8 Easiest Ways To Clean Your Coffee Maker
One of the purest joys is standing in your kitchen, before the day has begun, to have a coffee and quiet moment to yourself. Owning a coffee maker can mean having top-quality drinks right from your kitchen and it saves you from meeting friends at coffee shops. But it also means that you've got to maintain the machine. Generally speaking, you can clean your coffee maker with everyday items found at the supermarket and the more you clean it, the easier it will be
The Spruce explains that while cleaning your coffee maker is pretty easy, if you don't do it enough then the build-up of mineral deposits and coffee residue can impact the taste of your coffee and impair your coffee maker's function. Coffee releases oils which you won't be able to get rid of with water alone, and over time this can make your coffee taste bitter.
Clean Zen explains that you can put your coffee pot in the dishwasher to sanitize it. However, certain components benefit from receiving more specialist attention. Aside from killing bacteria, Kitchn writes that cleaning your coffee maker properly prevents staining, can remove water spots, and ensure your coffee continues to taste just the way you like it.
1. Wash the reservoir of your coffee maker with water and vinegar
One of the most widespread life hacks to clean your coffee maker is by using water and regular white vinegar. Good Housekeeping explains that if you notice that limescale has built up in your coffee maker and it's impairing your ability to make great coffee, then this is a great, if a little strong smelling, solution. Kitchn writes that you'll need water, lots of white vinegar, soap, and a cloth.
The Spruce says that to begin the clean, you need to fill up the reservoir of your coffee maker with a solution that is equal parts vinegar and water. You can either use soapy water or water straight from the tap. Ensure that you've gotten rid of any easy-to-clean residue and then run it through a drip cycle once.
Once it's run through, Housewife How-Tos writes that you should soak the pot in hot water and scrub off any hard-to-get stains. To be extra safe you can run vinegar and water through the coffee maker one more time to ensure that it's completely clean. Oh, you may notice that your coffee maker smells of vinegar after cleaning; to get rid of this you can stand it in soapy warm water overnight. Alternatively, you can run water through it until the smell subsides.
2. Clean your carafe with rice
If you don't want to use harsh substances like vinegar on your coffee maker and the stains aren't too visible, then you can opt for a more gentle technique for cleaning your coffee maker. Good Housekeeping explains that rice is a good option if you want your coffee carafe to get its shine back.
The first thing you need to do is ensure that your coffee maker is as clean as it can be after using water. Get rid of any dust or residue, then fill the carafe to the top with warm, soapy water. Add a handful of rice to the water and swirl the mixture around. Apartment Therapy explains that the starch-like deposits from the rice acts as like an abrasive.
Rice water is slightly acidic, with a ph level of six. This makes it perfect for removing mineral stains and build-up. If you notice that the stains aren't lifting, then you can pour some of the mixture away and use a sponge to loosen the rest.
3. Clean your coffee maker with lemon juice
Acidic mixtures are ideal for getting rid of hard water or mineral buildup, but that doesn't mean that you have to use harsh cleaning products on your coffee maker that could be dangerous if you ingested them. Clean Zen writes that there's a super easy cleaning solution that you can make at home and it will bust stains. They explain that you can run lemon juice through your coffee maker either once or twice to try and get rid of any buildup and residue. It'll leave your coffee maker smelling super fresh and clean. Tips Bulletin suggests you use a mixture that's half lemon juice and half warm water. This dilutes the acidity slightly and ensures that the mixture gets to every part of your maker.
After you've run the lemon juice solution through your coffee maker, then you'll need to run water through it a couple of times. This will get rid of any lemon juice that's still in the machine and hopefully ensure that your morning coffee doesn't have a sour tang.
4. Cleanse your coffee maker with a salt and ice water scrub
If you've noticed that there's a visible build-up of limescale in the carafe of your coffee maker or any of the other removable parts, then it may call for something a little stronger and more abrasive. Clean Zen notes that creating an abrasive mixture using salt and ice could help you remove stains and chip away at residue. You won't be able to use this method on your whole coffee maker as you can't run the ice through the machine. However, to clean your carafe all you need to do is fill it with crushed ice and table salt. You want the pieces of ice to be jagged and as frozen as possible in order to really get at the stains.
