Cleaning etched, carved, and painted glass is essential to remove stains and prevent permanent damage. Seedy etched glass may accumulate dirt, dust, oils, fingerprints, or water spots, especially if it is kept outside or in a wet area such as a shower. So, how can you clean your etched glasses?
To clean etched glass, spray it with a glass cleaner. Ensure you wet the entire surface, then rub the cleaner into the glass using a sponge or brush. Rinse the glass and wipe it completely dry with a microfiber cloth. The etched glass should return to its original beauty.
You can avoid unsightly stains from ruining the appearance of your etched glass by cleaning it often. Let’s look at how to regularly clean and maintain etched glass to ensure it’s always sparkling.
What is Etched Glass?
Etched glass is a type of decorative glass that manufacturers have treated either chemically or mechanically to create a pattern or design on its surface. It has several practical benefits, including the following:
- Privacy
- View control
- Glare reduction
- Thermal insulation
- Security
- Affordability
- Decorative beauty
- Utility (signage)
How to make Etched Glass
To etch glass, the manufacturer makes a succession of minor cuts in the glass with acidic, caustic, or abrasive substances. Typically, the scratches appear white against the glass.
Glass can be etched using sandblasting, acid, glass etching cream, or even mold, in which molten glass is poured into a mold constructed with the design or image in relief and allowed to cool.
Although they don’t have wholly different aesthetics, acid etching and sandblasting are both created using different techniques. Both produce a frosted appearance, with acid-etching used to add specializations like lines, mages, and complete opacity.
Sandblasting is utilized for a glass portion, such as logos, shapes, or images. Depending on your design objectives and purposes, the best style will vary.
Both acid-etching and sandblasting can be used for interior walls, doors, and partitions.
Acid-etching is best for frosted designs that cover the entire surface. Acid-etched glass can add flair and style to the following:
- Partitions, dividers, and doors (increases their privacy while keeping aesthetics and branding).
- Frameless walls (uses carefully placed graphics and lines to create subtle illusions within spaces).
- Railings (draws attention to atriums and other strategically positioned areas).
Sandblasting, on the other hand, is frequently used for glass in corporate offices, healthcare facilities, restroom shower enclosures, and other discretionary locations. As a result, it’s ideal for enhancing privacy.
How Often Should You Clean Etche d Glass?
The weather and your particular preferences will determine how regularly you should clean your etched glass. However, as a general rule, plan to clean it at least once a month thoroughly.
Depending on your environment, if the glass is exposed to dust and dirt, you may have to clean it more frequently. Additionally, if you own a business, you can clean the etched glass once a week or anytime it becomes dirty.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a few things to clean your etched glass. You probably already have them sitting around the house or can easily find them at a nearby store. They include:
- Glass cleaner
- Clean rag, cloth, or paper towel
- Lacquer thinner (on Amazon)
- Magic eraser
How to Clean Etched Glass
Now that you have the tools at hand:
- Put a little lacquer thinner on a clean rag or piece of paper towel, and rub the dirty areas lightly. When you clean windows, be careful not to touch the wooden frames around them.
- Let the glass dry to help get the stain off. If the stains are gone when the glass is dry, use glass cleaner to finish.
- You could use a magic eraser to remove visible dirt or stains after the glass has dried. Wet the magic eraser and rub any tough spots with it gently. Once the stains are gone, use a glass cleaner to finish the job.
- You may need to do the process more than once for stains that won’t come out.
- To finish, wipe your glass clean with a soft, lint-free cloth.
If you can’t get all the stains off your etched glass using the regular cleaning procedure, you can use an alternative method to clean your decorative glass. Here’s what to do:
- Remove oily spots and other organic pollution with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth and solvents such as isopropanol or acetone. Be careful not to touch the decorative glazing painted or silvered back (if any).
- Remove any remaining residue by lightly polishing the surface with a cerium oxide in water suspension (between 100 and 200 grams per liter).
- Where circumstances allow, you should wash filthy surfaces (including acid-etched glass) with a high-pressure cleaning device (Kärcher), with a water temperature of at least 30°C, or a steam cleaner (hot water vapor).
- Rinse thoroughly before proceeding with the standard cleaning procedure above.
What Should You Avoid When Cleaning Etched Glass?
When cleaning etched glass, take a little extra care because the surface of the glass is textured. Here are a couple of things to avoid doing:
- Using abrasive cleaning materials such as steel wool, etc.
- Using a dry or dirty rag or cloth to remove dirt or stains. Dry and filthy rags have the potential to scratch the glass.
- Applying excessive pressure which may cause damage to the glass’s surface.
- Products containing hydrofluoric acid, fluorine, chlorine, or ammonia derivatives are prohibited since they can damage the glass’s decorative coating and surface.
- Using any soap will ruin the etching. Soap is tough to remove from an etched surface.
- The surface of etched glass should always be wet cleaned across the entire surface. Never perform spot cleaning.