HARD water can keep your glasses from reaching “sparkling clean” status no matter how many cycles they spend in the dishwasher.

Gelukkig, an easy three-step process can clear up cloudiness with tools you have around the house.

Carolyn Forte is the executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, en she shared her genius method with the outlet.

Eerste, soak the glasses in a bath of white vinegar.

In only five minutes, the acidic vinegar will dissolve hard-water minerals that built up on the glass.

For added power, you can heat the vinegar before soaking or gently rub any problem areas with a paste of baking soda and water.

Caution is key so you don’t scratch the glassware.

Rinse the glasses in water, then break out your drying cloth.

To keep glasses stain-free, use a microfiber cloth to wipe them dry.

Absorbing all the water right away is crucial because hard water stains can rebuild if you leave glasses to air dry.

You can use the same tactic on larger glass items, and even glass tabletops that are too big to soak.

Just spray vinegar on the glass surface, allow it to sit for up to 15 minute, rinse with a spritz of water, and make sure to wipe everything thoroughly with a microfiber cloth.

Forte did give one caveat: if your glasses still don’t seem to clear up, they might actually be damaged.

“If the film is etching, which happens to some types of glassware in the dishwasher, daardie, Ongelukkig, is permanent and can’t be removed,” Forte said.

You can’t repair the scratches, but you can avoid them in the future.

Keep your special-occasion glassware safe and sound and wash it by hand – using Forte’s three-step process, natuurlik.