I lived for a few months in a brand new building in an apartment with a brand new dishwasher. Over the course of a few weeks, I noticed that my glassware had developed a whitish residue which I cannot remove. Since then I have moved and my new glassware doesn’t develop the residue here. Is there a way I can remove the residue from the old glassware? I’ve tried washing them all kinds of ways and soaking them in vinegar first, but no luck.
I think this is caused by hard water. I have it too. I thought it would eventually come off after we got a water softener, but it hasn’t.
I too am interested in any remedies. It has stained some glassware with sentimental value.
The detergent you are using may be forming deposits on the glass when it reacts with ions in your water. Some of these precipitates can be dissolved with vinegar, some can’t. A water softener could help, but you might also try changing brands of detergent. Some work better with some types of water than others. You might also get try one of those additives that improve the “sheeting action” of detergents. Of course a new detergent might not be able to remove the stuff that has already stuck to the glassware… Maybe you could try a soak in sodium-tripolyphosphate - ask for wall cleaners at the hardware store.
Since the problem has happened over a period of weeks, not years, it’s unlikely that the glass has gotten etched; so you should be able to get the stuff off with lots of elbow-grease.
I have had similar problems, and the water in my area has a lot of minerals, lime in particular. You might also try something like “CLR” (for calcium, lime and rust). It’s a stain remover that should be available at your local store, in the same aisle with other cleaners.
I’d suggest soaking them with about a tablespoon of Calgon (sodium hexametaphosphate) dissolved in a sinkful of warm water. Calgon sequesters calcium and magnesium salts and allows them to be rinsed down the drain.
My thanks to everyone who replied.