Inside: Are you tired of hard water spots and stains on your drinking glasses and stemwear? Check out how to remove hard water stains from glasses. It's so easy to do!
If you live in an area with hard water you know how annoying the hard water stains can be on your drinking glasses. Putting my dishes through the dishwasher should remove the hard water stains from the glassware.
For some reason, it only seems to make the stains worse. I have heard that dish detergents help contribute to the white chalky appearance on glasses.
Every couple of months I get tired of the hard water stains on our glasses and remove the calcium build up and mineral deposits. It only takes a few minutes of preparation and some soaking time, but it makes a huge difference in the look of the glasses.
If you don't have a water softener and need to remove limescale and hard water stains from your glassware and stemware you will love this tip!
Even the worst-looking hard water-stained glasses come out looking shiny and clean. Check out this simple tip on how to remove hard water stains from glasses.
Note
If you don't want to use this soaking method to hand wash the glasses you can try this dishwasher booster on Amazon to get rid of the hard water stains.
Why This Works?
Why does this method for removing hard water stains work, even without scrubbing? It works because hard water is just calcium carbonate, or limescale building up on the outside of your drinkware.
When you wash the glasses in the dishwasher it just adds more hard water residue to your glassware.
Vinegar can easily break up any limescale. By letting the stemware/glassware soak in the vinegar mixture you can eliminate all the hard water without scrubbing.
Removing Hard Water Stains From Glasses
Recently I cleaned a really badly stained drinking glass. It's one that we keep in our bedroom for the dogs to drink out of. Yes, I know, it's really weird that my dogs drink out of glasses.
Even in pictures, you can see how bad the hard water stains are. The picture below is before the glass is cleaned. If I can get this glass clean your stemware and glassware will come clean easily and without scrubbing!
Items Needed To Remove Hard Water:
- Vinger (just the plain white vinegar works fine)
- Water
Tip
If you don't like using vinegar because of the smell then you can also use citric acid. It's a food-safe product that will remove hard water stains. I buy mine on Amazon.
Step 1: To get started you will want to fill up your sink with enough water to cover the glasses.
Note: It doesn't really matter if you use warm or cold water.
Step 2: Next you will want to add about 1 cup of vinegar to the water. If you are using citric acid to remove the mineral deposits I recommend using about 1/2 cup.
If you have really badly stained glasses like mine you may want to add another 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar.
Step 3: Add your glasses to the water. Make sure that you swish around the water to fully mix up the vinegar when you are adding the glassware.
Step 4: Let the glasses soak for at least 30 minutes in the vinegar and water mixture.
I usually just put them in before I run some errands so they soak for about 1-2 hours.
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Step 5: After you have let them soak remove a glass and wash it off. Even when it is wet you should be able to see if the hard water film is gone.
Step 6: If the hard water is gone from the glassware then you can remove all the glasses from the sink, rinse them off, and wash them in the dishwasher or how you normally clean them.
Note: If you still notice some film put them back in to soak for a little longer.
Although I know my dogs don't care I am happy that the glass looks so much better. I love how clean and shiny the glasses are now that they have been cleaned.
By doing this every few months you can keep all your drinking glasses sparkling clean with just a few minutes of your time.
Don't be frustrated with how to remove hard water stains from glasses. Try this easy tip to have the hard water stains gone from glasses without scrubbing!
Are you dealing with hard water on other surfaces? Check out the no scrub way to clean your shower door! It's easy.
How To Remove Hard Water From Glassware
Equipment
- 1 Sink or Bowl to soak glassware
Ingredients
- 1 cup Vinegar plain white vinegar, not cider
- 1 gallon water
Instructions
- To get started you will want to fill up your sink with enough water to cover the glasses.
- Next you will want to add about 1 cup of vinegar to the water.
- Add your glasses to the water. Make sure that you swish around the water to fully mix up the vinegar when you are adding the glassware.
- Let the glasses soak for at least 30 minutes in the vinegar and water mixture.
- After you have let them soak remove a glass and wash it off. Even when it is wet you should be able to see if the hard water film is gone.
- If the hard water is gone from the glassware then you can remove all the glasses from the sink, rinse them off, and wash them in the dishwasher or how you normally clean them.
Notes
Occasionally the hard water can be so severe that it causes etching to the stem or glassware. But, in most cases more of the hard water will just come right off and your glasses will look like new.
Yes, this will work on glassware, stemware (like wine glasses), pyrex glass, and even plates and bowls.
Yes, if you use a little citric acid in your dishwasher you can help the heavy limescale film from building up on your glassware and creating that cloudy haze.
Debbie says
Thank you! I have thrown so many glasses out. I tried vinegar but it's apparent I didn't let them soak long enough.
Sarah @ The Teacher's Wife says
Awesome tip! I am going to have to try this on some glasses b/c some of mine are getting bad too! I'm learning that vinegar is such an awesome product - can be used for so much!! Thanks for sharing. Have a great day! --Sarah 🙂