How To Clean A Coffee Maker

How To Clean A Coffee Maker In Ten Easy Steps

A clean coffee maker is important. Over time oils and chemicals from your coffee will build up on the inside of your coffee maker and become rancid. Yuk! This can affect the taste of your coffee so that it is more bitter and can even be unhealthy. Cleaning a coffee maker with vinegar or other common household substance can also prevent harmful buildup such as scaling, rust and etc. that will shorten the life of your coffee maker if left unchecked. Knowing how to clean a coffee maker is therefore very important. Thankfully its also pretty simple.

Cleaning A Coffee Maker With Vinegar, Citric Acid  or Specialist Cleaner

1. You will need white vinegar, citric acid or coffee maker cleaner designed for your coffee maker.

On average, the vinegar is the cheapest and most accessible cleaner. You will need:

• One Part White Vinegar – 2 Parts Water 
• 1 oz. Citric Acid dissolved in 4 cups hot water + 4 cups cold water
• Instructions on Cleaner  

*If you have never cleaned your coffee pot, you might want to consider making the mixture slightly stronger. 

2. Check to make sure that the coffee pot is clean of used filters and coffee grounds.

Fill your coffee pot with the cleaning mixture and pour into the water carafe. Place a clean filter in the coffee pot. Turn your coffee pot on and run normally with the cleaning mixture. Turn your pot off and wait for ten minutes.

3.  When your cleaning mixture has cooled, repeat the process.

You should be careful pouring the water into the carafe as it will probably still be hot. If you have never cleaned the coffee maker you can consider running the mixture through again. Throw away the filter that you used with the cleaning mixture.

4.  After allowing the coffee pot to cool; pour out the cleaning mixture.

Run cold water through the coffee maker with a clean filter.  Wait ten minutes and replace the water. You should repeat this process a few times to ensure the smell and taste of vinegar have been filtered out of your coffee maker.

5.   Use a mild dishwashing soap to wash the coffee pot and the filter by hand.

Alternatively you can use your dishwasher. However; if you have any scaling or buildup on your coffee pot; hand washing will be more effective.

6.  Remember to avoid using cleaning ingredients such as baking soda or powder.

These will begin oxidation in your coffee maker which can cause rust and scaling. They can ruin your coffee maker.

7.  Never use cold water in a hot pot as this could cause the glass to shatter

8.  If you have to dissolve dried or baked on coffee, try spraying it with bleach.  

However; remember to keep bleach away from vinegar or other cleaning solutions. Mixing chemicals can create dangerous fumes

9.  Pure vinegar can be sprayed on the outside of your coffee pot to remove oils, stains and other dirt.

Remember to rinse your coffeepot after word to remove the smell.

10. Repeat this process every 2-3 months to keep your coffee maker in prime condition.

If your coffee maker is full of scale (lime buildup) you should use a stronger vinegar solution and run it through a minimum of 4-5 times. The acidity in the vinegar will dissolve the scale, however the process can take anything up to five hours.

Knowing how to clean a coffee maker isn’t exactly rocket science but is vital to how your machine performs. Cleaning a coffee maker with vinegar is the cheapest and easiest way and is the preferred method for most people.