Can You Put Crystal Glasses in The Dishwasher? (Solved & Explained)

Crystal glasses have turned into a staple of the culinary world due to their amazing clink, elegant look, and many uses. However, after buying some, you may wonder – can you put crystal glasses in the dishwasher?

No, you cannot put crystal glasses in the dishwasher. The intense heat of the water cycle can cause chips and cracks to form, ruining the quality and design of the tableware. Moreover, using even mild detergent can lead to abrasion and corrosion of the glasses. However, some crystal glasses, like wine crystal glasses are dishwasher safe.

From my personal experience, there’s a particularly easy way to clean crystal glasses instead of using the dishwasher. I’ll be listing that below alongside the plethora of reasons why your crystal glass should never see the dishwasher.

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Why Should You Never Put Crystal Glasses in the Dishwasher

Dishwashers emit intense heat when going through the water cycle. For fragile materials like crystal glasses, this can cause them to chip and break quite quickly.

Moreover, a study conducted recently has also identified atmospheric corrosion to also be present in crystal glasses when placed in a dishwasher. This is due to the dust, grime, and other chemicals present in small quantities before the crystal glass is placed into the dishwasher.

Under the intense dishwasher heat, the glass begins to catalyze the corrosion already present on the surface of the glass due to the addendum of thermal energy.

Crystal glasses go cloudy in dishwasher.

That said, crystal glasses can survive an accidental round in the dishwasher. However, if you start consistently throwing them in the dishwasher, you’ll end up with damaged tableware, or they’ll end up changing appearance due to corrosion.

In fact, I’ve seen multiple perfectly beautiful crystal glasses become very cloudy over a short period due to them being thrown in the dishwasher a couple times. Plus, if you are not careful with how you place them inside, you’ll end up with multiple cracks and ridges in no time.

Know the Difference Between Crystal & Glass

There’s a fine line between crystal glasses and simple glass glasses. Crystal has a percentage of minerals added to it like magnesium and zinc which leads it to maintain its durability even when spun extremely thin.

On the other hand, glass needs to be made thicker for it to retain its durability. The fact that it is only made up of silica leads it to be completely dishwasher safe.

Crystal	Glass
Thin but brawny	Thick
Perfect vision	Blurred vision
Amazing clink	Bad clink

Can Wine Crystal Glasses Go In The Dishwasher?

Yes, wine crystal glasses can go in the dishwasher, given that you use a delicate wash cycle. I recommend using a stemware glass holder so that the glasses don’t bump into each other and you make the most out of your wash cycle in terms of space.

Moreover, never opt for a dry-heat setting in your dishwasher when washing wine crystal glasses, as they will lead to cloudiness in the long run. Use air-drying instead.

Lastly, even if your crystal glass is dishwasher safe, I recommend rinsing it the old-fashioned way once in a while. This helps you get a closer look at your glass and see if a ridge / crack has formed. Moreover, washing with vinegar also helps remove cloudiness that may have formed over time.

While you can use a dishwasher for crystal wine glasses, I’d advise against it. The best way to clean wine crystal glasses is by using running hot water, a cloth, mild dishwashing soap, and a gentle scrubbing motion of your hands.

Can Waterford crystal go In the dishwasher?

No, Waterford Crystal cannot go into the dishwasher as the intense heat of a water cycle can lead to ridges and cracks being formed. Besides that, the chance of atmospheric corrosion and the usage of even mild cleaners can lead to permanent damage.

According to the brand itself, some particular dishwashers are identified as dishwasher safe and can thus be used. But, even so, from my personal experience; a dishwasher, no matter how gentle, causes some damage to Waterford Crystal.

So, I’d still recommend opting for gentle hand washing instead of opting for a dishwasher. While a bit tedious, it ensures that your crystal glasses remain intact!

Best Ways to Clean Cloudy Crystal Glasses

Cloudiness in crystal glasses is caused by small mineral deposits that can hinder the opacity of your glassware. Generally, this is caused by using abrasive detergents or if you don’t wash your crystal glasses often.

In any case, here’s what you need to clean cloudy crystal glasses:

Mild Detergent
Microfibre Cloth
Hot Water
White Vinegar

After you’ve gathered all the requirements, here’s how you can clean cloudy crystal glasses:

Gently rinse the glass under mildly hot running water
Add mild dishwashing liquid / soap to your rinsing routine
Now, gently scrub the glass in the newly created solution ensuring you don’t apply too much pressure
Add two tablespoons of white vinegar to the solution and scrub the glass thoroughly
Now, rinse the glass with just water and dry it up with a microfibre cloth

For a quick primer, the white vinegar present inside the solution acts as an acid and reacts with all the metal deposits present inside the glass. Once it reacts, the deposits are mixed into the solution, thus leaving your glass free from any haze.

I’ve even seen wineries use bleach to clean their wine glasses. However, the method I’ve mentioned above is also equally effective.

Conclusion

For being used to place candles and to being an integral part of a celebration, crystal glasses have certainly stood the test of time. With that said, while cleaning them might feel tedious, they do hold their own in terms of durability for a very long time.

So, with a little aftercare and thought, you’ll be able to clang those crystal glasses together for many generations. Salud!

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