Is maintaining your wine decanter becoming a hassle for you?
Wines are precious to most of us. And more often than not, all things associated with wine and the drinking experience, become precious too.
We all want that little bubble of happiness and pampering to be just perfect.
That is the reason we invest our time, energy, and money in choosing just the right things; be it the wine, wine glass, or the decanter.
What’s easily forgotten here is that after we have had just enough wine for a night (or day), there are things that you have to take care of.
We may finish the aerated wine, tightly close the remaining and put it away, but what about that crystal friend that helped you enjoy your wine to the fullest?
You guessed it right, your decanter.
The decanter that helped you aerate your wine to just the perfect constituency and needs to be cleaned up and dried well for the next time you feel like celebrating.
Since you are reading this blog post, I’m sure you have been there and tried to get that done. Like most, you may even feel the struggle is real when it comes to cleaning and drying up those pretty looking, weirdly shaped decanters.
Worry not! All you have to do is scroll down, and this article will help you out of your decanter-cleaning and drying problems!
Cleaning a Long Neck Decanter
Being quite a relatable problem for most of us wine drinkers, let’s hop onto the solution without wasting time. This section of the article will help you out with how you can carefully clean your decanters with long necks.
Wine is a drink that can be very stubborn when it comes to stains.
As a result, every time you love your decanter for improving your wine’s worth, you’ll be distressed when it comes to getting rid of the stains and getting your crystal magic vessel back to squeaky clean.
This is the reason why soapy water won’t cut it in this case.
To clean your glass decanters, you will need an equally stubborn cleanser. One way to do this is by using crushed ice and warm water.
Starting with warm water will soften your wine stains and rinse away any leftover liquid in the decanter while crushed ice will act as the scrubber that will ensure your decanter is clean before it melts away.
This method is not only practical but also hassle free!
Another more popular and effective method is using denture tablets.
These tablets work like magic when you couple it with the warm water treatment for cleaning your decanter!
Just fill up your decanter enough with warm water to cover all stains and add a denture tablet. Leave it alone for a while until you see all the stains rising. The only problem you may face is the longer time it takes to scrub off the stains or if you don’t have a denture tablet!
You can also invest in decanter removing balls that are readily available in the market and are generally reusable or try one of these recommended Amazon picks for keeping your wine decanter clean.
How To Dry a Long Neck Decanter?
Now that your decanter is clean, that is where the trickier part starts.
While the unusual shapes and long necks of the decanters may look really cool and efficiently aerate your wines, that will make it impossible for your hands or cotton cloth to reach the intricate insides.
However, drying is also an essential process so as to avoid water spots or worse, a film of calcium build-up from hard water.
This section of the blog will give you an effective and easy way to uncomplicate the process.
The most popular method of drying a decanter is undoubted, placing it upside down and letting the water pass out and evaporate itself. There are a lot of decanter drying stands available in the market with different coatings that avoid scratches on the crystal glass.
However, your decanter can easily be at a risk of discoloration if you leave it at that.
Some of the water may get trapped, and if some of the color of your wine remains, it can cause residues and fade your stylish looking glass away.
Worry not, there are other easier alternatives as well.
You can invest in a decanter dryer, which are long thin tubes of gauze filled with silica gel or some other desiccant that will both, reach through the long narrow necks of your decanter and absorb every drop of humidity.
Another popular and sure shot method to dry a decanter is using a decanter dryer brush which has a towel like lower end which you can easily feed into your long neck decanter and then guide its way through the holder above.
How Choosing The Right Decanter Will Help You Out
Now that you have browsed through the above several methods to clean and dry decanters, you understand you need to be careful while handling decanters.
In fact, if you don’t have a smart decanter, you may also have to spend on other accessories to maintain it.
This is why it becomes crucial to choose just the right decanter. One such long neck, effective but smart decanters is the Le Chateau Wine Decanter.
This decanter is not only made of lead-free crystals that make it safe but also a slanted, easy-pour spout which makes your life easier by avoiding spills, drips and makes it easier to dry it!
While Drying A Decanter…
Make sure you dry it from the outside first, and no spots or drops are left on the outside. This makes it easier to target the damp places on the inside. Use a soft and smooth cloth, products that have material that won’t cause any scratches on your glass.
Try not to use excess temperatures while cleaning and drying the decanter. Extreme heat will surely evaporate all the water but can also cause the decanter to crack.
Take precautions and handle your decanter with care.
After all, you have bought it to make your life simpler!