How to properly clean your glass furniture

Author: DREIECK DESIGN Editorial Team
Last updated: June 21, 2025

Cleaning Glass Furniture: How to Maintain the Flawless Shine of Your Designer Pieces

Designer glass furniture from DREIECK DESIGN is an elegant eye-catcher, lending a special lightness and sophistication to any room. The brilliant clarity and perfect surfaces are a hallmark of the highest quality. To ensure they continue to delight you and your home for as long as possible, proper care is essential. Although high-quality glass is robust, it requires special and particularly gentle care to prevent scratches, streaks, and dull spots. In this guide, we'll show you how to clean your glass furniture correctly and what to consider for different types of glass and material combinations.

Graphic illustrating the topic of cleaning glass furniture

The Right Tools: The Basics for Perfect Glass Cleaning

A successful and gentle glass cleaning process begins with selecting the right tools. With just a few high-quality items, you can achieve professional results:

  • Two soft microfiber cloths: One for damp cleaning and a second, completely clean and dry one for polishing afterwards. Microfiber cloths are ideal as they effectively capture dust and dirt and are lint-free.
  • A soft cotton cloth or chamois leather: An excellent alternative to a dry microfiber cloth for achieving a streak-free shine.
  • A spray bottle with water: For lightly dampening the surface or the cleaning cloth.
  • Mild glass cleaner or proven home remedies: Less is often more. A good quality glass cleaner or a simple mixture of water with a splash of vinegar or spirit is usually sufficient.

The Correct Technique: Cleaning Glass Furniture in 3 Steps

First things first: Never clean glass furniture dry! Even the smallest dust or dirt particles can act like sandpaper on the dry surface and cause fine, irreparable scratches (so-called "cleaning streaks"). Therefore, always proceed as follows:

  1. Preparation (Dust Removal): Carefully remove loose dust with a soft, dry duster or a slightly damp cloth, without applying pressure. Never use a vacuum cleaner nozzle on the glass surface, as this can cause scratches.
  2. Damp Cleaning: Always spray a small amount of glass cleaner or your cleaning solution onto your soft cleaning cloth, not directly onto the glass furniture. This prevents liquid from seeping into joints, under fittings, or onto adjacent wood or metal parts. Now, wipe the glass surface thoroughly with the damp cloth using gentle pressure.
  3. Polishing for a Streak-Free Shine: Immediately polish the damp glass surface with a second, completely clean and dry microfiber cloth, a chamois leather, or crumpled newspaper until it is completely dry and free of streaks.

An elegant QUADRO glass coffee table from DREIECK DESIGN being cared for
(Regular care maintains the shine of high-quality furniture like the QUADRO coffee table)

Special Cases: Cleaning Different Types of Glass and Surfaces

Not all glass is the same. Depending on the surface finish, an adapted cleaning method is required.

Removing Stubborn Dirt from Clear Glass (Float & Optiwhite)

An insider tip for removing particularly stubborn dirt, such as dried-on stains or limescale marks from a robust clear glass surface, is the use of very fine steel wool. This may sound surprising at first, as steel wool is not known for being the gentlest cleaning utensil. However, the right kind of steel wool can be a master at effectively removing coarse dirt from glass without scratching it.

When using steel wool, the same rule of thumb applies as for glass cleaning in general: never clean dry! Put some glass cleaner on the wool to avoid damaging the glass. Also, pay close attention to the grade of the wool: you can safely use grades 000 and, ideally, 0000 for cleaning glass. Never use coarser steel wool!

Caution with Satinized or Lacquered Glass!

Important Note: Cleaning with steel wool should only be done on clear, uncoated glass like float or Optiwhite glass. If you own, for example, an elegant coffee table or a high-quality display case made of satinized (frosted), matte, or colored lacquered glass, you should under no circumstances use steel wool or other abrasive cleaners. Due to the slightly roughened (satinized) or refined (lacquered) surface, treatment with steel wool can cause irreparable damage and scratches. For these surfaces, only use soft cloths and mild, non-abrasive cleaners!

Cleaning Glass with Proven Home Remedies

Especially for glass furniture used as dining or coffee tables, it is advisable to use cleaning agents that are as gentle and natural as possible. Aggressive industrial cleaners containing lye, strong acids, or fluoride are often unnecessary and not recommended. Some proven home remedies that are very effective include:

  • Dish Soap: A few drops of mild dish soap (without balm or "care" additives) dissolved in warm water is an excellent grease remover.
  • Vinegar: Water with a splash of vinegar effectively removes unsightly limescale stains caused by hard water.
  • Lemon Juice: Water with the juice of a lemon is ideal for cleaning sensitive glass surfaces, also works against limescale, and leaves a fresh scent.
  • Spirit: A classic for a streak-free shine, but should always be diluted with water (e.g., in a 1:10 ratio).

Maintaining Your Furniture with Proper Glass Cleaning

Proper and regular cleaning is particularly important for exclusive designer furniture made of glass to maintain its value and flawless appearance. After all, these pieces are often a conscious investment in quality and design and should therefore provide enjoyment for longer than conventional furniture. Unsightly scratches, cloudiness, and streaks from improper cleaning are often more visible on glass than on any other material.

Such avoidable damage can detract from the brilliant overall appearance of the glass and thus the entire piece of furniture. With careful, gentle cleaning, you can ensure that your noble designer piece from DREIECK DESIGN shines in new splendour for decades to come.

A clean and well-kept desk made of Optiwhite glass, model FLY by DREIECK DESIGN
(A well-maintained workspace: FLY desk made of Optiwhite glass with a drawer by DREIECK DESIGN)

Do you already own glass furniture from DREIECK DESIGN and have further questions about proper cleaning or the care of special surfaces? Then please feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you with our expertise.

FAQ

It is best to use water with a dash of washing-up liquid and a dash of rinse aid as the cleaning agent. Be careful not to use too much detergent as this will leave streaks on the glass. Then dry quickly with a microfiber cloth.

Cloudy glass is often caused by limescale deposits. An effective home remedy to remove these is vinegar. Add a dash of vinegar to the cleaning water and use it to carefully clean the glass surface.

Add a dash of rinse aid to the cleaning water to make the glass shine again.

The absolute most important rule is: Never clean glass furniture dry! Even the smallest dust or dirt particles can act like sandpaper on a dry surface and cause fine, irreparable scratches. Therefore, always use a soft, clean, and slightly damp cloth when cleaning your valuable glass tables or glass display cases.

For very stubborn dirt on clear, uncoated glass, very fine steel wool (grade 0000) can help. Important: Only ever use it when well-moistened with glass cleaner and with very little pressure. Test it on an inconspicuous area first. This method is absolutely unsuitable for more sensitive surfaces like satin or lacquered glass. You can learn more in our detailed guide to cleaning glass.

No, these surfaces require special care. Satin (frosted) and lacquered glass must never be treated with abrasive agents or steel wool, as this would permanently scratch the surface. Use only soft microfiber cloths and very mild, non-abrasive cleaners here. An example of furniture with such surfaces is our SHINE display cases with satin doors.