If the color of the glass is in the glass, it's not going to work, because glass color is created by the impurities mixed into the glass upon firing, and you would have to melt and re-fire the glass to get clear glass, in which case its not really worth it; go recycle it and get something else.
But —
If the color of the glass is created by some kind of film or because of residue buildup, I'm sure it can be cleaned. Make sure it is glass before this treatment, because it is a harsh one. I recommend going up in strength.
First, soak it for at least an hour in soapy water. Try to scrub off as much as you can. If it needs more, then step 2: mix half and half vegetable oil and baking soda, 2 tablespoons each. Mix it up. This provides quite a bit of goo to work with, but if you need more, you can easily increase it. Rub the goo all over your item and let it sit overnight. Check it next day and see if any will scrape off. If not, leave it for another day.
Next day, don't clean off the goo, but start scraping whatever residue is on there with your nails or a nylon scouring pad. Don't use steel wool or any metal; it will scratch the surface. Scrub and scrub and you might get it all off or most of it off.
Phosphate cleaners are not easy to get anymore because they cause algae blooms and aren't good for the environment. But if you can get some, they are powerful cleaners.
Next up, if you still can't get any off (try the oil and baking soda goo above a couple of times; sometimes it comes off in layers), try acetone. This is when you need to be really sure you have glass, because acetone will dissolve plastic.
Use gloves. Wear a mask. Get plenty of ventilation. If you can't get straight acetone, try fragrance - free nail polish remover. Put acetone on a folded paper towel and start rubbing over the area that has residue. It should come right off.
Limit your exposure to acetone and don't leave the lid off the container. Acetone is a solvent that can mess you up directly from the fumes. Store it tightly secured in a cool place away from pets and children, and away from furnaces and heat sources due to its volatility. This is a flammable solvent.
FYI: 0000 steel wool will not scratch glass. Also "Comet" or pumice powder works well with the steel wool . It also works great on filthy windows and mirrors that are hard to clean. It works on removing wine label residue as well.
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If the color of the glass is in the glass, it's not going to work, because glass color is created by the impurities mixed into the glass upon firing, and you would have to melt and re-fire the glass to get clear glass, in which case its not really worth it; go recycle it and get something else.
But —
If the color of the glass is created by some kind of film or because of residue buildup, I'm sure it can be cleaned. Make sure it is glass before this treatment, because it is a harsh one. I recommend going up in strength.
First, soak it for at least an hour in soapy water. Try to scrub off as much as you can. If it needs more, then step 2: mix half and half vegetable oil and baking soda, 2 tablespoons each. Mix it up. This provides quite a bit of goo to work with, but if you need more, you can easily increase it. Rub the goo all over your item and let it sit overnight. Check it next day and see if any will scrape off. If not, leave it for another day.
Next day, don't clean off the goo, but start scraping whatever residue is on there with your nails or a nylon scouring pad. Don't use steel wool or any metal; it will scratch the surface. Scrub and scrub and you might get it all off or most of it off.
Phosphate cleaners are not easy to get anymore because they cause algae blooms and aren't good for the environment. But if you can get some, they are powerful cleaners.
Next up, if you still can't get any off (try the oil and baking soda goo above a couple of times; sometimes it comes off in layers), try acetone. This is when you need to be really sure you have glass, because acetone will dissolve plastic.
Use gloves. Wear a mask. Get plenty of ventilation. If you can't get straight acetone, try fragrance - free nail polish remover. Put acetone on a folded paper towel and start rubbing over the area that has residue. It should come right off.
Limit your exposure to acetone and don't leave the lid off the container. Acetone is a solvent that can mess you up directly from the fumes. Store it tightly secured in a cool place away from pets and children, and away from furnaces and heat sources due to its volatility. This is a flammable solvent.
FYI: 0000 steel wool will not scratch glass. Also "Comet" or pumice powder works well with the steel wool . It also works great on filthy windows and mirrors that are hard to clean. It works on removing wine label residue as well.
Hi Debra, sadly, no you can't, but you could paint them with chalk paint to lighten them up.
The paint or color is in the glass itself so that wouldn't work.