This Clever Hair Tie Hack Stops Annoying Drips From Running Down Wine Bottles

Though some insist that boxed wine is actually better than the bottled stuff (and in some cases they're right), there's no substitute for the elegance of a wine bottle angled artfully in a bucket of ice or arranged on a tray with pretty glass stemware, just waiting to be opened and savored. However, wine bottles simply aren't designed to pour cleanly 100% of the time, often leading to small drips on your table or — even worse — a ruby-red ring on your favorite table cloth, revealed only when the bottle is lifted.

Though club soda is a lifesaver when it comes to wine stains, the saying goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure — an adage that rings true in this case. There are a few ways you can curb those annoying droplets before they make a mess, including wiping the mouth of the bottle after each pour, or setting it on its own moisture-resistant coaster. But, with these solutions, all it takes is one or two absentminded moments before you're faced with a sticky mess.

The best way to prevent wine from trickling its way onto your hand, furniture, or clothes is with something you probably have in your home right now — a hair tie. These fabric-covered elastics are perfect for wrapping around the neck of the bottle just below the rim to catch and absorb wayward droplets before they make their way down the side of the bottle, keeping everything clean with very little fuss.

Of course, when using this particular hack, food safety is the first priority. It's important to choose a brand new hair tie that's never been used to style hair. Not only is it virtually impossible to ensure a used hair tie is completely free of strands of hair (yuck), there's no guarantee that it's free of germs or toxic hair products, either. To avoid contaminating your vino with these unsavory substances, choose a fresh elastic wipe from the pack, and give it a swipe with a food-safe cleansing wipe before using it.

If aesthetics are important to you, the second thing to think about is the color of your elastic versus the color of your wine bottle. To prevent a garish appearance, it's best if the elastic blends in. For that reason, you should match the color of the elastic as closely to the color of your bottle as possible. Think black hair tie for darker bottles, or a beige one for lighter bottles.

Additionally, it's worth noting that this hack isn't limited to wine bottles. If, for instance, you prefer the taste of canned or boxed wine to bottled, you can also wrap a fresh elastic around the neck of a soda bottle, a particularly drippy container of pancake syrup, or corral your soy sauce with a fresh and fashionable new accessory. Essentially, anything you don't want to dribble or ooze onto the table or other surfaces could get its own drip-stopper. You may even want to keep a package of hair elastics in your kitchen so you always have a clean one close by.