What Causes Etched Glasses in Dishwashers

What Causes Etched Glasses | This drinking glass of mine used to be crystal clear. Cascade dishwashing gel ruined it. This column was SO GOOD that I shared with the 31,000 subscribers who read my October 4, 2020 newsletter. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter

Author Update: Don't skip over the last paragraph below from Brad Booth.

What Causes Etched Glasses - It's Chelants & Cascade

QUESTION: Tim, please help me. I remember reading in past columns that you’re a master plumber and have some sort of science degree.

My husband and I are at odds as to what’s slowly ruining all of my wonderful clear glasses and heat-treated glass items in my kitchen. Each time I remove them from my dishwasher, they look worse. My husband states it’s just hard water.

I tried soaking some of the ruined things in hot white vinegar and there was no change. It’s got to be something else, but I can’t figure it out. Can you shed light on this? Sandra P., Las Vegas, NV

Are you suffering like Sandra? I am! The clear drinking glasses in my own home are slowly getting ruined just as Sandra described. Sandra’s correct that I’ve got lots of experience with dishwashers being a master plumber since age 29 and having worked in a commercial kitchen operating a powerful chili parlor dishwasher for over 12 years. A five-hour physical chemistry class was a requirement for my geology degree.

The glass on the left is brand new. The one on the right is etched beyond repair. Proctor & Gamble's Cascade dishwashing soap is to blame. Photo credit: Tim Carter Copyright 2024

Is the Cause Hard Water?

Many years ago, I was first introduced to this strange conundrum by my mother-in-law. I was a brash young man and she showed me one of her ruined small drinking glasses. She asked me if I knew what was going on. “Sure, it’s just hard water deposits. Let me take it home and restore it.” I tried soaking it in white vinegar, a mild acid that has no trouble dissolving hard-water mineral deposits. There was no change. I then got out my toxic bottle of muriatic acid and tried it full strength. There was no change. I was flummoxed.

As time passed, I deduced the issue had to be with the actual dishwashing detergents - be they powders, gels, or pods. In all my years of washing glasses by hand, they never suffered from etching, so whatever was happening was happening inside the steel box with the thrashing water spray.

Automatic Dishwashing Soap Etches Glass

Last month I finally had it. I reached out to what I believe is the largest USA manufacturer of automatic dishwashing soap, Procter & Gamble (P&G). They make the Cascade product I use. Since I’m a member of the working media, they were kind enough to accommodate my press inquiry.

A senior scientist from P&G explained that a perfect glass-etching storm can happen inside a dishwasher if you have these four things: soft water, low soil load, high temperatures, and chelating agents. She went on to say, “Chelating agents, or chelants, are a major part of auto-dishwashing formulations because they form soluble complexes with calcium and other metal ions, enabling them to remove food soils and limescale, soften water, and boost hygienic cleaning action.” When you soften water as I do at my home, you remove the calcium from the water. Uh oh!

To prevent glass etching, she suggested not rinsing dishes and glasses, wash in shorter cycles, not using the pots-and-pans or sanitizing settings, and using a dishwashing product that contains zinc.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that if you want your clear glass to remain clear, you better do what I had to do as a kid. Wash them all by hand with normal liquid dishwashing soap. Your other option is to just keep buying new glasses after they get etched should you not want to wash them by hand.

AUTHOR UPDATE: Brad Booth lives in Columbus, Ohio. After reading the above column he sent:

"I just read the problem about glasses clouding in the dishwasher by Sandra P., Las Vegas. Cascade IS THE PROBLEM! I had the same problem with glasses, even coating my dishwasher filter using Cascade. Switched to Finish Powerball nine years ago and NO problem anymore! I've had no clouding of glass at any setting, temperature, or heat dry! Also, the screen filter no longer gets coated and clogged with white substance! Try any product except Cascade and see if that helps you."

Here's the Finish Powerball product. You can bet I'll be trying it:

CLICK or TAP HERE to have this delivered to your home. I DOUBT you'll find this at your grocery store.

Dishwasher Detergent Warning! Is your detergent harming your dishwasher? CLICK HERE to see what happened to my dishwasher.

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