Cleaning Your Cut Glass

This is a photo of our permanent glass cleaning set-up.  The large plastic tub on the right contains 5-gallons of water and ¼ cup (or 60 cc) of the “magic snake oil" glass cleaner.  We have found ¼ cup (or 60 cc) added to 5 gallons of water a very effective mixture; the use of a stronger mix does not clean your glass faster or better.  As the water level goes down due to evaporation and loss from use, we add water to bring it up to the original level until the solution is no longer effective.  We use an oversized, easy-to-get-on-and-off rubber glove on the right hand to give you a better grip on the glass and to prevent drying out of the skin.  (The primary ingredient in the cleaner is borax which effectively strips the oil from your skin and dries it out--there is nothing in the cleaner that is ‘toxic’ to your skin, however).  The solution remains usable for long periods of time.  We change to a new batch only after the solution becomes stratified, gets visually dirty or has a slight odor.  Generally, no brushing of the glass is needed after cleaning.  Soak the glass as needed—from a few minutes to over-night if the piece is really dirty (as in ‘mall’ glass).  Rinse thoroughly in room-temperature fresh water running over (and in) it, drain on a towel and then rub dry with a bath towel.  We also use narrow strips  of an old bath towel (with edges that have been serged) to dry the inside of items you cannot get your hand into; a long wooden dowel is used to move the strip around the inside of the piece.  For very small openings, it is best to leave a ‘tail’ hanging out so you can remove the strip after drying the inside of the piece.  The solution does wonders for the inside and outside of any glass – however it will not remove etched-on cloudiness.  We have not found any problems with the product or the process.

* 3/4 cup of the "Magic Snake Oil"
   glass cleaner (which is three
   'batches') is available for $10.00
   which includes shipping

  Warren & Teddie Biden          
            House of Brilliant Glass
            503/246-9930
            biden@brilliantglass.com