For people who love to dine at restaurants and buffets, or want to relax and have fun at cafés, pubs and hotel bars, sipping a cool drink from a crystal-clear glass is one of life’s small luxuries. And when people go out to unwind, they don’t want to have to worry about smudged dinnerware and flatware and dull-looking glassware.
You see, there's nothing quite as appalling as being served drinks in glasses with a cloudy-white coating or remnants of a lipstick mark. If you let this happen, you can say goodbye to passing health codes or food safety guidelines and getting star reviews on sites like Tripadvisor, Good Food and Zomato. In fact, you'll be lucky to just get a warning and a fine and still be able to run your restaurant.
So, to keep diners coming and always pass health inspections with flying colours, it's crucial to ensure all the cutlery, glassware and dinnerware you use are spotlessly clean.
After all, there are great techniques and easy solutions to get the very best results. So, in this post, we’ll be giving tips on how to keep glassware clean and sparkling.
But first, let’s take a look at what’s causing your glasses to appear cloudy in the first place.
Factors That Make Glassware Look Cloudy
There are two primary reasons why glassware becomes hazy.
- Deposits of hard water: Hard water contains a high concentration of natural minerals, which can build up on glassware. Because soap doesn’t foam or froth very well in hard water, the mineral deposits usually aren’t completely removed or cleaned, thereby causing glasses to become blurry and dull.
- Etching: Etching occurs when daily use, glass washing, and handling wear down parts of the glass. However, because etching gradually develops, you’ll only observe small sections of your glassware becoming dull over time.
But whatever is causing your glassware to become dull and hazy, your customers won’t care – and they shouldn’t. It’s your job to ensure your customers get to have their appetisers, drinks or meals served in hygienic, clean and clear-looking dinner and glassware.
Moreover, stubborn dirt in glassware like beer glasses can also affect the quality of the beverage.
To enjoy a perfect beer, you need a glass that’s ‘beer clean’ or free of contaminants that allow carbon dioxide (or CO2) to stick to the glass.
If the glass is unclean or has impurities stuck to it, your beer will immediately go flat and lose its special aroma. Furthermore, it will prevent the formation of foam or a thick head on top, so you need to pour more beer to fill each glass. This, in turn, could mean more product waste.
Therefore, one of the first and best things to do is to clean glassware properly. This way, the beer will pour better, thereby ensuring its great appearance and taste.
Steps to Clean Cloudy Glass
Now, it’s time to address your problem of cloudy-looking glass. To start, you need to assemble the right cleaning materials:
Handwashing is the best method for cleaning hazy glasses. It’s a gentle yet efficient way to clean your glasses and eliminate any unattractive foggy film. This basic washing approach should be adequate to prevent future hazy build-up, as long as it’s done on a regular basis.
To clean glassware effectively, follow these tips:
- Rinse the glasses carefully using warm water and place them in a washing-up bowl.
- Put some mild dishwashing liquid (non-abrasive, non-bleach, zero odour) in the bowl.
- Gently scrub the glass with a sponge using the soap and water solution.
- In a container, combine two tablespoons of white vinegar with one cup of water.
- Use a spray bottle or paper towel to apply the solution to the glass.
- Wash the glass with some warm water.
- Dry the glasses using a microfibre cloth or a kitchen towel.
Of course, you can save youself the time with commercial quality glass washers that do all the work for you. Browse the Winterhalter range of commercial washing equipment and specialist cleaning chemicals that make light work of keeping your glassware bright and sparkling.
Achieve Crystal Clarity with Reward Hospitality
Part of your responsibility as the owner of a restaurant, café, bar or similar establishment is to provide customers with clean and clear glassware, dinnerware and utensils.
Glassware that’s cloudy or dull-looking will almost always turn customers off. But by applying the tips shared here, you can reduce or eliminate the haziness of the glassware you use.
Need other cleaning supplies or commercial crockery, glassware, kitchenware, washroom, chemicals, packaging, equipment and furniture for your hospitality business? Contact Reward Hospitality today!