OCR Text |
Show WOMAN'S WORLD Careful Washing, Storage Adds Years to Life of Glass Polish Your Glassware ' " - L ' ' J - ' ''I It - . t - " By Ertta Haley GLASSWARE ADDS beauty and grace to the table, but I find it needs replacing so often," sighs one homemaker. "I have a lot of odd glasses in my cupboard, the result of several sets," says another. A bride, selecting her first goblets gob-lets of fine American handmade glassware, or a homemaker with a cherished collection of beautiful pieces, can certainly add years of wear to the glass by following a few simple do's and don'ts in caring for it. Many is the mother who can pass on to her daughter a set of beautiful glassware in perfect condition. Is it the glass, and how made? No, it's simply a matter of care. Like fine china or even more durable silverware, glassware must have loving care and protection when stored. Fine glassware needs care when it's washed; it also rates adequate storage space. If you pile stemware in a glass bowl, stack tumblers or crowd the pieces in a small space, you may expect them to get broken. If you stack them midst china and silverware silver-ware preparatory to washing, or try to wash several pieces all at one time, and then crack them against an unprotected sink, the glassware will reflect your careless handling. . You can make adequate space for glassware, if you'll re-organize the glassware are thoroughly treated so they will not be affected by ordinary or-dinary temperature changes. You need not worry about the house suddenly getting cold, after it's been warm, for example, and causing caus-ing glasses to crack. Glasses, when in use, however, should not be subjected to extreme temperatures. Before pouring a very hot liquid, such a coffee or tea into a glass, place a silver spoon in the glass or cup. Silver absorbs heat quickly, and thus prevents pre-vents the glass from breaking. If cups and plates have hot food on them, keep them away from cold metal, enamel or porcelain surfaces. Store Glassware In Adequate Space A collection of fine glassware deserves de-serves adequate storage space not only to show it off properly, but to prevent accidents to the glass while it's stored. Cups, glasses and stemware should be placed on shelves with enough room between them to prevent pre-vent rubbing together, as this may well scratch the delicate surfaces. Place the glasses rim side up. If you line the shelves with a ribbed, rubber cushion, glassware is special ly protected from knocks against the hard surface of a metal or wood cabinet. Rubber storage racks are excellent ex-cellent for keeping glass plates and cups in an orderly and safe arrangement ar-rangement on shelves, especially those which are in danger of crowding. Decorative glassware such as vases, bowls and candlesticks need not be stored in the kitchen, for there may be more room in living or dining rooms where they can add a note of beauty to the decorative dec-orative scheme. Cherished pieces which are used only occasionally can be stored away from daily activities. Use a high shelf in the kitchen, or a special spe-cial section of a cabinet, where there is no danger of contact with other dishes and equipment. When storing glasses, do not stack into each other. Edges are easily nicked in this way. If you do have two of them stuck together, fill the inner glass with cold water while immersing the outer in warm water to separate easily. Use these Tips For Easy Care If you're removing glasses from shelves that are hard to reach, use a steady ladder. You can set a tray, with a towel folded on 'the tray on top of the step ladder, and use this for placing several glasses on it, thus saving getting down for each glass. This tray trick is good, too, for transporting glasses from kitchen to dining room, or back, as well as to the cabinets, after they're washed. Never try to do the glassware without adequate towels. Linen or starched cotton toweling is best because it's lint-free. Hold glasses toward light to make certain they're clean and bright. Wash glassware a piece at a time so there is no chance of striking one piece against another. an-other. After a thorough rinsing, leave the glassware to dry alone, or dry immediately with a lint-free towel. Then polish carefully with a clean, dry towel to make the surface sparkle and gleam. glass. Avoid an excess of soap or detergent, as this may cause the glassware to be excessively slippery. Sparkle is an inherent quality of fine handmade glass but the improper im-proper washing can dim its brilliance. bril-liance. To prevent this, use a imld solution of soapsuds or a detergent and comfortably hot water. Always rinse the glassware thoroughly in warm water. If the glasses have had a colored, beverage or milk in them, rinse with cool water as soon as removing from the table, before washing. Help Bring out Luster On Decorated Glasses A few drops of ammonia or bluing blu-ing in the rinse help bring out the luster on glasses, especially those with a lot of cut-out work. However, if the glasses have gold or silver decorations on them, never use caustic washing powders or ammonia am-monia on them. You'll find two schools of thought ,if Wash glassware carefully . . storage cupboard. For instance, should the shelves be wide apart, install narrow shelves in-between the full-sized ones, and you'll be surprised at how much room you can make. Glass dessert and salad plates can ,be stacked, provided you have placed napkins in-between them. Or, you may have pieces of felt replace re-place the napkins. Rubber racks are also excellent for plate storage. Protect Glassware During Washing Many mishaps can occur if all care is not observed during the washing and drying of glassware. If you've had a large dinner and feel too tired to give the attention and care which must be observed in their cleaning, it's best to set them on a table, rim side up, as during storage, until the following day when you're rested enough to do a good job. When washing the glassware, place a rubber mat in the sink or a dish towel in the bottom of the washing basin, and also on the drainboard. Then, should you accidentally ac-cidentally touch the glassware to these various hard surfaces, you'll cushion the blow and frequently prevent damage. Rubber faucet tips are another aid, as they, too, cushion any blows you might give the glassware. Wash only a few pieces at a time. In fact, if you wash one at a time, you'll hardly ever run into difficulty. Hold stemware by the bowl to avoid strain and also to lessen the chance of dropping the store with rim side up. on drying glassware. One holds that glasses should be dried as quickly as they're rinsed, with a lint-free towel. The other believes that glassware should be thoroughly rinsed in warm water, and left to dry alone. In either case, a final polish with a clean, dry towel makes the glasses gleam and sparkle. Handmade glass vases, bowls and condiment pieces can be kept brilliantly bril-liantly clear by loosening sediment deposits with a solution of ammonia am-monia and water, or tea leaves soaked in vinegar. Always rinse the glasses carefully after this treatment. treat-ment. Most of the delicate handmade |