How to Clean Your Wine Bottle Opener Using Household Products

The corkscrew is the unsung hero of any wine night. A good wine bottle opener makes life easier, pours better, and memories less messy. No wonder it is the perfect complement to your wine collection. But like any appliance, it requires proper care and maintenance to function at its best.

Why You Need to Regularly Clean Wine Bottle Openers

If you're a wine lover, you know the importance of maintaining your corkscrew or electric wine opener. The last thing you want is a sticky, dirty film building up on the silicone, rubberized, or wood handle from exposure to food grease. Or worse, bacteria lurking around on your tool. And let's not forget the cork particles that can accumulate with each use. Reusing it without cleaning can cause damage to the cork making extraction difficult and potentially ruining your wine. Additionally, wet corkscrews can rust quickly, affecting their performance.

You don’t want any of that - which is why regular cleaning is necessary. Popping it in the dishwasher may be an easy way to do it. But not all corkscrews are dishwasher-friendly like electric wine bottle openers, corkscrews with wooden handles, etc. Thankfully, manually cleaning a corkscrew is easy and can be done using common household supplies.

Things You Need to Clean a Wine Bottle Opener

1. Non-abrasive cleaner (Mild detergent/Mild dish soap)
2. Warm water
3. Small toothbrush/Soft sponge
4. Dry, clean cloth
5. Toothpick (or any pointed object)

To clean tough grease build-up on your wine bottle opener, you will also need baking soda or white vinegar.

Cleaning a Simple Corkscrew

The twist and pull wine bottle opener is the simplest of the bunch. Cleaning it also takes minimum effort. 

1. Use a dry cloth to remove debris on the worm. Be careful, the worm is sharp.
2. In a bowl, mix warm water and mild soap and use it to scrub the corkscrew thoroughly with a toothbrush
3. Now rinse it in warm water to remove the soap residue
4. Once the corkscrew is clean, wipe it with a clean, dry cloth and store it in a clean, dry place

Easy right? Now let’s move on to a more complex corkscrew.

Cleaning a Multi-purpose Corkscrew

Some corkscrews double up as foil cutters, bottle openers, etc. For example, the Joseph Grace Rosewood Q-Step Corkscrew has an integrated foil cutter and the Rabbit wine opener comes with all of these functions. These wine bottle openers require a bit more effort to clean up due to their multi-purpose usage. Here’s how to clean these corkscrews:

1. All the steps required to clean a simple wine opener (mentioned above) apply to cleaning the corkscrew
2. Now use the toothpick to scrape out built-up debris from the integrated features like foil cutter, bottle opener, etc.
3. For tough stains, soak the opener in a bowl of warm water mixed with white vinegar or baking soda. This will loosen the dirt.
4. Now rinse in warm water to remove the debris
5. Wipe off the water with a clean dry cloth

Cleaning a Lever Corkscrew

The lever corkscrew is a painless way to remove wine bottle corks because it does not require hand or arm strength. The Houdini Lever Corkscrew is an example. However, these are not dishwasher safe. Here’s how you can clean them:

1. Use a damp cloth to regularly wipe the body of the lever wine bottle opener
2. Remove wine and cork deposits by soaking it in warm soapy water to loosen the dirt
3. Wipe off the soap using a clean, dry cloth

Do not use lubricants on a lever corkscrew. Once clean, store it in a dry place to prevent corrosion of the metal body.

Cleaning an Electric Wine Bottle Opener

A more convenient option is the electric wine bottle opener that pulls energy from either a replaceable or rechargeable battery. For example, the Rabbit Electric Corkscrew that comes with 4 AA batteries or the more high-end rechargeable RBT Electric Corkscrew with Coaster. These practically do all the work for you. However, cleaning these takes some effort.

1. Remove the opener from charge or remove the batteries before cleaning
2. Use a clean, dry cloth to wipe down the debris from the outer body and clean the button
3. Use a dry toothbrush to scrape off deposits and dirt from the inside and the worm
4. Dampen a cloth in warm water and rub the device thoroughly with it. Keep in mind that the opener must not come in contact with water.
5. To remove tough stains, dampen the cloth in a solution of dish soap and warm water and clean the opener with it
6. Wipe off the soap and water residue with a dry cloth

Things to Keep in Mind

Regularly cleaning your wine bottle opener is essential for maintaining good hygiene and ensuring it's always ready to use when the clock strikes wine o'clock. Be gentle while cleaning and using it to prevent any damage. Store it in a cool, dry place.

If you find yourself cleaning it more often than you'd like or struggling to clean it thoroughly, it may be time to upgrade to a higher quality and more durable option. After all, you do not want a faulty corkscrew to keep the good times waiting. Order yours from our wide selection at Joseph Grace Brands.