Down to this - Cleaning glass stains

The Saga of cleaning out my wine carafes and decanters continues, mostly unsuccessfully.

Superficially, the wine wine vinegar looks more efficient than the red, or apple.  But neither of them did a thing to any of the 4-5 items I’m trying to clean of ancient scars.

I’ve had some improvement from tiny steel beads that rattle around inside the item when you shake it.

Better were the ceramic balls wrapped in a soft, spongy peapod-like casing, also intended to be shaken within the item.

The combination of those two above, PLUS half a dozen squirts of Windex, and a few drops of dish washing detergent is the only thing that has consistently made items cleaner after a strenuous session of shaking: up and down, round and round, back and forth, for 3-5 minutes.

Of the five items, I’ve cleared one today, as good as new.  There are two that are passable – after all, with red wine in them, no one will notice.  The last two have measurably improved from several of the above cited sessions.  However, neither are fit to be displayed yet.  One is soaking in an apple vinegar bath to address a specific  small, but bad patch.  The other awaits my renewed energy tomorrow to apply the above cocktail.  I have ordered more peapods and BBs, each under $3.

I can, by the way, recommend this above strenuous, but non-sweaty exercise regimen.  Feet, firmly placed and centered, in front of the kitchen sink; having filled the carafe, clasp each end firmly with a no-slip grip; then swing your arms  left and right, vigorously,25 times; re-grip and swing your arms up and down, again 25 times; and lastly, re-grip again and begin the final round and round motions.  This is an ab exercise.  Out and in., left and right, up and down.

The case for vinegar is an interesting Covid-19 anecdote.  Safeway was long ago out of vinegar, other than in small bottles for salad dressing – no bulk.  When my sister suggested switching from Apple Cider (which was Oleks Rudenko’s cure-all), to white wine, I asked at Bartlett’s, my local rural market, and they pointed to a shelf with two 1-gallon plastic-jugs and six quart-sized plastic bottles.  I took one of each.  When I went back two days later, Apr 22, they were all gone.