Looking After Your Crystal
A few simple habits will keep your Hemswell glasses brilliant for years.
Washing
Hand wash your glasses in warm water with a mild washing-up liquid. A soft sponge or microfibre cloth is ideal. Avoid abrasive scourers, steel wool, or any cleaning tool that could scratch the surface of the crystal.
Rinse thoroughly in clean warm water to remove all soap residue. Soap film dulls the brilliance of crystalline over time — a proper rinse prevents this entirely.
Dry immediately with a clean, lint-free cloth. A glass polishing cloth or microfibre towel works best. Air drying can leave water spots, particularly in hard water areas.
What to Avoid
Dishwashers. We recommend hand washing. Dishwasher detergents are alkaline and abrasive — designed to strip baked-on food from ceramics and steel. Over time, they etch the surface of crystalline, clouding the glass permanently. One cycle will not ruin your glasses. Repeated cycles will. Hand washing takes thirty seconds and preserves the brilliance indefinitely.
Extreme temperature changes. Do not pour boiling water into a cold glass, or plunge a warm glass into ice water. Crystalline is more resistant to thermal shock than traditional lead crystal, but rapid temperature swings can still cause stress fractures.
Stacking. Do not stack glasses inside each other. The rims and cut edges will press against each other and chip. Store upright on a shelf or in the presentation box.
Removing Cloudiness
If your glasses have developed a cloudy film — usually from dishwasher use or hard water deposits — soak them for 15 minutes in a solution of one part white vinegar to three parts warm water. Rinse in clean water and dry with a polishing cloth. This will restore clarity in most cases.
For stubborn marks, a small amount of lemon juice applied with a soft cloth can help dissolve mineral deposits. Rinse and dry immediately.
The Presentation Box
Your Hemswell Crystal glasses arrive in a satin-lined presentation box designed to protect them during storage as well as transit. If you are not displaying the glasses daily, the box is the safest place to keep them — the satin lining cushions each glass individually and prevents contact between pieces.
If displaying on open shelving, ensure glasses are spaced apart and placed on a stable surface away from the edge. The cut pattern provides a stable base, but a knocked crystal glass on a hard floor will not survive.