How to Clean Cloudy Glass Vases After Mother's Day
If you’re like many moms out there, you got flowers for Mother’s Day. While bouquets of pretty blooms may look lovely for a few days, they inevitably start to wilt and drop their petals. And once that happens, you’re left with dead flowers, murky water and a hazy glass vase. Fortunately, Merry Maids has a few easy tricks for restoring the shine to dull vases.
Learn how to clean cloudy glass vases so you can enjoy them more than a few days a year.
How to Clean Glass Vases with Salt and Vinegar
Salt and vinegar isn’t just a flavor of potato chip anymore. You can also use this popular duo to freshen up the insides of flower vases when they start to look like science experiments.You’ll need:
- ½ tablespoon of table salt
- Distilled white vinegar
- A bottle brush, old toothbrush or wooden spoon
- Warm distilled water
- A microfiber cloth
- On a plate or in a small bowl, mix just enough vinegar with the ½ tablespoon of salt to form a paste.
- Using a bottle brush, toothbrush or spoon, spread the paste on any lines, gunk or rings left behind on both the inside and outside of your glass vase.
- Let the paste sit for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Rinse the paste from the vase using the warm distilled water. (It’s important to use distilled water because the minerals in tap water could leave behind hard water stains.)
- Use a microfiber cloth to dry the vase and buff out any streaks.
Cleaning Glass Vases with Denture Tablets
If you want to know how to clean cloudy glass vases with as little elbow grease as possible, look no further than the dental care section of your local pharmacy.
You’ll need:
- 1 to 2 effervescent denture tablets
- Warm distilled water
- A bottle brush or old toothbrush
- A microfiber cloth
- Fill your vase with the warm distilled water. Make sure the water covers any lines of grime, spots or rings you’re trying to remove.
- Drop in the denture tablets.
- Leave the tablets in until they stop fizzing.
- Dump out the solution and use the bottle brush or toothbrush to loosen any remaining residue from the sides of the vase.
- Rinse the vase clean with distilled water.
- Use your microfiber cloth to dry the vase and wipe away any streaks.
How to Clean Glass Vases with Narrow Necks
Mucky old water can start to stink if you can’t reach it, which can be problematic if you have a vase with a slender mouth. While it may seem like figuring out how to clean vases with narrow necks is an impossible feat, you’ll be happy to know that you can salvage those narrow-necked flower holders with items you can find in your kitchen pantry
You’ll need:
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of uncooked rice
- Dishwashing liquid
- Warm distilled water
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar
- Mix a few drops of dishwashing liquid with warm water to make a soapy solution.
- Fill vase about 1/3 of the way with your soapy water.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoon of vinegar, depending on the size of the vase.
- Mix in 3 to 4 tablespoons of rice, more if you have a larger vase.
- Plug the mouth of the vase and swish the contents for about three minutes. The rice will act as a scrubber.
- Let the vase sit with the solution for a few hours. Every now and then, give the vase another good swish to help dislodge sediment.
- Pour out your cleaning solution and rinse well with warm water.
Now you can enjoy those glass Mother’s Day vases well after the flowers are gone!
Looking for more tips on how to upcycle and reuse household items? Check out these seven practical uses for mason jars or learn how to create under-bed storage out of old dresser drawers and suitcases.
