How To Clean Your Coffee Maker The Easy Way

How To Clean Your Coffee Maker The Easy Way

Treat your coffee maker with care and it will do likewise unto you. Every morning you depend on your machine to get you up and out of bed. It provides that much-needed caffeine kick when you're feeling low, so give the machine a good cleaning every now and again to keep it brewing strong. For your daily cups to taste great, rinse out the pot after every use and always clean out the filter. Once a month, you should deep clean your machine. The Coffee Maker will actually remind you when it's time for a cleaning, so you don't even need to mark your calendar. Follow the steps below to keep your coffee maker running full steam ahead.

Clean cups, clean coffee makers - pure coffee flavor. Clean cups, clean coffee makers - pure coffee flavor.
1. Cleaning Solution or Vinegar
You need to clean the coffee maker of the calcium deposits that have built up through continual use. Mr. Cleaner works best, but you can also use vinegar if need be. If you do, pour four cups of white vinegar into the machine and using an empty filter, brew the solution.

2. Wait 30 Minutes
The Coffee Maker will pause for 30 minutes while the solution does its job. If only you could drink some coffee to pass the time. You could always grab your perfectly clean French press and make a quick cup while you wait.

3. Resume 
After the 30 minutes are up, the machine will turn on again and finish brewing the vinegar or Mr. Cleaner. When it's done, dump out the solution, toss the filter or rinse the permanent filter, and rinse the carafe thoroughly.

4. Repeat Twice, With Water Only

Repeat this process with pure water to remove any remaining solution, then completely empty the water and run the machine one last time using only water. Again, that's two water-only brews, emptying the water between each one. After that, your machine is clean and ready to be used once more! You'll notice a cleaner taste than the previous cup of coffee you made with the machine. By cleaning it once a month, your coffee maker is sure to last a long time. Enjoy!

How to Clean a Coffee Maker 2

How to Clean a Coffee Maker 2

Steps
1
Make a mixture of 3 cups white vinegar to 6 cups water-- enough to fill the pot. For a stronger solution (which might be necessary if this is the first time you've cleaned your coffee maker since you got it three years ago) make a mixture that is half vinegar and half water instead. Here are some alternative mixtures:
a pot's worth of water and two denture tablets. Remember to dissolve the tablets in a separate container of water and not the coffee maker water reservoir. Undissolved tablets can make the rinsing process lengthy.
dissolve 1 oz of citric acid in 4 cups of hot water, then add 4 cups of cold water to the mixture.
store-bought coffee maker cleaners
straight bleach (for the glass carafe only) will instantly dissolve baked-on coffee. Never mix bleach and vinegar or any acid; the fumes are poisonous.
Do not use baking soda and warm water; this mixture can clog and ruin your coffee maker! You can resolve this issue by running white vinegar through the coffee maker with 75% success rate
2
Put a filter in your coffee maker, as usual.
3
Pour the mixture into the coffee maker where you would normally add water.
4
Turn the coffee maker on and let the mixture run completely through.
5
Discard the filter and mixture.
6
Let the coffee maker sit and cool for 15 minutes while it's off.
Image titled Clean a Coffee Maker Step 7 preview
7
Rinse the coffee pot.
8
Repeat all of the above a second time, but this time with plain cold water. This will make sure all of the vinegar and water solution is completely gone. If short on time, smell the coffee pot and maker after the first rinse. If there is no smell of vinegar left, you can skip the second rinse.
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9
Finished. Cool! Enjoy!

How to Clean Your Coffeemaker

How to Clean Your Coffeemaker

Try this strategy for traditional carafe coffeemakers and single-serve machines.

Each time you use it:

"It's best to wash the removable parts of your coffeemaker after every use to remove coffee, grinds, and oil," says Forte. "You can hand wash at the sink with warm and soapy water, but usually the pieces are dishwasher-safe. And don't forget to wipe down the outside and the warming plate where spills can burn on."

Forte also recommends leaving the reservoir's lid open use so it can thoroughly dry out (germs love moisture!)

Once per month:

Over time, hard water minerals can build up in your machine's inner workings, and you may notice that your coffee takes longer to drip. To get things back in tip-top shape, you need to cleanse and "decalcify" the machine. Forte's trick? Good ol' reliable white vinegar.

Fill the reservoir with equal parts vinegar and water, and place a paper filter into the machine's empty basket. Position the pot in place, and "brew" the solution halfway. Turn off the machine, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, turn the coffeemaker back on, finish the brewing, and dump the full pot of vinegar and water. Rinse everything out by putting in a new paper filter and brewing a full pot of clean water. Repeat once.

Is your carafe a bit dingy? Fill it with warm, sudsy water and a little rice. Swirl the mixture to loosen any gunk. Use a scrub sponge to remove debris and rinse well. Enjoy it!

Cleaning a Drip Coffee Maker

Cleaning a Drip Coffee Maker

Cleaning a coffee maker is quick and easy; it will remove built up mineral deposits in the machine and result in a faster brewing, better tasting cup of joe. Clean your coffee maker once a month for optimal performance.

To clean your coffee maker, all you'll need is white vinegar and water.

Fill the coffee carafe with a two to one solution of water to vinegar. Pour the water-vinegar solution into the coffee maker's reservoir and place the carafe on the burner.

Turn on the machine and let the water-vinegar mixture drip through the coffee maker. After the solution has run through the entire system, turn off the coffee maker and let the mixture cool in the carafe for 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat the process again with fresh water and vinegar. If the coffee maker has not been cleaned in several months (or years) repeat this process another two or three times.

Dump the water-vinegar solution out of the carafe and fill the reservoir with fresh water. Let the water drip through the coffee maker back into the carafe. Turn off the machine and discard the water in the carafe. Repeat if necessary.

Wash the carafe and filter basket in hot, soapy water, then rinse and dry. Wipe down the exterior of the coffee maker with a cloth or paper towel moistened with cleanser but don't spray the coffee maker directly with cleanser.

Cleaning A Coffeemaker

Kitchen Tip: Cleaning A Coffeemaker

A monthly cleaning will help ensure a great-tasting cup of coffee.

Why Clean It?
Oily residue from brewing, along with hard-water deposits and other impurities, build up in coffeemakers over time. The result: Your coffee can end up with an unpleasant flavor.

How To Clean
Once a month, fill the water reservoir with a mixture that's half distilled white vinegar and half water. Turn on the coffeemaker. Let several cups run through, then turn it off and let sit for an hour. Start the machine again to complete the cycle, discarding the vinegar mixture afterward. Run plain water through the coffeemaker a few times until the vinegar odor disappears. To clean the carafe and filter basket, place in the top rack of the dishwasher.