Stubborn dirt doesn't have to be a pain in your glass

My wife’s friend Sandy requested information on how to properly clean Pyrex glassware. Because a lot of us have and use Pyrex containers, I thought this would be a good topic to cover in this week’s article.

Pyrex is a brand name for glassware introduced by Corning in 1915. Originally, Pyrex was made from borosilicate glass and later changed to tempered soda lime glass. Corning divested its consumer products in 1998 to Newell Rubbermaid and subsequently adopted the name of World Kitchen. Most of the Pyrex is now made at World Kitchen facility in Charleroi, Pa. Products made for Europe are made in France, which still uses the borosilicate formula.

Before an item can be cleaned properly it is very important to understand what a product is made from. Glass in general is very difficult to clean once the surface has been scratched and a material has been imbedded in it. Over time the heating and cooling process causes further penetration of the material into the glass. Using course materials (steel wool and abrasives) in the cleaning process further scratches the surface, again allowing penetration of foreign materials.

To my knowledge, there is no sure fire way or guarantee to get imbedded materials out of glass; however, I have had some success in using poultices coupled with manual scrubbing. Here are a few tips to consider when cleaning glassware:

n Make a poultice using bleach and flour. The texture should resemble that of a white glue.

n Press in and apply the poultice evenly over the surface and allow it to dry for several hours.

n After drying us a wooden tooth pick to gently rub off the poultice and hopefully pulled out the stain.

Note: The bleaching and drying action of the poultice coupled with the rubbing action of the toothpick usually removes the offending material. This technique may take several applications before all of the material has been removed. Good luck!

If you would like to share a cleaning idea or concept with the reading audience, call Ed at NWES (255-2266), e-mail them to nwees@hughes.net or send them to Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., Sandpoint, ID 83864, Attn: What Would Ed do? For more information about Ed, go online to www.nwees.com.

Copy written by Edmond E. Madan, certified indoor environmental professional, forensic, fire, flood, mold Inspection and remediation/restoration contractor. Ed is the president of Northwest Environmental Services, Inc.