Caring For Glassware

Although you may purchase your glassware in vast quantities for your bar or restaurant, it is still imperative you take care of your glasses. In a busy restaurant or bar, accidents can happen; sometimes breakages are unavoidable, but some can be minimised by following simple instructions to care for glasses.

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Storage and Transportation

Store and transport glasses carefully. If possible, never stack glasses or carry glasses in bunches; repeated impacts will leave glassware more prone to breakage. There are many ways to reduce the chances of breakage. Carrying glasses on trays around the restaurant will avoid the impacts produced by carrying in bunches.

Glass jacks are ideal for transporting glassware as they feature internal compartments to secure each glass. Ensuring you buy the right jack for your specific glassware will avoid any movement within the jack.

Glass racks are similar to a glass jack, except they are designed to work in your glasswasher. With a glass rack, you can simply rinse your glasses, load them into the rack, pop the rack into the glasswasher, remove and allow to air dry, ready for their next use.

Shelf liners should be used whenever storing glasses on a solid surface. The diamond pattern used with shelf liners allows good air circulation when a glass is stored upside down, allowing glasses to dry as well as preventing unwanted odours within the glass. Shelf liners are made from a material softer than glass so they also prevent chipping.

Thermal Shock

There is nothing worse than drinking an ice cold drink out of a warm glass, but, more than this, it is actually also bad for the glass. Adding ice to a hot glass will be a temperature shock for the glass, making it more likely to crack or break; make sure that glasses have cooled down before use. Likewise, it is also not advisable to stack hot glasses from the glasswasher. As the glasses begin to cool, the trapped air between the two glasses will try to equalise with the air pressure outside and this can result in the glass exploding.

Etching

No matter how much care is taken with glasses, over time, they can develop a cloudy texture known as etching. This process is caused by continued use and cleaning in the glasswasher. There are a few steps that can be taken to avoid this happening so that glasses stay looking as good as new. Firstly, you should clean you glassware immediately after use with a specially formulated detergent. Glass renovator can be used to help limit and prevent etching; it is recommended that glass renovator is used once every four weeks to remove small scratches in glassware and prevent the build up of rinse aid. Regular renovation will maintain the good condition of your glasses and help to keep nucleated glasses in working order.

Contaminated Glasses

Poor hygiene routines will result in a build up of residues on glassware. This causes problems such as flat drinks, lack of head retention on beers and glasses contaminated with odours and toxins. Washing glasses in a sink is frowned upon by many health organisations and poses risks to the operator as glasses can break.

Glasses should be washed in a dedicated glasswasher that is not used for cutlery or crockery, whilst regular cleaning and maintenance of the glasswasher is crucial for clean, hygienic glasses. After washing, glasses should be allowed to naturally air dry, as drying with a cloth or blue roll can leave behind residues and will spread grease and dirt from hands, surfaces and other glasses.