How to Clean Etched Glasses in a Dishwasher

It can be cumbersome to follow an enjoyable meal by hand washing your fine china and expensive, etched glasses. You may have heard horror stories about fine china and glasses being broken in dishwashers. Hand washing gives you some peace of mind, knowing your glasses are being handled with care. However, if you have and use the appropriate settings, you can clean etched glasses in a dishwasher.

Things You'll Need

• Dishwasher owner's manual
• Dishwasher liquid or gel
• Rinse agent

Instructions

1. Set the dishwasher to the "Delicate" or "China" setting. Set the dry setting to "Heat Dry."

2. Place your etched glasses on the top rack. Most top racks are designed for glasses and there is less chance of them getting broken there.

3. Leave an empty glass space between each of your etched glasses so that if they rattle around or move in the dishwasher, they won't bump against one another and break.

4. Add regular dishwasher liquid or gel (not powder) to the dishwasher per the manufacturer's instructions on the dishwashing liquid. Dishwashing powder tends to leave a residue on etched glasses, so it's best to use a liquid or gel.

5. Add a rinse agent to the dishwasher per the manufacturer's instructions to keep spots from forming as the glasses dry.

6. Turn the dishwasher on, and let it run through the complete cycle before removing the etched glasses.

Tips & Warnings

• Wait a half hour to remove etched glasses from the dishwasher if you use "heat dry." Otherwise you might burn your fingers on the glasses.

• If your etched glasses have long stems, you may have no other choice but to wash them on the bottom shelf.

• If you have an older dishwasher that does not have a "Delicate" or "China" setting, you may not want to wash your etched glasses in the dishwasher. They might get broken on a regular setting.

References

• "How to Do Just About Everything"; Courtney Rosen; 2000