Caring for
your Crystal |
Waterford or Riedel Crystal is meant
to be used. And it's easy to care for your Waterford or
Riedel Crystal.
Crystal
Because fine crystal and glassware require the gentlest
of care to maintain their brilliance and integrity for
years to come, we strongly recommend the following:
Wash your fine crystal and glassware by hand in
moderately hot water with a mild lemon detergent and 1/4
cup ammonia (to prevent spotting). Rinse in clean water
and air dry on a rack. Cleaning the crystal in an
automatic dishwasher may cause the crystal to lose
brilliance; we recommend you avoid this. However, if the
fine crystal and glassware must be machine washed,
please follow these precautions:
- Do not machine wash
metal-accented crystal.
- Use your dishwasher's "fine
crystal and china" setting
- Because even the mildest
brands of automatic dishwashing detergent are abrasive, use only half the
recommended amount.
- Lower the top dishwasher rack,
if possible, to accommodate the height of your crystal, paying special attention
to your stemware.
- Make certain to space your
crystal stemware on the rack so the pieces do not touch one another, since
vibration during the washing and rinsing cycles can chip or crack the crystal.
- For dishwashers without a
"fine crystal and china" setting, turn on the "air-dry only" cycle and open the
door to allow your crystal to air dry.
Remember that fine crystal and glassware can crack or
break when subjected to extremes of hot and cold. Before
putting very warm food or liquid into a crystal
container, we recommend you preheat the crystal with
moderately hot tap water. Do not pour cold beverages
into a pitcher or bowl that's just been washed with hot
water. Likewise, do not wash a crystal piece that's just
come out of the refrigerator; allow it to warm to room
temperature first.
Clean vases and decanters by filling them half-full with
moderately hot water, a small amount of mild detergent,
two tablespoons of white vinegar or ammonia and 1/2 cup
uncooked rice. Swirl the rice around for a few minutes
to remove residue. Rinse well with moderately hot water
and air dry, upside down, on a rack.
Remove more stubborn stains by filling the container
with warm water and dropping in a denture-cleaning
tablet; let it sit until the stain disappears.
Do not clean your fine crystal and glassware with
scouring pads or abrasive cleaners.
Always store your stemware upright to help prevent
chipping.
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