If you’re like many people, your coffee maker might be your favorite appliance. It’s there for you when you wake up groggy and sleepy, always ready to brew a steaming mug (or three). Some coffee makers can even be preset to have the coffee made before you get out of bed, and if you have a single-serve coffee maker, all you have to do is pop in a pod and wait for your coffee cup to fill.
However, cleaning your coffee maker can also be the easiest chore to forget. After all, it’s just hot water pouring through the machine, right? But hot water causes buildup that can clog your machine or — in extreme cases — cause it to stop functioning. You may need to use vinegar to clean your coffee maker and remove the buildup. Coffee grounds can also find their way into nooks and crannies, tainting the taste of your coffee and potentially causing bacterial or mold growth. Not only is that gross, but mold can cause allergic reactions for some people.
To keep your coffee maker functioning well and brewing the best coffee possible, it needs to be cleaned regularly. Need to add cleaning the coffee maker to your cleaning routine, but don’t know how to properly clean it? Read on to learn how to clean Keurig coffee makers as well as standard drip brewers fresh and tidy throughout the year.
Daily Routines for Cleaning a Coffee Maker
No matter what kind of coffee maker you have, you’ll want to perform certain cleaning tasks every time you brew coffee. For cleaning a Cuisinart coffee maker, or a similar drip machine, make sure to wash the carafe regularly with soap and water. Wipe up any spills immediately, especially on the hot plate, and make sure to throw away the used grounds as soon as possible so mold doesn’t form in the damp environment. If you have a removable filter basket, wash it as well. Make sure to check your owner’s manual for any special instructions on cleaning your coffee maker.
Keurig cleaning may require less daily maintenance, but you should still make sure to wipe up spills immediately. If you brew a sugary or flavored drink, such as hot chocolate, make sure to run a rinse cycle as soon as possible (run the Keurig as normal, but without a K-cup). This will help prevent bacterial growth or mold forming in the sugary residue, as well as make sure your next cup of coffee doesn’t taste like hot chocolate. If you have any questions on how to clean Keurig coffee makers, check your owner’s manual to avoid accidentally damaging the machine.
How to Clean Your Coffee Maker Weekly
Cleaning the coffee maker intensively is not necessary every day, but taking some time every week for a deeper clean will save you time and trouble in the long run. And wiping up spills as they occur is always a good idea.
For a Keurig, remove the mug tray, the K-cup holder, and the water reservoir with its lid. Check your owner’s manual for detailed instructions on cleaning the parts — in most cases, you can simply wash them with soap and water (there’s no need to use vinegar to clean your coffee maker weekly). Use a damp rag or cleaning brush to clean out the area around the K-cup holder, and wipe down the outside of the machine. Check your owner’s manual for instructions on cleaning the Keurig needle, which may be necessary if your Keurig is having trouble brewing.
A drip coffee maker will have fewer parts to clean, but you’ll want to remove the filter basket and wipe out any coffee grounds underneath. Wipe down the outside, and check for any residue or spills.
Whenever you’re cleaning your coffee maker, make sure to move your machine and wipe the counter underneath, as well! And, if you use one, cleaning a coffee grinder every week can help keep it running properly. Wipe down the outside and use a brush to remove old grounds from inside the chamber.
Should You Use Vinegar to Clean Your Coffee Maker?
While you may already be familiar with its usefulness around the house, you may not know that you can also use vinegar to clean your coffee maker. Vinegar is acidic, which makes it perfect for removing that hard, scaly buildup in your Keurig or drip machine (a process known as descaling). You can use apple cider vinegar for cleaning your coffee maker, as well as white vinegar — whichever you have around the house. Your coffee maker should be descaled at least every six months, to prevent excessive buildup.
How to Descale a Keurig
After you’ve cleaned the rest of your Keurig, it’s time to descale it. Here’s how to clean the Keurig with vinegar:
Fill the water reservoir with a mixture of one part vinegar to one part water. Then, run a brewing cycle on the largest size with no K-cup in the holder (yes, you’re brewing a mug of hot vinegar). Repeat the brew cycle until the vinegar mixture in the reservoir is out or you get an “add water” message. Then, let it sit for thirty minutes. This provides time for the vinegar to clean the coffee maker and break down the buildup.
After thirty minutes, dump out the rest of the vinegar, rinse the reservoir, and fill it with fresh water. Run the brew cycle again until the water runs out — this will make sure your next cup of coffee doesn’t taste like vinegar. Many machines also have water filters that need to be changed regularly, and this is the perfect time to do it. Once you’ve finished cleaning your Keurig with vinegar, you’re ready to brew the perfect cup of coffee!
Cleaning your Keurig with vinegar is not only cheap, it’s all-natural and safe, as vinegar is a natural and harmless cleaning agent. However, if you hate the smell, or you simply want to know how to clean a Keurig without vinegar, Keurig offers instructions to descale your machine with a cleaning solution for Keurig sold directly by the company.
How to Descale a Drip Coffee Maker
The process for using vinegar to clean your coffee maker is similar in a drip brewer. Fill the water reservoir with a mixture of one part water to one part vinegar, insert an empty paper filter in the filter basket, and run the brewing cycle. When the machine is halfway through the brewing cycle, shut it off and let it sit for thirty minutes so the vinegar can work.
After thirty minutes, turn the coffee maker back on and let it finish the cycle. Dump out the hot vinegar and water mixture, replace the paper filter, and run another cycle of plain water to rinse out any traces of vinegar. Your coffee maker should now be free of hard water buildup and ready to keep brewing delicious coffee!
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