6 Easy Ways On How To Clean A Decanter At Home

Struggle with maintaining and cleaning your decanters and just can’t get rid of those stubborn stains? Want to know how to clean a decanter at home? I struggled for days trying to find the most trustworthy content to help me clean my carafe after a family dinner party that had been left to stain with wine. So I really wanted to fill that gap with today’s blog post. Here I am going to look at some simple and effective ways as used by top sommeliers & restaurants that you can easily use at home even if you have had no experience - I will also go over my favourite method that works the best for me. As we all know that looking after and cleaning your decanters is just as important as when they are in use!

Quick Notes On Cleaning Crystal Before Cleaning Your Decanter

When Cleaning Anything Crystal and Not Just a Decanter

This method is highly effective as the crushed ice will easily agitate the inside of the decanter and scrub the stains away. Once the ice has melted, it will simply pour away - no mess, no fuss! The hardest part is getting hold of crushed ice.

1. First rinse the decanter with clean warm water to remove any liquid and soften any stains.
2. Top up the Decanter with warm water and leave to steep, this will loosen any marks.
3. Place a handful of crushed ice into the decanter accompanied with half a cup of water.
4. Swirl the solution round slowly in a circular motion and repeat until the stains start lifting.
5. To ensure no solution is left in the decanter rinse with warm water until clean.

How to Clean A Decanter with Denture Tablets

What You Will Need To Clean A Decanter With This Method

• Denture Tablets
• Warm Water

Method For Cleaning Your Decanter

One of the most popular ways to clean a decanter is using denture tablets. This is a quick and effective method that will produce excellent results however not everyone has denture tablets! This step easily takes the longest time because of the time spent steeping, so I didn’t find it advisable for a quick clean up..

1. Rinse your decanter with clean warm water to remove any excess liquid.
2. Fill with warm water and leave to soak. This will loosen up any stains ready for the next step.
3. Now place one denture tablet into the decanter and fill with enough warm water to cover the stains.
4. Once you feel all the stains have been lifted, rinse the decanter well with plenty of warm water to make sure no solution is left and the decanter is clean.

What You Will Need To Clean A Decanter With This Method

• Decanter Cleaning Balls
• Warm Water

Another fantastic method of cleaning your decanter is with the use of Decanter Cleaning Balls, these can be purchased for around £3-£10 and can be reused time and time again.

Method For Cleaning Your Decanter

1. Very similar to previous methods, rinse your decanter to remove any liquid.
2. Soak in warm water to loosen up any stains or marks.
3. Pour the decanter balls into the decanter and fill with plenty water, ensuring the stains are covered.
4. Swirl around until you feel the stains have been lifted. You may need to repeat this step for any stubborn stains.
5. Once you feel the stains have been removed simply rinse with plenty of warm water until clean.

What You Will Need To Clean A Decanter With This Method

• Uncooked Rice or Crushed Egg Shells
• Warm Water

This method is one of the most convenient as all you need is water and rice (almost everyone has rice in their cupboards!), you can also use crushed egg shells. However it took some time for me to remove my wine stains with this method.

1. Simply rinse out your decanter with warm water to remove any existing wine.
2. Soak the decanter in warm water. This will loosen up and debris and soften any stains.
3. Pour around 2cm of rice or crushed eggshells into the decanter and then add enough warm water to cover the stains. Keep repeating this step until all of the stains are lifted.
4. To ensure nothing is left in the decanter rinse thoroughly with warm water until clean.

How To Clean A Decanter with Salt and White Wine Vinegar 

What You Will Need To Clean A Decanter With This Method

• White Wine Vinegar
• Coarse Salt
• Warm Water

Method For Cleaning Your Decanter

This is the method I used because I had everything on hand and found that the vinegar worked best at breaking down those stubborn stains.

This method as used by the master sommelier Xavier Rousset is one of the best ways to clean your decanters, the vinegar and salt helps to break down and scrub any stains away effortlessly.

1. First, rinse the decanter with clean water to remove any excess liquid sitting at the bottom.
2. Fill the decanter with lukewarm water and leave to soak, this will soften and loosen any marks.
3. Now you will need your salt and white wine vinegar.
4. Pour roughly 1.5cm – 2cm of salt into the decanter accompanied by twice as much white wine vinegar.
5. Place your hand over the top of the decanter and shake well. You should start to see the solution changing colour and therefore the stains lifting. Depending on how tough the stains are you may need to repeat this step. 
6. Now you don’t want your decanter smelling of vinegar afterwards so make sure you rinse well with lots of warm water.

How To Dry A Decanter

One of the trickiest things to do after cleaning your decanter is drying it. With a lot of decanters having a narrow necks and strange shapes it’s tough to dry the inside. Below is an easy and effective method to dry your decanters.

1. Firstly dry the outside of the decanter with a glass cleaning cloth to prevent any water spots.
2. Then place the decanter upside down on a cold work surface for about 30-45 minutes. Not on a wood surface or on a cloth as you don’t want your decanter picking up any smells.
3. A neat little trick is to place a piece of cutlery under the decanter whilst upside down to slightly lift and let the oxygen inside.
4. Alternatively you can purchase a decanter drying stand which is a great way to ensure your decanter is dried correctly.

Preparing Your Decanter To Be Used

Even though you have cleaned, dried and polished your decanter they still may pick up some dust whilst being stored. This means you still need to clean it before serving again. A brilliant way to do this is by pouring a little of the liquid you are going to use in the decanter, swirl around and pour out, this will get rid of any impurities and ensure the decanter is ready for use.

Extra Top Tips for Cleaning A Decanter

• Clean your decanter regularly to ensure it stays stain free, stains left to fester can scratch the glass when you go to clean them off later.
• Clean your decanter as soon as possible after use, this will make it much easier to remove stains.
• When cleaning, ensure you rinse well to remove cleaning agents and to prevent any smells. 

How Not To Clean A Decanter

• Do not use dishwasher detergent when cleaning your decanter as this may dull the glass.
• Do not use a sponge when cleaning a Decanter as it may scratch the glass.
• Do not let your glass sit upside down on a cloth or wood surface as it will pick up a scent.

Suggested Sites

Below I have included some further reading material that may be of some interest to you:

• “100 Wines to Try Before You Die” -  An intriguing article with an insight into some of the best wines ever tasted by some of the world’s top experts.
• “How Wine is Made” - We all love our wine but do you know how it’s actually made?
• “7 Basics to Choosing Glassware” Did you know choosing the right glass can make your wine taste twice as good? Check out this guide to choosing the right glassware to ensure your wine tastes the best it possibly can!

 Related Products

Here I have included a related product to the theme of this blog post that you may find of some interest. Just click on the image below to take you to the product page. Remember to like us on Facebook to get an extra 5% off!

     Spirit Decanter Plain Crystal 65cl