Samantha asks: I need to remove the glass stopper from a treasured wine decanter but it won’t budge. Do you know how I might be able to remove it without risking it breaking?

Auntie Flo: Heat is sometimes the best way to ‘unstick’ things when you can’t use any physical force. The principle is that when you heat something, it expands a little. When you cool something, it shrinks. You need to create a temperature difference between the neck of the decanter and the stopper. This should loosen the the two glass surfaces, hopefully enough to separate them. Of course, if there is a sticky substance causing the stopper to be stuck, this possibly won’t work - but it’s worth a try!

Loosely tie a piece of absorbent cloth on the neck, soaked in hot water from the tap. You could even try using a similar cloth soaked in cold water on the stopper at the same time. Leave the cloths on for long enough to ensure there is a reasonable temperature difference and then try to gently remove the stopper.

If that doesn’t work, here’s something else to try - add a drop or two of cooking oil to the edge of the glass stopper and stand the whole decanter in a warm place for an hour or so. Then get a wooden spoon and very gently tap its handle on the sides of the decanter around the stopper area. After a few small, gentle taps, the stopper should come loose. Wash the stopper and around the mouth of the decanter to remove the oil. Good luck!

If you have another suggestion - feel free to leave a comment below.