There is no question that glass furniture, such as a dining table or shelf, looks beautiful in a home. The clean appearance of a glass furniture piece is equally sleek and elegant looking, and the transparency it provides maximizes light and openness in a space. Who doesn’t love that?
Of course, furniture comes in contact with people and things on a regular basis—and people and things can leave their mark. This is especially true if the particular piece of furniture regularly is used to eat or work at, or if it is the centerpiece of a space such as a living room. Objects such as remotes, drinks or magazines may often be placed on it.
A downside of glass compared to other furniture material is that fingerprints, dust and other substances stand out. Just run your finger across a wooden table and then across a glass table, and you’ll see the difference (and then you’ll have to clean it). So if you do have glass furniture in your home, it is important to keep it as clean as possible so you can maintain that sleek and elegant look the glass provides. Below are a few pieces of advice to help you do so.
The Cleaner
We don’t endorse any single brand, but most over-the-counter glass cleaners will do the trick when cleaning your glass furniture. However, if you’re looking for a more “homemade” cleaner, mixing three quarters water with about a quarter of vinegar and squirt of dish soap will do the trick. Vinegar is very effective in this regard, so you can try this mix without the dish soap if you happen to not have any around. Feel free to use a little more vinegar (such as two-thirds water to one-third vinegar) if the smaller ratio mix isn’t working as well as you’d like it to. Mix it all in an empty, clean squirt bottle, and you’re good to go.
Oh, and be sure to use distilled water, as hard tap water can contain chemicals that cause streaking on the glass. If that’s the case, your efforts will be all for naught.
What to Wipe Your Glass With
Paper towels are nice to use for a few reasons. First, they’re convenient. You can just peel off a sheet or two, use it to clean the table and discard it. If you need to go over the same spot, you can grab another sheet and do it again. Second, they allow you to see exactly what—and how much—dirt and grime you’re picking up. Not only is this satisfying, but you can get an idea of how much cleaner the glass is actually getting when you move to the next sheet and see less grime a second time around. Or even better, none at all.
The problem with paper towels is that you can find yourself going through a lot of them if you have a lot of glass to clean and/or you are regularly cleaning your glass furniture. Also, paper towels tend to leave streaks, so we recommend using a microfiber cloth. Microfiber cloths do a great job picking up and holding dirt, and they can be easily washed and reused. In our experience, microfiber seems to be more effective than paper towels, especially when considering streaks.
If it suits you, feel free to use a combination of both. Perhaps go over the glass with a white paper towel first to see how much dirt you are dealing with, and finish it with a microfiber towel. Whatever you do, be sure not to apply to much pressure. Any dirt and debris may cause scratches if you drag it across the glass too hard.
On to Cleaning the Glass
If your glass furniture is really dirty, start by lightly dust it with a clean microfiber cloth to remove any larger pieces of dust. Then spray the entire glass table or glass portion of the furniture with your cleaner. Do not use an excessive amount, as doing so may result in streaky residue left behind on the glass.
Your direction and method of wiping up the cleaner doesn’t matter as long as you are addressing every little area of the glass and are not going over a clean area with a dirty cloth. If there are corners and edges that are tough to get to, clean them with a cotton swab.
After you’ve proceeded to wipe the glass completely clean, inspect it from all angles. Make sure you didn’t miss a spot and that there are no streaks left over. If you find a dirty spot, go over it again. If you find a streak, simply buff over it with your microfiber cloth until it is gone. Yes, another reason why microfiber is king.
Some glass pieces of furniture, such as a coffee table top, may not be entirely made of glass. If the glass sets into the frame of another material, such as wood, you may CAREFULLY remove the piece of glass out of its place (if it is meant to be removed) and clean the non-glass portion first. We strongly recommend you use cut-resistant gloves. We also recommend that you set the glass in a safe place after removing it from the frame.
You may want to clean the bottom and/or top side of the glass when it is out if its place, as it could be easier to access. Then exercise the same amount of care in putting it back on the table. Clean gloves will help minimize the chance of leaving fingerprints or residue on the glass when replacing it.
That’s It!
If you were wondering how to keep glass tables clean, just follow these easy steps, and you should have no problem keeping the glass furniture in your home in tip-top shape. Looking for more glass maintenance tips? Check out more of our blog posts at Glass.com’s Info Center.
