How to Clean a Drinking Horn (and Keep It for Years)
Clean a drinking horn by hand right after use, with cool or lukewarm water, a drop of mild dish soap and a soft brush. Rinse it well, drain it open end down and let it air dry fully. Keep it out of the dishwasher, hot water and direct heat, and never leave it soaking.
A drinking horn is not glass and not ceramic. It is keratin, the same material as fingernails and hooves, grown in layers over a bony core, which is removed to leave the hollow horn. That is why horn is light, why it does not shatter when it falls off the table, and why it reacts badly to the two things a kitchen throws at everything else: heat and long soaking. Treat it like a good wooden bowl and it will last for years.
First, find out what is inside your horn
How you care for a horn depends on its lining, so check that before anything else.
- Lacquered horns. Most drinking horns and horn mugs sold today have the inside sealed with a food-grade lacquer, varnish or resin, and most of the mugs in our Viking drinking horns collection say so on the product page. It looks glossy and feels smooth to the finger. This lining keeps drinks from soaking into the horn, so it is the part to look after.
- Beeswax-lined horns. Many reenactors line their own horns with beeswax. The inside looks slightly cloudy and feels waxy. Wax is easy to renew, but it softens in warm water and melts with hot drinks.
- Unlined horns. Raw, polished horn with no coating at all. It works, but it can take on smells and flavors, and it needs drying with more care.
If the product page or the maker says food-grade lacquer, you have the first kind. If you are not sure, assume the lining is delicate and follow the gentlest routine below.
Everyday cleaning, step by step
- Rinse it soon. Do not leave ale or mead standing in the horn overnight. Rinse it with cool or lukewarm water as soon as the feast is over.
- Wash with a drop of mild soap. Add a little ordinary dish soap and lukewarm water, swirl it around, and wipe the rim with a soft cloth. A soft bottle brush reaches the inside of a long horn. Nothing abrasive: no scouring pads, no steel wool, no rough brushes.
- Rinse again. Make sure no soap stays inside, especially in the narrow tip of a full horn.
- Drain and air dry. Shake out the water, dry the outside with a towel, then rest the horn open end down on a rack or folded towel so the tip drains. Once no more water runs out, stand a full horn in its stand, or lay a horn mug on its side, and let the inside dry completely before you put it away.
What never to do
- No dishwasher. The heat and the long hot wash soften the lining and can warp or split the horn.
- No hot or boiling water. Use cool or lukewarm water only. The same goes for hot drinks: a horn is for cold drinks only.
- No soaking. Horn left in water for hours takes up water, and its layers and the lining can start to lift.
- No direct heat. Keep it away from radiators, stoves, open fires and a sunny windowsill. Drying a horn fast with heat can warp or crack it.
- No harsh cleaners. Bleach, oven cleaner, solvents and scouring powders damage both the lining and the polish on the outside.
If your new horn smells
A new horn can carry a faint smell of horn and polish. It usually fades after a few washes and a few days of airing. Rinse it, let it stand open in a well-ventilated room, and repeat. If the smell stays strong after that, or if you notice it only after a drink has stood in the horn, the lining may be damaged somewhere; check it as described below.
Lining an unlined horn with beeswax
Reenactors and horn makers usually line raw horn with beeswax. Use clean, food-grade beeswax and melt it in a double boiler, never in a pan straight on the burner. Make sure the horn is completely dry inside, then warm it with a hair dryer on a low setting so the wax does not set the moment it touches the horn. Pour in a little melted wax, turn the horn slowly until the whole inner surface is coated, pour the excess back out and let it set. A beeswax lining is for cold drinks only, and makers of wax-lined horns advise against straight spirits as well. Expect to renew it from time to time. Do not wax over a lacquer lining.
Leaks and cracks
Before the first real use, fill the horn with cold water and stand it on a dry towel for an hour. If the towel stays dry, the horn is sound. If it gets damp, look for a hairline crack near the tip, along the grain or, on a mug, where the base meets the horn. If a new horn from us seeps, email support@vikingsbrand.co before you use it again. On an older unlined horn, a small crack can be sealed from inside with beeswax; a crack that keeps spreading means the horn is now for display.
Looking after the outside
The outside of a polished horn only needs a dry cloth. If it starts to look dull after years of use, a very small amount of food-grade mineral oil or a little beeswax polish rubbed in and buffed off brings the shine back. Keep carved designs, like the Valknut or the Triple Horn of Odin on our horn mugs and horn cups, free of polish build-up with a soft toothbrush.
Storing and displaying a horn
Store the horn dry, in a room with a steady temperature, out of direct sun. A full horn looks best on a stand or hung from a strap, and that also keeps it from rolling off a shelf. Keep it out of damp cellars, where mildew sets in for good, and hot attics, where heat and dry air crack it.
Few Viking Age drinking horns survive whole. In most graves the horn itself has rotted away, and archaeologists find the horn by its metal mounts and tips. Snorri's saga of Hákon the Good, written around 1230, describes horns passed across the fire at a sacrificial feast: a toast to Odin for victory, to Njord and Freyr for a good year and peace, and a last one to dead kinsmen. You can see the other vessels they used in what the Vikings drank out of. In a dry cupboard, horn lasts far longer than it does in wet soil.
Drinking horn care FAQ
Are drinking horns safe to drink from?
Yes, when the inside is sealed. A horn lined with food-grade lacquer or beeswax is fine for cold drinks. An unlined horn absorbs liquid, holds smells and is harder to keep clean, which is why most makers line them.
What are drinking horns made of?
Most are cattle horn, usually ox horn: the keratin sheath that grows over the bony core of the horn, cleaned, shaped and polished, and often lined on the inside.
Can you put a drinking horn in the dishwasher?
No. Dishwasher heat and long washing soften the lining and can warp or crack the horn. Wash it by hand in cool or lukewarm water.
Does a drinking horn leak?
A sound horn does not. Test a new horn by filling it with cold water over a towel for an hour. If it seeps, look for a hairline crack near the tip.
Can you drink hot drinks from a horn?
No. Beeswax melts with heat, many lacquers soften, and liquid near boiling can warp the horn itself. Treat a horn as a vessel for cold drinks only.
How do you get the smell out of a drinking horn?
Wash it gently, rinse it well and let it air dry standing open for a few days. A new-horn smell usually fades after a few washes. A smell that appears after use can mean the lining is damaged.