How To Get Cloudy Glasses Clear Again

Hard water glass stains, scratches from the dishwasher?

How do you remove a white cloudy film from old glass?

Here are several remedies you can try...and see what worked for me!

How To Clean Cloudy Glass Text over glass plate

A few weeks ago, my husband and I spent a blissful afternoon meandering through a few local thrift stores, picking up treasures along the way.

I had no idea what I was looking for, but I was quite smitten with the glassware in one particular shop.

There were the most darling little glass plates for a buck apiece and I wanted them, but they were covered in a weird cloudy film, so I hesitated.

It'll wash off, my husband said, and if it doesn't, they're cheap enough, you'll find something crafty to do with them.

I wasn't as sure.

I think it's on there, whatever it is. I'm sure the ladies tried to wipe them down before they put them out.

My husband looked around the shop and shook his head. Yeah, I don't think so.

A woman near us was listening to our conversation and interjected in a low whisper.

You know, they have a bathroom here. Sneak one inside and try to wash it off.

Glass Plates With A Cloudy Film

Oh my gosh.

Does this woman know me? I am the ultimate rule follower.

Sneaking anything in anywhere was way out of my comfort zone.

I starting sweating at the mere mention of her plan. Nope.

I was going to take them home and wash them off there.

I mean honestly, how hard could it be to get rid of some smudge.

Well, turns out plenty hard.

And if you ask me the question I googled incessantly for three days, How To Remove Cloudy Film From Glass, I would have to say, I still have absolutely no idea.

Ok, that's not true.

I know what to do and I did it all. It's just that nothing worked for my dishes.

I did learn how to get my glass shower doors super clean though!

Turns out, in addition to substances that can gather on your glass and make it cloudy, there is also physical damage that can occur that will also cause that filmy look.

How To Remove Cloudy Film From Glass

Here are all the tips I found and what happened when I used them.

Soap and Water

I started with the simple wash. Dishwashing liquid and a sponge, warm water and rinse. Perfectly clear results. Victory!

Until the plate dried. The film was back. Ugh.

Ok, I tried again, scrubbing a little bit harder this time...with the same terrible results.

Boo.

Cleaning Glass With Vinegar In a ziploc bag

Vinegar

Vinegar seems to be the recommended cure-all lately, so why wouldn't it work on my plates?

First, I scrubbed with it. Nope.

Another article said I should soak the plate in it. So I did. I sealed my glass dish in a large zippy bag and covered it in vinegar for two whole days.

Nothing. Now I had very shiny, cloudy dishes. Not the desired result.

Baking Soda

Baking soda was the next suggested remedy.

This didn't work either. I made a paste and I scrubbed.

I even added vinegar to the mix and I scrubbed. I added lemon juice to the mixture and ~ you guessed it ~ I scrubbed again.

When I was done, the plate looked like it did, three days before. Filmy. Fabulous.

Cerama Bryte

I've been a fan of using Cerama Bryte on glass for years.

It works great on my glass stovetop, my glass shower door and it has citric acid in it, which was also highly recommended to get rid of that glass film, but it didn't work either.

Neither did Magic Eraser, Bar Keeper's Friend or citric acid on its own. I was striking out in huge way.

And spending more money than I ever wanted on thrift store plates.

Cleaning a glass dish on a paper towel with a yellow scrubber

Calcium and Lime Cleaner

I am ashamed to say that I even tried a Brillo pad on the stubborn stain, before I brought out the big guns.

I really, really hate chemicals, but before I threw in the towel and admitted defeat, my husband and I went to the hardware store and bought Lime A-Way.

Total waste of money.

It would probably clean some other stuff around here really well, if I let my husband bring that caustic stuff in the house (not happening), but my glass dishes looked just the same start to finish.

Before and after two cloudy dishes

What I think I already knew before I started this process is that glass is porous and sometimes, a cloudy appearance is indicative of age and damage and that no cleaner is going to fix.

Unfortunately, I think that is where I am.

Vintage Glass Plates two clear two cloudy

There are two other things I didn't try, because I didn't have them on hand...denture tabs and nail polish remover.

But I really don't think that they would make a difference after the bomb I already dropped on these poor, sweet dishes.

But we'll see. I may get the itch to try every last little thing...

And of course, if you have a tip for me, I'd love to know.

Because that foggy, cloud really does bug me.

Even if I am just going to get crafty. (I did get crafty...you can check it out here!)

Anyone?