My coffee maker is something that I do not like to clean. But it always seems to get dirty quickly, so it is something I try to do often. Whether you have a single cup brewer, like a Keurig, or a regular coffee maker, many of the parts can be removed and run through the dishwasher. This includes the filter holder, drip tray, and other pieces, depending on what type you have. This along with wiping down the outside will take care of your general cleaning of your small coffee making appliance.
But, the inside of your coffee maker can get dirty too, and should be cleaned out on a regular basis. You can do this by running vinegar through a cycle of the machine instead of water. This will remove any mineral deposits that have built up on the inside of your machine. Enough build up can make your coffee taste bad.
What you need:
— Coffee maker
— Vinegar
What to do:
— Get rid of any leftover coffee and/or water from your coffee maker and rinse out the filter basket.
— Fill the water reservoir about halfway with vinegar. You can dilute it some with water if you prefer.
— Run through a cycle without adding a filter or k-cup to your coffee maker.
— If doing this for a regular coffeemaker, allow the vinegar to sit in the carafe for about 15 minutes to help clean that out as well.
— Now you need to run 2-3 cycles of just water through the machine to get rid of the vinegar taste and smell.
— If doing this with a regular coffee maker, be sure to wash the filter basket and carafe with warm soapy water or run them through the dishwasher before using again.
This process can take a little bit of time, maybe 20-30 minutes, depending on how many cycles you run through. But it is not a process that needs to be done often. Once or twice a year is good if your machine is used every day.
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In regards to the Keurig. It is also good to let the Keurig stay on and sit for 4 hours with the vinegar in the unit. This will help the loosen any thing that is stuck on the inside. Then run water through to get the vinegar out.
My in-laws and I both did this when we where having problems with the Keurig not giving us a full cup. Now it works fine.
Make sure you run two or three cups of coffee through that you don’t plan on drinking, then run another pot of just plain water through or your coffee will taste like vinegar for several days. I have to clean mine like this one a month because we use it about 10-12 times per day.