So you went ahead and bought yourself some of that unique drinkware and after running them through the dishwasher a bunch a cloudy film has started to develop on your favorite cocktail glasses, now what?! Do not worry, there are ways to clean your glasses and ways to prevent the film from ever developing at all. Here's what to do. 

First a foremost, the number one thing you can do to prevent your stylish glassware from getting etched or cloudy is to handwash. I know, I know, it is the last thing you want to do and I for one, do not want to hand wash anything! But, according to all the articles I read about the subject, it really is the most sure fire way of preventing the glasses from getting ruined. In addition, when you handwash you should dry the glasses with a lint-free bar towel so the minerals in the water do not sit on the glass causing corrosion.

You may think the quality of glassware has something to do with whether or not the glasses get etched or cloudy, but it doesn't. There are several reasons for the problems to occur. For example, overloading the dishwasher preventing the rinse cycle from rinsing glasses completely. Another issue is water temperature. According to Libbey, the manufacturer of glassware, the correct water temperature is 140F to 150F.

Not using a rinse agent doesn't help matters either. And contrary to popular belief soft water doesn't necessarily prevent cloudiness or etching, it can actually be to blame for the problem. Who knew?! I thought it was the other way around. Anyway, fear not because there are some other ways of bringing your best glasses back to life. 

Before I get in to what you can do, it is worth mentioning that once glasses have become permanently etched, there really isn't anything you can do in that situation. The etching is caused by an altering of the structure of the glass itself, therefore it is not reversable. However, cloudy film on the glasses is fixable. Here's how to do it according to Good Housekeeping and Martha Stewart:

1. Soak glasses in warm, distilled, white vinegar for anywhere between5 minutes to an hour. You can also make a paste of baking soda and rub it gently on the glass with your finger to remove film. But be gentle with the baking soda so as not to scratch the glass.

2. Rinse the glasses well under warm water.

3. Dry the glassware with a microfiber cloth or any lint-free towel such as the flour sack bar towels we carry. Do not let the glasses air dry because the minerals in the water will just get back to work latching on to the glass again.

4. If none of the above works, Epicurious says you can try a restaurant-grade cleaner such as Stem Shine or Restaurant Crystal Clean, but be warned, these cleaners are a little spendy. 

If none of these steps work, chances are the glasses are permanently etched and cannot be saved. Fortunately, knowing from the beginning how to care for your prized drinkware will prevent all these problems and make your glasses last a long time.