How to Care for Your Printed Glassware

Your printed glassware represents your brand. Every time a customer picks up a glass, they see your logo, your colours, your message. Protecting that print is simple when you know the right practices.

Whether you're washing glasses in a busy bar, hospitality venue, or at home, the guidelines below will help you maximise the life of your decoration and keep your glassware looking its best.

🧼 Hand Washing

The gentlest and most recommended method for all printed glassware

1. Use a small amount of mild, pH-neutral glass cleaner or detergent in lukewarm water. Avoid hot water — sudden temperature changes can stress both the glass and the print.
2. Wash gently using a soft sponge or cloth. Never use abrasive scouring pads, steel wool, or rough brushes on the decorated surface — these will scratch and wear down the print over time.
3. Rinse thoroughly with warm water, then follow with a final cold water rinse to remove all detergent residue.
4. Place clean glasses upside down on a tray or rack and allow them to drip dry naturally. Avoid air-drying glasses right-side up, as water pools inside and leaves mineral deposits.
5. Do not use tea towels to dry. Tea towels often retain grease and food residues, which can transfer back onto the glass surface and affect both clarity and print adhesion.
6. Never use bleach, caustic alkali, alcohol-based, or solvent-based cleaners on decorated surfaces. These chemicals attack the ink and can cause fading, peeling, or complete loss of the decoration.

⚠️Important: Do not soak printed glasses for extended periods. Prolonged ​ ​ ​ ​exposure to water and detergent weakens print adhesion over time.

🍽️ Machine Washing

For commercial and gastronomic dishwashers only — follow these settings carefully

1. Do not use domestic or home dishwashers for printed glasses. Home dishwashers operate at temperatures and pressures that are too aggressive for decorated glassware.
2. If using a commercial dishwasher, place glasses in plastic baskets with a locking mechanism. Avoid mechanical stress — bumps, contact between glasses, and rubbing will chip the glass and damage the print.
3. Never wash printed glasses together with other dishes, cutlery, or crockery. Contact with harder items is a leading cause of print abrasion and glass chipping.
4. Use only a specialist, low-alkaline glass cleaning agent. Do not use caustic, high-alkaline, or abrasive detergents — these will degrade the print even on properly cured decoration.
5. Recommended washing temperature: 60°C. Rinse aid solution: 65°C ±2°C. Do not exceed these temperatures — higher heat accelerates ink degradation.
6. Water pressure: maximum 0.3–0.4 bar. Wash duration: maximum 2½ minutes. High pressure and extended cycles both accelerate print wear.
7. Monitor water hardness — the recommended level is 1.3–2.5 mmol calcium carbonate per litre. Hard water leaves mineral deposits that dull the glass surface. Use a water softening system if needed.
8. Remove glasses from the machine immediately after washing — do not leave them sitting in a hot, humid environment after the cycle completes.
9. Allow warm glasses to cool naturally after washing. Never shock them with cold water — rapid temperature changes risk thermal cracking.
10. Glasses with metallic decoration (gold, silver) should always be hand washed. Metallic inks have a reduced resistance to machine washing and will dull or lift with repeated dishwasher use.
11. Always follow both the dishwasher manufacturer's and washing agent manufacturer's recommendations for your specific machine and detergent.

🚫Never use "Renovator"-type or heavy-duty descaling products. These are ​​commonly used in hospitality venues but are highly destructive to printed ​decoration — they will rapidly remove ink from the glass surface regardless ​of decoration type.

🤲General Handling & Storage

Everyday practices that protect both your glassware and your print investment

1. Rinse glasses before first use to remove any dust or residue from storage or transit.
2. Never scoop ice using a glass. Always use a plastic or stainless steel ice scoop. Scooping ice causes rim chips and interior abrasion that weakens the glass structurally.
3. Never pick up multiple glasses with glass-to-glass contact. Carry one at a time or use a tray — glass-to-glass contact creates micro-abrasions that compromise both the glass and the decoration.
4. Never stack glasses unless specifically designed as stackable. Stacking causes abrasion and chips to both the glass rim and the printed surface.
5. Do not place cutlery inside glasses. Metal cutlery scratches the interior and can damage print on the outer surface when glasses knock together.
6. Avoid contact with beer taps, dispensing nozzles, or other hard surfaces during service. Even light contact creates surface abrasions over time.
7. Always place glasses directly into partitioned or divider racks during washing and storage — never leave loose where glasses can contact each other.
8. Never pour cold liquid or ice into a warm or hot glass. Sudden temperature changes cause thermal shock, which can crack or shatter the glass and stress the print bond.
9. Do not use printed glasses in microwaves or expose them to direct oven heat, steam, or open flames.
10. Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. UV rays and sustained heat will gradually fade print colours — store glasses away from sunny shelves or windows when not in use.
11. Regularly inspect your glasses. Remove any cracked, chipped, or heavily scratched glasses from service immediately — damage makes glass more susceptible to breakage and accelerates print wear in those areas.

💡Pro tip: Keep an adequate stock of glasses in rotation so recently washed ​ ​ ​glasses have time to cool and settle before going straight back into ​ ​ ​service. Rushing warm glasses into use is one of the most common ​ ​ ​causes of thermal shock breakage.