How do you clean a coffee maker?
Posted by adminJul 21
I have a standard, run of the mill, coffee maker. No timer or fancy gadgets. Just on and off. Is there a safe way to clean the insides? I think I heard a while back of running vinegar or something through the brew cycle but I could be wrong.
11 comments
Comment by woodtick314 on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Put 6 cups of vinegar in the reservoir. Turn the coffee maker on. When it starts to drip, turn it off. After 45 minutes to an hour, turn it back on and let it finish its brewing. Empty and wash the decanter, then run 3 full pots of clean water through. Wash the decanter and you are good. This should be done around once a month, more or less depending on the hardness of your water. Hope this helps.
Comment by L C Nye on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Run some diluted white vinegar through the machine. I would use about 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Be sure to rinse it with another round of just water. This should do the trick.
Comment by Joel W on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Yes, run cycle of vinegar through it and then clean water afterwards. It will break up calcium deposits in the brew system.
Comment by dell_fargus on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
The best coffee pots are the dirty ones! You need to season them like a dutch oven or a croc-pot.
I guess that if it were getting moldy or something, I’d run a diluted bleach and water solution through it and then thoroughly rinse it out.
Although…it might be easier to run to Walmart and just pick up another one if it’s nothing fancy.
Comment by Lois Lane on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
That’s what I do. I make sure that the old coffee filter is disposed of then I take the coffee container and fill it half with white vinegar and half with cool water and pour into the coffee pot and let it sit for a couple of hours then I run it through a cycle, pour out the solution and run it through 2 plain water cycles to finish cleaning it.
Comment by ♪ Chicana on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
run vinegar and water through the cycle….and replace the filter
Comment by <3 on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Yes, I heard running vinegar too, but they actually sell a cleaning powder especially for cleaning coffee makers at the Supermarket. You mix it with water and you pour it where the water goes and then run a brew cycle. It works perfectly! Its from Mr. Coffee.
Look for it in the coffee isle, near the filters.
Comment by Mariquita. on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Yes, runing a solution of 1 cup vinegar and 11 cup warter will do it.
Comment by whosaidthat? on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Woodtick is absolutely right. you will be amazed at the stuff you see in the pot when you’re done. Do not dilute the vinegar!
Comment by Thompson on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Yes that is the best way of cleaning a coffee maker.
Comment by Jetsa C on July 21, 2010 at 3:38 am
Cleaning a coffee maker isn’t a "maybe" task, but rather an absolute must. To get great tasting coffee, you should clean your machine on a regular basis. Your coffee drinking guests will appreciate this as well. To learn how, keep reading.
Clean It Every Time
While you don’t need to clean out the entire machine every time you make a pot of coffee, you definitely need to clean out the pot and the filter holder. If you use a reusable metal or mesh filter, it should be thoroughly washed before being used again. Otherwise, leftover residue from stale coffee will be noticeable in the next brew.
Easy Soap, But Soap
Don’t simply rinse your coffee pot out with water. Coffee contains strong oils that can only be washed away with mild soap. Refrain, however, from using too much and make sure you rinse it out thoroughly to avoid a soapy taste on your next pot of coffee.