Wine decanters are functional and elegant, aerating and purifying your wine with their graceful shape. But their long, thin necks can make them difficult to clean. Before you throw your hands in the air and set it in the dishwasher, try using salt and crushed ice to clean it instead. You’ll want to use this cleaning trick before the wine has had a chance to harden onto the surface of the decanter, so don’t let it sit for too long.
This cleaning method is super easy. Drop a handful of crushed ice into the decanter along with a dash of salt and swirl it around. The salt and ice are going to work away at the wine that’s holding onto the glass, leaving you with a fresh decanter that’s ready to use again. When you’re satisfied that all the wine has been scrubbed off, dump the ice out and rinse the decanter with water before allowing it to air dry.
The great thing about this trick is that you don’t need to awkwardly stuff something down the decanter’s neck and try to scrub away the wine stains with a long spoon or something equally unwieldy. The crushed ice and the salt are abrasive enough that they’re going to be able to handle the work for you without being so rough that they damage your nice glassware.
How not to clean a wine decanter
So, now we know one great trick for cleaning a wine decanter, but you may be wondering if there’s an even easier way to do it. There certainly are other methods, but there are also some cleaning tools that you should avoid if you can. As mentioned before, dishwashers are one such method. These household machines are convenient but can be too aggressive for a piece of glassware as delicate as a decanter. The majority of the time your decanter will be just fine, but it only takes one bad run for the thin glass to break. It’s better to wash it by hand.
Dish soap is another hazard. It isn’t the end of the world if you use dish soap, but you should be aware that it can leave odors and residue in your decanter if you’re using a scented soap variety. That may be nice on your plates and bowls, but the smell of your wine is a lot more important and more delicate than a normal plate of dinner. If you’ve gone through the trouble of buying a decanter in the first place, the last thing you want is for it to be accidentally ruining your wine.
