TheSamba.com :: View topic - Depression era green glassware , white residue??

Sun Nov 21, 2021 8:57 am

We have a nice set of the heavy green glass with a persistent white residue on it

Web research is all over the place with solutions, CLR, vinegar, etc

Anyone have any personal experience with this??

Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:26 am

Found this thread which you've probably already read in your research.

It says that if the glass has been put through a dishwasher at any time in an attempt to clean it, "there's no help for it" now.

Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:34 am

Thanks J

I had read that but frankly it doesn’t make sense.

Perhaps some if the drying agents ( basically Surfave tension compounds ) could leave residue but no reason hot water and soap is any different in the dishwasher )

I have access to nasty acids like HF but that’s is flattening the can with the steamroller

Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:23 am

I like the CLR solution for the whitish deposits on the glass.

As you likely know, HF is some really nasty stuff.
One splash on the skin. And your in for a trip the emergency room for treatment.
I like to keep my bones intact!

Have you considered trying Armor-all? Maybe that can restore some of the luster in the glass.

I agree with Jenn. Sone glass should not be put into the dish washer.

Sun Nov 21, 2021 7:11 pm

Abscate wrote: Thanks J

I had read that but frankly it doesn’t make sense.

Perhaps some if the drying agents ( basically Surfave tension compounds ) could leave residue but no reason hot water and soap is any different in the dishwasher )

I have access to nasty acids like HF but that’s is flattening the can with the steamroller
Jennepher is correct. Any delicate glass, vintage glass, silverplate, sterling, dishes with gold trim, crystal stemware etc. - all of it should be handwashed as the detergents in the dishwasher are murder on it. You might try a small piece and submerge it with a denture tablet to see what happens (it works on vases that have the white mineral residue on them via evaporation), but, it should be a small piece to begin with.

Edit: Just read the thread, and I agree with the lady that there's a difference between the mineral deposits and the etching from the dishwasher. The denture tabs might work, but most likely they won't.

Thick glass also shouldn't be put in the dishwasher as it can shatter with the heat (happened a lot in restaurants).

Sun Nov 21, 2021 7:12 pm

67rustavenger wrote:

Have you considered trying Armor-all? Maybe that can restore some of the luster in the glass.

I agree with Jenn. Sone glass should not be put into the dish washer.

Don't use Armor-all on anything you will eat off of. =;

Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:23 am

Thanks folks. We like it as is , I might try a very mild optical polish to see if I can improve the finish on the worst bit. We polish telescope mirrors with it.
I’m the designated washer of Spode and Royal Dalton so I’ll probably add this new client to my list.

Mon Nov 22, 2021 5:43 am

I'm far from an expert but personal experience has demonstrated the corrosive aspects of dish washer detergent.

Clear glass ends up cloudy, any applied decorated glass ends up undecorated, etc.

The acids they use to remove that dried on grime remove the basic properties of glass and glazes too.

Dave

Mon Nov 22, 2021 6:17 am

I am regularly surprised by the magic of Magic Eraser. I have used it on old bottles I find in the woods. I am not a chemist however, so someone might already be shouting at their screen, "No Magic Eraser!!!".

Mon Nov 22, 2021 8:48 am

djkeev wrote: I'm far from an expert but personal experience has demonstrated the corrosive aspects of dish washer detergent.

Clear glass ends up cloudy, any applied decorated glass ends up undecorated, etc.
High pH like autodish detergents can etch glass.

Mon Nov 22, 2021 9:30 am

I'v had good luck with vinegar on calcium buildup on dishes. Will not harm anyway. 100 percent no watering down. I realize this is not calcium.

Mon Nov 22, 2021 10:35 am

0000 steel wool

Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:13 am

chrisflstf wrote: 0000 steel wool

I wouldn't if it has that kind of "aurora borealis" finish on it - it will take that off as well.

Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:56 am

Try bronze wool - not nearly as aggressive as steel wool

Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:45 am

The etching issues with modern dishwasher detergents.....are mostly from the "high efficiency" pods.

These are dishwasher detergents made for the modern lazy people who do not rinse off much of the leftover food and let their dishes sit for days before washing....and are too lazy to add a seperate rinse agent to the automatic dispensor.

These detergent pods are roughly 4x stronger than they need to be. Also......the BIGGEST problem is that they are "untimed" in their release. They start dissolving and are in the entire wash cycle when they should not be.

They also react poorly with both very hard water and with water that has been "over-softened" and had too much salt in it.

The biggest issue with etching....if it is etching.....is sodium silicate. The problem is that it dries on because it does not get rinsed off properly. That alone will not etch glass. Its when it builds up cycle after cycle and then gets re-wetted when it has a large enough mass to produce not only high PH.....but high solution strength.

Early on.....when you just see the visible "rainbow effect"....you can take it off with washing vinegar.
Later when it gets visible haze.....use CLR. CLR is not toxic to skin or people....unless maybe you drink it.

It used to have phosphoric acid in it.....which is still not toxic but breaks down into phosphates as it oxidizes. So removing it was not for health reasons but to keep phosphates out of the environment.....which long ago was debunked as a major issue. The high efficiency non-phosphate detergent generation is an even larger bio-hazard.....but that a discussion for a different time.

There has never been a serious health issue with CLR unless you splash it in your eyes or heavily inhale aspirated vapors. But then that goes for any acid.

What some may be thinking of are products like "Wink".....whifh are truly diabolical because they contain "hydrofluoric acid".....which can kill you in a hideous way by going after calcium in your bone marrow or organs.

To keep this from happening to your glasses....I reccomend getting a big wash tub.....filling it up with a couple of gallons of vinegar.....or better still......a big deep wash tub and filling it with water and a couple of cups or muriatic acid .....enough to bring the PH down to about 2.0......test strips are cheap on amazon.....and soaking your dishes about every 4-6 weeks to remove the silicates before they can start etching.

Yoy can neutralize the tub PH to 6.5 or higher with a 5lb box of baking soda and then pour it down the drain. Ray