The Bathroom Essential That'll Leave Your Cloudy Glassware Dazzling

Whether you prefer to use trendy, colorful wine glasses or stick with more classic glassware, it's crucial to take care of these fragile items. Thanks to helpful hacks, caring for your glassware doesn't have to be too time-consuming, expensive, or stressful. Not only can a kitchen ingredient save the day when glasses stick together, but there's also a bathroom essential that can rescue your glassware from cloudiness: rubbing alcohol.

According to Ask Anna, you can drop or spray some rubbing alcohol inside your glass and move it in circles to watch your glassware go from cloudy to dazzling. Ask Anna also notes that the rubbing alcohol works for cleaning the exterior of the glass, too, but she typically uses the more traditional water and soap combination for that area.

So, before you make an unnecessary purchase on some expensive item that claims to clean glassware, save the money and reach for your rubbing alcohol instead. Just don't forget to remove the rubbing alcohol from the glassware and let it dry when you're done with the process.

It might seem random to hear that rubbing alcohol can be the magic product to make the cloudiness disappear from your glassware, but it works! Even some TikTokers have put the trick in the spotlight — some with unique spins and additional tips. For example, CleanSnob Cleaning Specialist — a TikToker with 30 years of cleaning experience — posted a video about a twist on the hack, noting that you can dilute the rubbing alcohol for spray cleaning. The cleaning specialist says you should keep the ratio with mainly rubbing alcohol and just a bit of water. But if you want the glassware to smell better after cleaning, add one or two hits of dish soap. She also says to let the diluted solution sit on the glassware longer than you would with only rubbing alcohol, as less alcohol will lead to slower cleaning.

Another important aspect to consider regarding the hack is whether you have any cuts, scratches, or hangnails on your fingers or hands. While this may sound silly at first, rubbing alcohol burns those sensitive areas. TikTok user @cooterus even shared a video expressing a dramatic yet relatable reaction to the unpleasant burning sensation that rubbing alcohol causes in hangnails when cleaning glassware. So, please do yourself a favor and cover up your hangnails and cuts with bandages before working with rubbing alcohol.

Believe it or not, you can use rubbing alcohol to clean more household items and areas than just glassware. Clean My Space, a YouTube account with more than two million subscribers posted a video in 2018 sharing more ways you can use rubbing alcohol to clean. According to the video, spraying rubbing alcohol on your blinds can help you keep them polished and fresh-looking. Other applications discussed by the cleaning-focused YouTuber include cell phone screens, chrome handles or details, and diluting rubbing alcohol for cleaning eyeglasses.

Although rubbing alcohol helps clean many items besides glassware, it's always a good idea to apply a tiny bit on what you plan to clean before rubbing a lot of alcohol all over the item. Too much can cause damage. That extra precaution could protect or even save your items and surfaces, as it's always better to be safe than sorry.