Why do my household glasses become frosted/discoloured?
It can be incredibly frustrating when your beautiful crystal clear and sparkling glasses start to become cloudy and almost frosted. Before you consider a dishwasher repair from our Worcester based engineers, consider what conditions your glassware is being washed in. The main culprit for frosted or discoloured glassware is either hard water or etching.
If your glassware is still turning cloudy or discoloured following our advice in this blog, then it could be time for a dishwasher repair from our Worcester based business. We have over 30 years experience and cover Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Birmingham, parts of Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team to book your dishwasher repair by calling or using our 24/7 online booking system.
Hard Water
One of the main reasons your glassware may become frosted is because of the hardness of your water, this varies in each area of the UK. In addition to having hard water, minerals in the water can reduce the effectiveness of your dishwasher detergent and they end up leaving a frosted appearance. You will need to do some research to see if you have hard water. The easiest way to test is by filling a bottle 3/4 of the way with water and adding 1 drop of washing up liquid. When you shake the bottle you can see if you have hard or soft water by the amount of suds. The more suds the softer the water.
If you have hard water the best thing to do is:
- Add more detergent – It’s important to not overload your machine because this can leave a soapy film on your glassware.
- Use rinse aid – This helps to maintain shiny glassware.
Etching
If you’ve tried to remove the discolouring with vinegar and have been unsuccessful then the etching might be caused by another issue. The main causes of etching on glassware is working with extremes when cleaning such as too much detergent, very hot water or excessive pre-cleaning. Here are our top tips to control these factors and reduce the cloudy effect on your glasses:
- Use less detergent – If you have soft water using too much detergent will leave a soapy film.
- Do not pre-rinse – The enzymes within your dishwasher detergent won’t have anything to cling onto meaning, you’ll have poor cleaning results.
If the issue is still occurring, please feel free to get in touch with our dishwasher repair experts based in Worcester. We can give you further advice on why your glassware is becoming discoloured and cloudy.
We would also recommend topping up your salt dispenser on a regular basis. This can be found at the bottom of your machine or in your door depending on which make you have, all dishwashers have a salt indicator light on them to tell you when your salt needs refilling. In addition to this, many consumers think buying an all in one tablet which containing soap/rinse aid and salt within it will do the job, for many areas in the UK this is not the case. As mentioned previously in the blog, water hardness varies from area to area across the UK. You should fill your salt container as soon as the light appears because this will help to soften the water.
You need to choose a dishwasher tablet that’s going to perform in a variety of conditions such as short cycles or cool washes. We would recommend the Fairy Platinum or the Finish Quantum Ultimate Dishwasher Tabs because the Finish Quantum tabs are fast dissolving, perform an effective clean even on an eco-cycle and they’re 100% biodegradable. For more information on dishwasher tablets and common dishwasher faults, have a read here.
If you’ve followed all of these steps and you’re still having issues with your dishwasher, get in touch with our Worcester based team. We fix 99% of faults on our first visit, and there is no additional charge if a further visit is required.
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Service Areas
Our engineers perform appliance repairs across central England including Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Birmingham, and Oxfordshire. You can see a full list of counties we service on our coverage page. Alternatively, view the map below.
The easiest way to see if there are engineers in your area, and to check if we support your brand of appliance, is to fill out the online booking. It only takes a few seconds and the form will automatically tell you if your area and appliance is covered.
Repairs can be booked online or over the phone by calling 0330 205 0220.
