The Magic Of Decanting

March 8, 2016

Most of you will be familiar with the concept of decanting and decanters, as in their traditional use: that of containing open bottles of wine and liquor.

Decanted wine tastes better (apparently) since the process allows the liquid to aerate, and, for older bottles, serves to separate the wine from any sediment in the original bottle. Meanwhile, serving liquors in decanters is the only proper, presentable thing for a host to do.

Plus, they just look beautiful on a bar.

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

The process of decanting–that is: transferring–can equally be done with much of your household supplies, and can have the same elevating effect as that of a beautiful decanter of whiskey can.

You all are stars when it comes to being in the know, and so you likely are familiar with the concept of decanting pantry items such as sugar, flour, nuts and seeds and so on. But have you ever realized, reader dear, that you can decant pretty much anything into any other more attractive vessel?

Probably you have. Only you’ve rejected the notion, thinking it too high maintenance for as regular a person as you. Or, your preemptive embarrassment at the level of anal retention that would surely be prescribed to you by family and friends who caught sight of your matching bottles convinced you it was too silly an idea to pursue.

Guess what I’m here to tell you? You can decant! People of The Blogland, you are hereby granted permission to transfer whatever goods you like from one container to another!

Laundry detergent?

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

You can decant that!

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

Other cleaning products?

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

You can decant those too!

Dish soap? Hand soap?

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

Definitely Decantable! (!)

You can decant your spices into uniform spice jars,

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

and your oils and vinegars into matching jars,

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

and you can even–yes, really!–decant your toiletries, whether in the shower or out on your bathroom counter.

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

Mouthwash–you can positively decant that (I practically insist you do if yours lives out in plain sight).

What a difference decanting can make! From cluttered and chaotic to utterly serene Simplicity!

If you’re reading this and wondering what in the hell the point is of all this transferring of one substance from a perfectly functional container to a different container, well then, you’re probably not the decanting type. (Nothing wrong with that.)

But for those people who are sensitive to the overall effect of their homes, who get distracted or overwhelmed by the visual noise that product packaging creates, or who are looking to inject that extra measure of Simplicity into their spaces, decanting may be a magical revolution.

Image credits: Home of Kate Davison, photographed by Colin Price for The Everygirl, laundry: Oh Happy Day, cleaning products and laundry: Martha StewartMartha Stewart, dish and hand soap: West Elm, spices: Dora iz Londona, toiletries in shower: Almost Makes Perfect, toiletries; Torie Jayne, mouthwash: New Home Magazine (published by Better Homes and Gardens)

 

5 Comments

  1. […] Yesterday we talked about the concept of decanting as a means of obliterating the visual noise of product packaging and elevating the everyday. […]

  2. Ginger on March 9, 2016 at 3:43 pm

    I really want to do this with my kitchen stuff! Never thought to do it with laundry stuff. I’ll consider the mouthwash lol

    • Annie on March 13, 2016 at 11:51 am

      Definitely get it going in the kitchen at the very least!

  3. Amber on April 21, 2020 at 6:16 pm

    Ugh I wan to do this with my skincare! They’re all different sizes and shapes and hard to store in one place! This seems like a perfect (and beautiful) solution!

    • Annie on April 29, 2020 at 1:29 am

      UGH, Amber, you seriously just spoke to my soul. I SO feel you on this. Skincare is the one area that I’ve been unable to crack the decanting situation. Seems the only option is to purchase products that come in exceptionally beautiful packaging…

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5 Comments

  1. […] Yesterday we talked about the concept of decanting as a means of obliterating the visual noise of product packaging and elevating the everyday. […]

  2. Ginger on March 9, 2016 at 3:43 pm

    I really want to do this with my kitchen stuff! Never thought to do it with laundry stuff. I’ll consider the mouthwash lol

    • Annie on March 13, 2016 at 11:51 am

      Definitely get it going in the kitchen at the very least!

  3. Amber on April 21, 2020 at 6:16 pm

    Ugh I wan to do this with my skincare! They’re all different sizes and shapes and hard to store in one place! This seems like a perfect (and beautiful) solution!

    • Annie on April 29, 2020 at 1:29 am

      UGH, Amber, you seriously just spoke to my soul. I SO feel you on this. Skincare is the one area that I’ve been unable to crack the decanting situation. Seems the only option is to purchase products that come in exceptionally beautiful packaging…

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