If you drink a lot of coffee, like I do, then you will need to clean your coffee maker once in a while. Yes, coffeemakers need cleaning just like anything else. There are commercial kits that you can buy specifically for certain brands of coffeemakers but you really don’t need those. If you are starting to notice a funny, stale taste, or a decrease in coffee temperature, then you are past due for a cleaning. Your coffee pot is probably dieing to be cleaned. There is no need to put off this chore because it is really simple and you don’t need anything more than ordinary tap water and some white vinegar.
What is so great about vinegar? Vinegar is a powerful acid, and works great to remove build-up inside your coffee pot. You may be tempted to use some sort of specialized or recommended cleanser, but nothing will really clean your coffee maker better than plain old vinegar. It does a great job of scrubbing out the insides and flushing out all of the gunk that is affecting the taste of your brew. To clean your coffee maker, just follow these easy steps.
Clean a Coffee Maker:
- Pour some white vinegar into the water reservoir of your coffee pot. Make sure to fill at least half way with vinegar and then top off with water.
- Make sure there is no coffee or filter still left in the filter basket. Empty if necessary, then put a filter in the basket.
- Run the coffee maker as usual, then turn it off and let it sit for about ten minutes.
- Empty the used vinegar and then repeat the cleaning process one more time with fresh vinegar and water.
- After letting it sit for another ten minutes, fill the coffee maker with plain water and run it as usual. This process will flush out any vinegar residue left in the system.
- Repeat rinse cycle with fresh water until vinegar taste and smell is gone.
Cleaning the Outside:
After cleaning the inside, you should wipe down the outside of your coffeemaker as well. If you have a white coffee maker then this is especially important, but just because you can’t see the dirt, doesn’t mean it’s not there. White coffeemakers really show the coffee stains, but all coffee makers get them. Wipe down the whole machine using a damp cloth, making sure not to miss the part where the coffee drips out. This part of your coffee machine can get really dirty because grounds stick to it and make a real mess. The best type of cloth to use would be a microfiber cloth [1], but any would do.
The filter basket and glass carafe should also be cleaned as well. You can put the pot and basket in the dishwasher, or use soap and water to hand wash. Lime deposits can form on the inside of your carafe. Usually they can be scrubbed away but for really stubborn stains or burned coffee use some Quick n Brite [2]. Simply pour a small amount of the liquid concentrate [2] into the carafe and let it stand for a few minutes. The burned crust and stains will come loose and you can then wash the pot clean.
Cleaning your coffee maker like this at least once a month, or more often if you’re a caffeine addict, will keep your coffee tasting fresh and delicious. Give it a try and you’ll be enjoying a great tasting cup of joe in no time.
9 Comments To "Clean your Coffee Maker"
#1 Comment By Ralph Trondle On 09/28/2006 @ 5:15 PM
What can I use to remove the brown stain in the white filter basket of my coffee maker?? I clean it with a brush after every use yet in time the basket gets progressively stained. Nothing from bleach to vinegar is effective.
#2 Comment By gourmet coffee snob On 09/11/2007 @ 2:28 PM
now that you’ve got a clean shiny coffee pot…what are you gonna fill your coffee cup with…
May I respectfully suggest your friendly gourmet coffee snobfor some answers…
~~gourmetcoffeesnob~~
Always Drink Better Coffee
[6]
#3 Comment By jana On 03/14/2008 @ 10:38 PM
wow thats a great tip, vinegar. I clean my coffee maker with salt and sprinkled with chip ice, it works too.
#4 Comment By stephen On 09/20/2009 @ 11:44 AM
i found that using oxyclean on your white filter basket
does an excellant job of removing those brown coffee and tea stains
#5 Comment By Eric Bikes On 05/01/2010 @ 9:49 AM
thanks !! very helpful post!
#6 Comment By Max On 01/06/2011 @ 4:39 AM
Vinegar did nothing for my coffee (and tea) filter basket and most of the micropores in the mesh remained totally blocked. Ditto bicarb paste + toothbrush. What eventually did the trick was to leave it overnight in a glass of water into which I had crushed half a dishwasher tablet. I also gave it occasional shakes in our ultrasonic specs cleaner but it was definitely the dishwasher tablet solution that did the trick. It’s now looking like new with no hint of blocked pores in the bottom or side panels. You could actually see it working with bubbles rising continually as the oxidizers attacked the residue. Indeed if the reason for it working is to oxidize then you wouldn’t expect Vinegar to do much good.
#7 Comment By Isiah On 08/22/2013 @ 5:17 PM
Hello folks, i’m a coffee enthusiast. I don’t usually write posts but I personally ended
up discovering this piece of writing and I really appreciated it.
It has got a handful of really excellent tips for me to soak up.
I have to say, I’ve become unhappy at present as my brother is no longer around. Searching the net gives me a tiny piece of mind . I’d love to thank you because of this helpful web-site blog which
inturn helps to send out the word relating to coffee
even more! I really was trying to figure out if you have got an email subscriber list so I can always
keep up-to-date at this site.
#8 Comment By SimplyGoodStuff On 08/27/2013 @ 12:44 AM
Thanks and welcome Isiah! Glad you stumbled upon us, and happy to hear you enjoyed this tip.
#9 Comment By Jacqueline L. Pollock On 04/14/2021 @ 5:17 AM
Your coffee maker might not be as clean as you think. Some of the warning signs of a dirty coffee maker are clear: Oily sludge and mineral buildup eventually form on your coffee maker and pot, creating stains, gumming up the brewing process, and producing bitter-tasting brew. But the germs and bacteria you can’t see might pose an even bigger problem.