Using a spoon or spatula, stir the salt and ice mixture, pushing it up against the sides of your carafe and into all of the corners and seams. The ice mixture should remove some stains and loosen some residue. Pour away the ice and salt and soak the carafe in warm, soapy water. Then wipe over it with a soft cloth and the buildup should be removed.
5. Run baking soda through your coffee maker
Another everyday item that is non-toxic and great at removing grease and stains is baking soda. Kitchen Guru Ideas outlines that running the baking product through your coffee maker could help you clean the hard-to-reach parts and isn't as strong smelling as some of the other cleaning solutions.
Tips Bulletin explains that you need to fill one cup with warm water and add a quarter cup of baking soda. If your coffee maker is quite large then you can scale the recipe up accordingly. Stir the solution and pour it into your coffee maker, then let it run through once. You can repeat this step if you feel that your coffee maker has lots of buildup.
Clean Zen then writes that you should flush the system with warm water. Repeat this step until you're sure that all of the cleaning mixture is gone. If any of the baking soda is left in the machine that it could build up and affect how your coffee tastes.
6. Put Alka Seltzer tablets in your coffee maker
You won't just find items to make a cleaning solution in your kitchen cupboards; your first aid kit may also provide you with some pretty amazing results. Tips Bulletin explains that one of the most effective and well-kept cleaning secrets is using Alka Seltzer tablets to get rid of limescale and buildup.
Boots explains that Alka Seltzer tablets are used to ease indigestion and discomfort. Some of the main ingredients are aspirin, sodium hydrogen carbonate, and citric acid. This means that Alka Seltzer tablets can be used to clean coffee makers in a similar way that lemon juice and baking soda can.
All you need to do is measure out the warm water to fill the reservoir of your coffee maker, then add three tablets. As soon as you put the tablets in they should begin to fizz and react with the water. Leave them to react for around 15 minutes. Then you can start to run your coffee maker like you normally would. Once the cycle is finished you can pour the water away and run warm water through the coffee maker a couple of times to clear any of the Alka Seltzer tablet residue.
7. Use hard alcohol to clean your coffee maker
When it comes to cleaning a well-loved coffee maker, stains shouldn't be your only concern; Offbeat Bros write that when you use a coffee maker frequently and don't clean it after every use, mold and yeast can become a serious issue. You need to make sure you're ridding it of any bacteria or dirt while also ensuring that it looks shiny and clean.
While it's not as commonly used as dish soap, some hard alcohols have great cleaning properties. Clean Zen explains that vodka works particularly well for cleaning. If you want to clean your coffee maker and ensure that and mold is gone, then you should fill up the reservoir without about 25% alcohol and 75% warm water. Give it a little bit of a stir and then run the coffee maker on a normal brewing cycle.
Once the cycle is over you can pour the mix away. Then run warm water through the machine two to three times. While cleaning out the solutions from your coffee maker was important in the previous methods it's particularly crucial in this case. If you don't get rid of all of the alcohol in your machine then it could leave your coffee tasting a little different and also up the alcohol content of your normal morning beverage.
8. Use water bottle cleaning tablets in your carafe
While bacteria and mold are two issues you may need to combat with your coffee maker, you may also want to maintain its pristine look. It's hard to keep glass clear and unstained when you're constantly running coffee through it. However, the The New York Times writes that descaling solution and water bottle cleaning tablets may help you get rid of buildup.
Home Clean Expert explains that water bottle cleaning tablets allow you to budge troublesome stains in a gentle way. They don't use harsh chemicals so they're safe to use in your coffee maker and can be very affordable.
Dissolve your water bottle cleaning tablet in your carafe and allow it to react. Wipe down the sides to help get rid of tougher stains. You can also dissolve the descaling solution in water and run it through your coffee maker. Once you've run the solution through, run tap water through your machine at least twice more to get rid of any residue.