Tuesday, July 14, 2009
TIP FROM M.T., A READER
"Love your ezine newsletter. On July 8 you wrote that it's impossible to remove residue from a glass vase if the flowers are left to rot and the water evaporates. I have a suggestion: To remove residue from a glass vase that held flowers, use Lime-A-Way (scrub with a toothbrush) or pour a heavy concentration of Lime-A-Way and water into the vase and let it stand overnight (then scrub remaining residue using a toothbrush). Wear rubber or latex gloves--Lime-A-Way is caustic. Muck won't etch everyday glass and I doubt that anyone would put flowers in a Moser vase." We have to add that sometimes even everyday glass DOES get etched and the cloudy look can't be removed with chemicals.
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Has anyone tried the Magic Eraser? Just wondering.
You said something about "no one would put flowers in a Moser vase." Wrong! I have. Is that a no0no?
Also: Try the coffee pot cleaner "Dip-It". It is still sold in some grocery stores. I found it to remove deposits from old bottles that I have dug up. I haven't noticed any adverse affects from it's use. It does clean the bottles much better than anything I have used previously. It is especially good for those bottles that have a narrow neck, where it is hard to reach effectively with a bottle brush.
to put flowers into ANY kind of vase,pitcher,teapot,etc.,just drop in a clear glass or votive, fill with water and flowers. VOILA!
Milkstone Remover, used in the dairy business to clean stainless steel pipe lines and tanks, is my #1 weapon in the battle with hard water deposits. In my native Wisconsin I had a residential cleaning business and amazed new customers with how shiny tile, porcelaine, enamel, fiberglas, sinks, johns, glass shower doors and fixtures would become with a single 10 minute treatment in spite of years of hard water & residue buildup. It is caustic, you need regular rubber gloves and care must be taken to completely rinse any residue that might pit chrome or metal faucets. Concentrated, it can be diluted to lesser strength and put in a spray bottle to maintain surfaces once the heavy scale is removed. When I moved to SoCal 4 years ago, the bakery we took over in Julian had three bathrooms, each with a toilet horribly covered with rusty scale. Replacing them wasn't an option, and with virtually no dairy suppy businesses here, I had to resort to three bottles of Lime Away for each one! From a practical standpoint, this product is little better than vinegar, expensive, and it still took about 4-5 hours of relentless scrubbing per toilet. I was so sore from scrubbing and being bent over! How I missed my old friend Milkstone Remover! I knew that scale would have been gone in 10 minutes! I've since located a source outside of LA, and the first job I used it for was freeing up some delicate metal fittings that had limed up inside of our espresso machine when we needed to do a little servicing and we were afraid too much force would snap the line we needed to open up. YES, I've successfully removed scale from inside my own antique vases. For these I recommend a gentle hand, use a soft sponge, and with heavy buildup, be aware that as the lime breaks down, larger particles can become a source of abrasion, like sand. Available at dairy supply stores, a gallon of concentrated Milkstone Remover goes for about $20, and with its detergent action, replaced many household & bathroom cleaners. For those in hard water areas, this tip may be the best you'll ever get for keeping things shiny. And you'll have more time to hit those garage sales and flea markets!
Try toilet bowl cleaner. Works just fine and was originally recommended to me by a florist.
I have found a fool proof way with little harmful chemicals. Had the same problem & out of curiousity used a denture tablet. Worked like a charm!
I have tried all the lime remover products and none of them can compare to WHINK Professional Strength LIME BUSTER (www.whink.com). It's the best ever. Lime Away has never worked for me.
Blenko glass and many others I would assume is "soft" glass and is actually etched by any harsh chemical. Use with extreme caution lest you ruin a treasure.
Dishwasher crystals work well and most people have it handy. just soak a long time
Back when I used to manage a restaurant we would often get crusty coffee pots that had been left on the heater too long, and dried up, and the coffee baked on. Very hard to clean, until I discovered that if you put in crushed ice and a generous helping of salt and swirled it around it acted as a brillo pad and scoured the pot clean. As a caveat, though, it does make the glass very cold and susceptible to shattering if one is not careful.
Another cleaner to try is Kaboom
in the purple spray bottle. I have tried this with much success on glass, pottery, porcelain,and metal. Leave no residue, and has no harsh fumes. Tried on a lark one day since I use it to clean my shower, tried on a glass item with great results, and NO clouding or etching.
hello,
try barkeepers freind as well. works well for bottles and a bottle brush should take that off just fine as well.
I've had great luck with denture cleaning tablets. Never use anything else and have had no problems.
If you have a clear beautifully etched vase and NOTHING has gotten the white film off, put soem water in it. If the vase looks good then dry it and hit it with WD40. The very light oil will keep the white film away and i don't think it will hurt the glass.
I've always had good luck using automatic dish washing liquid to clean nasty vases. I've used it full strength and with water added depending on how bad the stain was.
I use denture cleaning tablets for everything!
I clean the tea glasses that my husband leaves sitting.
I am a jewelry maker and use it to clean freshwater pearls before I string them. And I use them to clean all my vases.
Nothing beats Lemi Shine. Use it for drinking glasses, final dishwasher rinse, cleaning around faucets...best by far and easier to use.
Someone else said it, Polident works very well!!! No scrubbing involved.
I have had great success in removing lime scale from vases etc. using hot water(not boiling water as that may crack your glass) and popping in 1 or 2 denture tablets....equally if you want to get a kettle clean...fillit up and boil the water just before you go to bed...top up with about a quarter cup of vinegar..aand leave overnight. In the morning, pour out the water and boil up twice with fresh water...sometimes it needs to be repeated...but it is truely amazing how it does work.
Another good way to remove stains from glass is to use plain old household vinegar. If the stain is really tough and the vase is not a priceless antique, a little salt put in with the vinegar will really help get the stains out and will leave no scratches visible to the naked eye.
I have used dishwasher soap dissolved in a little water, poured into the vase or glass(in my case kerosene lamps) and allowed to sit for about 1 hour. If you shake the vase or glass every few minutes you will be amazed at the amount of stuff that is removed with no scrubbing at all. For those stubborn spots the bottle brush does well. As always watch for any signs of etching. Kerosene lamps have a pretty sturdy make-up, but some glassware can be a little softer. Of course, this is much safer to use than any caustic material. Next time stick to some good artificial flowers or use an insert to keep the water away from your good glass.
white vinegar works great, I soak overnight.......fishlady
To remove stains from porcelin or any type of glassware from plain drinking glasses to crystal vases...try Polident tablets! Yes. The ones that you soak your dentures in! Simply put in a tablet and (depending on the item and how heat resistant it is) add hot water to the brim. Let this foamy concoction sit over night (you may need to add more water slowly as the foam settles)and in the morning you need only brush lightly with an old toothbrush and all stains disappear!!
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