How to fix cloudy dishwasher glasses
Glassware can become permanently etched and cloudy from dishwasher heat and detergent, which stops people from restoring their clear appearance. Once the glass surface itself is damaged, standard cleaning solutions cannot remove the haziness.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 21.1× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Soaking in vinegar2 people mentionedDid this help you?
- 2Using citric acidDid this help you?
- 3Switching dishwasher detergent brandsDid this help you?
- 4Using liquid treatments or UV-curing acrylic or epoxy resin kits designed for windshield repair to fill the scratches.Did this help you?
- 5Using 0000 grade steel wool with soapy waterDid this help you?
- 6Trying various commercial cleaning productsDid this help you?
- 7Using a scraper knife with alcohol or windexDid this help you?
- 8Spraying cheap vodka with paper towelsDid this help you?
- 9Using 0000 steel woolDid this help you?
- 10Soaking the foggy glasses in water with vinegarDid this help you?
- 11Using less powder detergentDid this help you?
- 12Adjusting rinse aid settings or removing rinse aid for soft waterDid this help you?
- 13Running cycles on Eco mode instead of the hottest settingsDid this help you?
- 14Pre-rinsing or scraping dishes differentlyDid this help you?
- 15Switching to pods or liquid detergentDid this help you?
- 16Scrubbing the back of the plates manuallyDid this help you?
- 17Using bleach to self-clean the machine and run cyclesDid this help you?
- 18Spraying a mixture of white vinegar, water, and dish soapDid this help you?
- 19Scrubbing with 0000 steel woolDid this help you?
- 20Wiping the surface dry instead of letting it air dryDid this help you?
- 21soaking the glasses in warm white vinegar for 15-20 minutesDid this help you?
- 22wiping the glasses with a dish towelDid this help you?
- 23adding citric acid or a citric acid-based cleaner to the washDid this help you?
- 24handwashing all vintage or delicate glass instead of machine washingDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Ran a sanitize wash with cascade platinum after finding a weird goo on one. Afterwards I tried handwashing with regular dawn and then dawn powerwash and let it dwell a minute. Any ideas or did I ruin them? Thank you!”source ↗
“Over the course of the last ten years, some has fogged over and the majority have remains pristine.”source ↗
“Can I hope to rehabilitate the foggy ones?”source ↗
“I know this happens from putting these in the dishwasher. I always hand wash, but when my husband does the washing he puts them in the dishwasher and now they look like this. I have many other glasses in this state. Any advice is appreciated!”source ↗
“Can anyone give me advice on how to get these stubborn scratches off the tops of our glass display case? They’re pretty bad and it’s driving me crazy”source ↗
“I have no idea, that’s why i’m asking. Plus do those even work?”source ↗
“i’ve tried using regular glass cleaning liquid with lots of strength but to no avail”source ↗
“My new Bosch 800 series has etched all my glasses and Pyrex. Even my plates are losing the enamel.”source ↗
“So of course, the first time my husband reaches into the dishwasher to grab a glass, it's got something gross on the outside. And there's a knife with something on it.”source ↗
“My dw doesn't heat anymore and as a result I find the plates ,especially melamine,slimy at their back.over time it forms some brown film.”source ↗
“i don't know how but the plates are no longer slimy and the brown film has disappeared.”source ↗
“My everyday glasses will do this a lot. I have done the vinegar soak sometimes, but have discovered that if I just use a dish towel it will wipe out.”source ↗
“Following to see if the vinegar soak works… unfortunately have the same situation”source ↗
“No matter what glasses always come out cloudy from the dishwasher. The glasses I have that I have hand washed only are crystal clear”source ↗
“Can someone tell me or explain me how to remove these water marks im getting annoyed”source ↗
“Prepping before ceramic coat, want clean glass first. These are not coming off.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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