Easily Clean Your Wine Decanter With This Simple Ingredient

So you know what a wine decanter is, and that they come in all different shapes and sizes. But even the fanciest decanter is susceptible to the harsh reality of red wine stains. Wine is infamously hard to remove because of biomolecules called tannins, which bind to fabric once combined with oxygen. Certain grapes used in wine can also create an even tougher stain to remove if left for too long.

A decanter is used specifically for serving wine, which means that the beverage may be inside the vessel for a long period of time, and will create a deeper stain. This is especially true when it comes to the spectrum of red wines you can drink on any given night. However, one simple ingredient may facilitate the exhausting process of removing these stains, and it's one you may already have in your pantry: rice.

Put simply, rice is a magic ingredient. While there's a common misconception that rice can fix phones damaged by water (Not only is this not backed up by science but it can also damage your phone even more), rice water can promote hair health, and rice granules mixed with water may be the key to removing those pesky stains stuck inside your wine decanter.

For lighter stains inside your wine decanter, pour warm water into the vessel so that it's full, and top that off with some uncooked rice. Then, give it a gentle swirl. By allowing the water and rice to flow within the decanter, the mixture's starches will eventually loosen the stains as the rice granules assist in soft scrubbing.

But some darker or older stains may need a bit more help than plain rice can offer. For these stains, start again with the warm water and rice combo, but add a bit of vinegar as well. White wine vinegar or white distilled cleaning vinegar — no apple cider vinegar — do the best job at removing stains without coloring (or flavoring) the. Then, after allowing the mixture to circulate in the vessel, leave the bottle to sit for at least 30 minutes. Pour out the solution after the necessary amount of time and wash out with plain water. By this point, your decanter should be good as new and ready to serve your next favorite bottle of wine, splotch-free.