I haven’t had very good luck with microfiber towels - they don’t seem to soak up water very readily. I hand wash in hot water with just a dab of dish soap. Rinse thoroughly and set upside down on a dish towel to drip. When I’m done with the washing, I pick them up in the same order they were washed and dry each stem using several paper towels. I usually grab a new set of paper towels after two stems are done. Too much manual labor, but it works.
For everyday we have gone to good quality stemless. Pop in the dishwasher and forget it.
I do use some soap, Seventh Generation unscented. Rinses clean.
-Al
+2
Our new Miele is doing a great job with the glasses, mainly Burgundy and some Bordeaux. The glasses come out spotless with not a single broken glass in a year. I break far more glasses by hand.
Washing really takes too much time. I use disposable stems. Just toss in the garbage after use. This company called Zalto makes an excellent version.
Micro fiber towels can be tough to dry with. We just use a regular just out of the wash dishcloth, not towel material, and make sure to not use any softener in the washer or dryer as it will make the cloth less absorbent. My wife usually washes since my hands are a lot bigger than hers so she breaks fewer. Hot water helps avoid spots but wiping before they fully dry is better. We use mild soap for sanitary purposes.
I hand-wash with soap and water, rinse with hot water, then hang upside down in a crystal rack (we have a rack mounted on the cabinet over our sink for this purpose). After a few minutes, most of the water has collected at the rim. I wipe that off with a paper towel and usually that’s enough. If I really want sparkling clean I’ll wipe the rest of the glass.
Agreed regarding the Microfiber cloths. They’re great for drying other things in the kitchen because of their absorbency, but we’re only talking about a small amount of water beaded in a wine glass. Linen doesn’t hold nearly as much water by weight, but easily picks up water in the glass without leaving anything behind.
I use the same glasses and have had the same problems as Chris. I’ve tried almost everything and have come to the conclusion that it’s the heavy dose of minerals and chlorine in our water. I plan to try a distilled water steam clean to test my theory.
Buy a 3 pack of Riedel polishing clothes. I’ve tried most everything in terms of towels, and these are the winners at my house hands down.
Use Bubble Bandit detergent and all your spots and mineral deposits will be gone. I have a dish drawer so I can set it on “delicate”, but never had any problems in the regular dishwasher
I hand wash, and use the tiniest bit of soap. I find that it makes a big difference in how clean they get, and as long as I use a small amount and rinse very well, it doesn’t leave any noticeable residue. I wash and rinse in super hot water, then do a final rinse in RO-filtered water (I used to use distilled water until we moved into our current house with a built-in RO faucet). I dry them upside down on a cooling rack with a towel under it (to minimize water spots on the counter). Works pretty well for me. The other thing that I’ve found to help a lot is rinsing the glasses immediately when we’re done using them, even if we’re not going to wash them that night (sometimes not a good idea after a few bottles have been opened). I’ll usually rinse them and leave them with some water in them on the counter until I get around to washing them properly.
I have good luck with the green Palmolive liquid, but… I add 30-40% water to the concentrate in the bottle to thin it down somewhat. Then it rinses quite easily and still has more than enough ability to dissolve grease and oil, etc. Works great for my dishes too! 
My fears were real two nights ago as upon returning from dinner, I went to wash the 2 stems I took to the restaurant and proceeded to cut the holy crap hell out of my finger. The stem decided to split in the middle and the exposed edge gashed right into my middle finger, with blood going everywhere in the sink. At least it’s my middle finger so I can have some laughs about showing off the wound. god, that hurt (still does).
Damn, bro, sorry…
I’ve gotten into the habit of NEVER touching the stem, just the bowls, when I wash.
I don’t make any more of a production out of cleaning the wine glasses than I do out of cleaning my porcelain or anything else. Dish detergent and a good hot rinse and put them in the drying rack. I don’t own a dishwasher and I’ve been cleaning glasses this way for many many years. I have no idea why someone wouldn’t use soap - just rinse the glasses well.
-1. Bosch dishwasher is very quiet…also our first dishwasher where we have to wash the dishes prior to putting them into the dishwasher. Thinking of dumping it, actually…
For cleaning wine glasses - hot water, little to no soap, a slightly damp linen cloth to dry removes all spots!
It’s different from a traditional dishwasher; dishes need a quick rinse before going in, and it’s better to open it at the end of the cycle so the dishes dry completely (there is no heating element). Still, I put my Zaltos in there without thinking twice, and I know we all have better things to do with our time than hand-washing glasses.
No disagreement there, Stan, about the handwashing glasses… ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
I never put reidels in the bosch as of yet but if you are putting Zaltos in there, what the hay? I have put some other “travel” glasses in there (The One, from Andrea Robinson) and they come out fine, albeit may need a wipe with a damp linen…