A glass washer is a commercial machine designed to clean and dry glassware quickly, and is invaluable to businesses in the catering industry such as bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels.

But why should a catering organisation invest in a glass washer instead of relying on hand washing or a standard dishwasher?

They're Not the Same as Dishwashers

Just as you don't wash cotton and silk in the same way, you clean plates and glasses differently too. Commercial dishwashers are designed to wash plates at extremely high temperatures, and use different movements to glass washers. You risk damaging your glassware by repeatedly washing them in a dishwasher. This will inevitably lead to you needing to replace your glassware more often, which is neither effective nor cost efficient.

You can purchase a dishwasher/glass washer combination, but these tend to be less efficient and more expensive to run than a standard commercial glass washer.

Making Life Easier

Most machines can fit under a bar or counter, which is more useful for staff when having to transport the dirty and clean glasses to the bar area where they are shelved. If everything can be contained within the same space, it is quicker and easier to get the dirty glassware into the washer, and then the clean glasses back into their storage space. This also enables the serving staff to stay at the bar and serve more customers instead of having to walk between the bar and kitchen/cleaning space.

Wash Quickly

Some glass cleaners have a cycle time of two minutes, which means you can have your glasses washed and dried within the time it takes to pour the perfect cask ale. Traditional dishwashers will take longer than this, which means there is a high likelihood of running out of clean glassware before the next batch are clean - this is especially true in busy bars, or sports clubs during games and matches.

Optional Sizes

Depending on the demand, you can purchase a commercial glass washer that will clean anything from 12 pints up to 30 pint glasses at any one time. Most glass washers will come with two baskets, so that you can fill a basket whilst a load is washing. This makes the glass washing process streamlined, and you don't have to wait for a dishwasher to finish before you can refill it. It is certainly quicker than having a member of staff wash glasses by hand!

As more customers use online reviews to decide where to eat and drink, it is even more important to ensure that your glassware is clean and ready to use. The last thing you want is to have an unhappy customer post a picture of a long queue or glass with lipstick stains to their Facebook page or Trip Advisor. A catering business cannot afford to serve beverages in dirty glasses, and they can't afford to run out of glassware during busy periods. Both of these lead to dissatisfaction and customer complaints.