How to clean a wine decanter

Decanters are useful tools that can make the wine’s flavor profile magnified. However, cleaning the wine decanter can be rather perplexing, especially when you have to deal with those coming in different shapes and sizes. Should you rinse it with vinegar or scour it with baking soda? Here are some methods for keeping your decanters clean every time you use it.

Vinegar and water

Though it is tempting to leave the decanter overnight after you’ve finished using it, simply rinsing the decanter with vinegar and water would be better for long-term cleaning. First, rinse the decanter with warm water for minutes. Then, add in a splash of vinegar inside (white distilled vinegar is recommended) and shake the decanter well. After that, rinse it with warm water and air dry.

Salt and ice

This method is especially useful for decanters with spots of stains, but it is also a bit “aggressive”. So make sure your decanter is relatively sturdy and simply swirl the ice and salt, which actually work as a sort of liquid steel wool pad. Afterward, rinse the decanter with room-temperature water and leave it air dry.

Decanter brush

Some people don’t think swirling water and vinegar is enough to clean the decanter, so they may use another cleaner as well: decanter brush. It is made with foam bristles and is long enough to reach the bottom of the vessel. Some of them are also designed to conform to the shape of the decanter.

Cleaning beads

Cleaning beads may be the most convenient tool to clean your decanter. These little stainless-steel balls will pick up residue and sediment inside the decanter and are able to reach the tough-to-reach spots. Just swirl the water, vinegar, or lemon juice with the cleaning beads, you’ll get a brand-new one without any scrubbing. For reusing the beads, you can store them in a Silicon Filter Bag.

Some decanters have special shapes and uneven surfaces, such as the whiskey decanter. They are also smaller and thicker, which makes it harder to use the decanter brush inside. That said, the New Shape Cleaning Beads may be the choice. The special flying saucer shape enables the cleaning beads to reach all corners inside a carafe, and other special vessels that cannot be cleaned with a brush.