The greatest care is necessary in cleaning decanters. There are several materials used for the purpose; pounded egg-shells, wood ashes or sand, are all objectionable as being liable to scratch the glass; some lukewarm soap suds, in which a little pearlash has been dissolved, and some very small pieces of raw potato thrown into the water will generally, when well shaken about, remove all the crust left on the sides; a bottle brush, or a piece of sponge, tied to the end of a long piece of whalebone, may be used to finish the polish of the inside after it has been several times rinsed with cold water; then brush the outside in a bowl of soap suds with a glass brush, rinse with cold water, drain in a rack for ten minutes, then dry the inside with a soft rag, tied to the end of a stick or whalebone, and the outside with the glass cloth, and leave the stopper out till the inside of the decanter is perfectly dry, as spots of mildew will entirely spoil it; if decanters are put by empty, a piece of paper should be put around the stopper to keep it from sticking, and to prevent the dust from getting into the bottle; if they are put by with wine in them, it is well to take out the stopper and replace it with a cork, which preserves the wine better; decanters and bottles are often cleaned with shot; when this is done, care should be taken that no grain be left in the bottle, as the lead and arsenic used in the manufacture of shot, when combined with the acid which exists in fermented liquors, form a dangerous poison.