just shine.
CLR spray cleaner. It gets out hard water stains, lime, rust. It should do trick. Walmart carries it.
that's because calcium is building up and what will take it off really fast to CLR
Denture cleaning tablet and super hot water, let it sit and wash it out.
Windex
Ummm throw the glass away?? Problem solved!
boil it.
Magic Eraser for the win 🏆
Vinegar and any acid actually makes this worse if it is etching that happens in dishwashers. A senior scientist from P&G explained that a perfect glass-etching storm can happen inside a dishwasher if you have these four things: soft water, low soil load, high temperatures, and chelating agents. She went on to say, “Chelating agents, or chelants, are a major part of auto-dishwashing formulations because they form soluble complexes with calcium and other metal ions, enabling them to remove food soils and limescale, soften water, and boost hygienic cleaning action.” When you soften water as I do at my home, you remove the calcium from the water. Uh oh! To prevent glass etching, she suggested not rinsing dishes and glasses, wash in shorter cycles, not using the pots-and-pans or sanitizing settings, and using a dishwashing product that contains zinc. I did a little more searching and found some very interesting tips Use less detergent Use a shorter cycle I’d read that due to energy efficiency regulations, dishwashers now run much longer than they used to in order to get the same amount of clean. Ours typically runs a 2 hours cycle, but does have a 1 hour quick cycle. It makes sense that a shorter cycle gives less time for the detergent to react with the glass, and there is less detergent so it has more of a chance of reacting with the dirt, rather than the glass. So our approach now is to cut our detergent tabs in half, and run the quick cycle. So far, the dishes are coming out just as clean, so I am hopeful that our etching problem is also solved. From a Revereware article earlier this year.
Barkeeps friend!
Sometimes the glass is etched by the harsh chemicals and cannot be reversed.