We love cut flowers around the house as they add a touch of elegance and freshness to any room. However, it can be challenging to keep vases looking beautiful and clean when they start turning brown at the base. How do you keep your vases looking their best? I must say some of the vases can be difficult to clean, especially the ones with the small and tight openings. And to be honest I had struggled with trying to get all that built up water stains out. Many times, I would return to the same vase and find that the water deposits would have turned into a hard, brown stains.
Until one day I brought my friend Sara some flowers for her birthday. She had recently moved into a new apartment and mentioned that the previous tenant had left behind a plethora of glass vases in a variety of shapes and sizes. So when I went to choose a vase I noticed they we are sparkling clean and that’s when my friend Sara told me about her success with a home remedy for cleaning vases.
She found a simple and easy way to keep her vases clean and beautiful without spending ages scrubbing at them with a washcloth.
And that’s when she let me into the secret of using Alka Seltzer. She said she had seen her sister in law do this, and could not believe that the Alka Seltzer technique works, but it does!
Alka Seltzer is a type of effervescent tablet that can be dissolved in water to relieve heartburn, nausea, or indigestion. And now it dissolves that grime in the bottom of vases too. You can find this product at most grocery and drug stores, or you many already have it in your cupboard.
Here is How to Clean a Vase Using Alka Seltzer
So, without further ado let’s use Alka seltzer to clean a glass vase
- First rinse the vase to remove any debris.
- Next, add a few Alka Seltzer tablets into the glass vase, place the vase into a sink or tub, and fill the vase with hot water but not quite to the top. The water may froth over, as the tablet dissolves, causing foam.
- After the tablets have completely dissolved, the water will become clear. Leave for about 20 minutes or longer depending on how dirty the vase.
- If some grime is still present in the vase use a soft, non-abrasive sponge and dish soap to clean. For those hard-to-reach areas use a bottle brush or a toothbrush to help the vase clean.
- Rinse the vase thoroughly until all soap residue has been removed.
- Allow the vase to air dry upside down on a drainer. To speed the process up you can also use a hair drier on a warm setting.
- All you need to do now is to add some flowers and enjoy your clean vase.
Now I have wonderful flowers and clean vases! Which vases do you use this technique on? And what other tips and tricks do you have for keeping our vases clean? Have you ever thought of using Alka Seltzer?
