Vases are lovely to have in the house. You can put all your flowers in them and they brighten up the home. Even if you do not use your vases for flowers and they are purely ornamental, after a while they will also need to be cleaned. At Maine & Crawford we not only sell top range vases, we can also teach you how to keep them looking brand new. To find out more, read on!

1. Some basics to know

There are a few things that you need to know before you start cleaning your vases. You need to know what type of material your vase is so that you can clean it appropriately. When dealing with glass vases for example: you need to place it in a plastic tub so that you can avoid accidental chips and cracks. Ceramic vases as well as metal ones cannot be soaked as this will affect their luster. Glass vases can’t be put in the dishwasher too often as you run the risk of them permanently going cloudy. Gilded vases also cannot be run in the dishwasher.

With that in mind, you need to get your supplies ready to clean glass vases. You will require the following:

• A brush
• Newspaper
• Class cleaner
• Warm water
• Salt and lemon
• Soap

If your vases are looking misty the cause is hard water deposits, you may also need to add a limescale remover to that list.

2. How to clean vases inside and out

There are many tricks for cleaning the inside of your vase. The simplest of these is to soak with warm soapy water and then brushing the inside with a soft-bristled brush to get rid of stubborn stains. If this does not completely remove the stain, you can try a targeted glass cleaner. A spray would be more appropriate as it can easily reach all the nooks and crannies inside. Leave to soak for a couple of minutes then you can wipe away the grime.

If that does not work you can use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. This will fizz away and break down all the dirt that you need to get rid of. Another option is to use a salt and vinegar paste in the same way. On the outside of the vase, you can use glass cleaner, vinegar, or lemon which you can buff with crumpled newspaper. For metal vases, use the appropriate cleaner as required.

At Maine & Crawford, we have a wide range of beautiful vases for you to choose from. Visit our website.