1. Rinse immediately.

Don't wait until the next morning to wash your wine glasses. Even though it might be the last thing you feel like doing after a decadent dinner party, you'll regret it if you don't. At the very least, fill the glasses with warm water and set them on the countertop to avoid stains.

2. Wash with warm water. Set with cold.

There are three main glassware categories—crystal, soda glass and borosilicate glass, aka Pyrex—and all require special care. Hot water is generally too aggressive for delicate wine glasses, so make sure the temperature is warm before you wash. For the final rinse, use cold water and set the glass upside down for a minute before drying.

3. Rinse. Swirl. Repeat.

Once the glass is filled with warm water, give it a few swirls, just like you'd swirl a glass of red wine before taking a sip.

4. Soap vs. no soap.

This is a toss-up, as some experts recommend not using any soap, while others suggest adding a drop or two. Play it safe by using a very mild dish detergent and rinsing thoroughly to avoid any leftover residue.

5. Slow and steady wins the race.

Resist the urge to speed through the cleaning process. Yes, wine glasses are replaceable, but do you really want to splurge on another set? While washing, hold the sponge in place and turn the glass around. Try to avoid sticking your hand into the glass.

6. Say yes to cotton and no to terry cloth.

Nothing against terry cloths but they're not the best material to use when drying your precious wine glasses. For best results, opt for a cotton or linen towel. These fabrics are gentler on the glasses and won't leave any marks.

7. Polish to perfection.

You're almost done! To polish your glasses, steam them over a pot or pan of boiling water. Use microfiber towels to gingerly rub them.

Bonus Tips:
While hand-washing is usually the best policy, you can put non-crystal wine glasses into the dishwasher. Make sure to remove them as soon as they are dry.

Baking soda can help remove stubborn wine residue. Like you would with soap, add a bit of baking soda to water and let it stand for a few minutes. The residue should come right off. Polishing (see tip No. 7) is another trick to eliminating soap residue.

Wine glasses are best stored upside down. If you don't have a wine rack, place them upside down in your cupboard or right-side up if you prefer. Just make sure the glasses are thoroughly dry before doing so.

Hi Kevin, Sorry that internet find for cleaning wine glasses is so much BS, Let them sit overnight if you like, put in DW they will be perfect when they emerge from the DW, we have wine glasses we have been using for 30+ years and they look perfect.

Wine lives in glass, If I had to go to that much trouble to serve and enjoy wine I would not brother, LOL.

John L.

I don't follow the info in what I posted, I just posted it.

I put my wine glasses in the dishwasher and they will often sit 2-3 days before being washed, I'm not too worried about it.  I HAVE seen the etching happen with some nicer(?) wine glasses I have.  Some glasses are large and don't fit well in the dishwasher, so those get hand washed in hot-ish water with liquid detergent.

This will get those wine glasses sparkling clean.  And it's loaded with chlorine.