Being a regular coffee consumer, it is your foremost duty to know how to clean a coffee maker. Most people don’t have the idea, and after making their favourite coffee, they turn off the machine. But to always get the fresh aroma and taste of the drink, it is mandatory to place the coffee machine in the dishwasher for proper sanitization.
There are many ways to clean the brewer machine effectively to prevent clogging and staining. So, it is better to carefully remove all the movable parts of the brewer and place them in the dishwasher to rinse the hinges and residue.
Is It Good To Clean A Coffee Maker Regularly?
As we know, most people drink coffee regularly and prepare it in various ways. After making every carafe or single cup, some residues are left while filtering the coffee. So, the professionals recommend periodically deep cleaning process for the long life of the machine.
When the beans or grounds are possessed from the coffee machine, natural oils have extracted that spoil the drink’s taste. Moreover, the stains and moisture with other germs and bacteria can produce bitterness in the taste or foam of the coffee.
It indicates the coffee brewer urgently needs to be cleaned with distilled water and vinegar. We experienced that cleaning a coffee for at least a month gives an optimal taste; otherwise, you may get sick due to the remaining particles of the old coffee.
Why Should You Avoid Vinegar To Clean Coffee Maker?
Undoubtedly, white vinegar is a good cleaning agent due to its acidic characteristics and removing mildew and other germs. A bunch of people use it to clean coffee makers, but vinegar’s drawback is that it produces a highly unpleasant odor.
It disturbs the rich taste of the coffee, which affects human health due to an acidic smell. Therefore you need to wash them again and again for complete cleanliness of the parts of the machine. Nobody wants to lose the drink’s aroma and taste, so it is good to use other cleaning methods.
Things Required To Clean A Coffee Machine
Distilled water
Soapy watered bowl
Sponge
Vinegar Solution ( To fill the tank or reservoir of the machine)
Soft cloth
Coffee filter
Toothbrush
A mug or pot
If you want to clean it with vinegar, then dip the brush into the liquid to clean the nooks and small spaces or bends of the machine. Most people prefer this method to wipe the Keurig machine or their k cup holders.
Let’s discuss cleaning the machines in different ways.
Cleaning With Baking Soda
Most homes keep baking soda, especially those who love to make cakes, as it is the major ingredient for its preparation. Also, it is a powerful non-toxic cleaning agent commonly found in every kitchen. It efficiently removes specks of dirt from the coffee maker because of its alkaline properties and doesn’t leave odors.
Steps Involved In Cleaning Coffee Maker With Baking Soda
First, take a bowl or coffee pot, fill it with a cup of hot water, and add a quarter cup of baking soda.
Stir it, so it becomes a solution, and run one cycle in the coffee brewer.
After that, empty the dirty water and fill the pot with fresh warm water.
It’s time to run 2 to 3 cycles with distilled water without coffee for a complete wash.
You must repeat the procedure if the water isn’t still clean.
Cleaning With Lemon Juice
Lemon is a citrus fruit that is one of the best alternatives to vinegar and has the same acidic properties as vinegar. The best thing is that the lemon hasn’t a notorious smell nor leaves any effect on the machine that causes health issues after brewing beverages.
It is pretty simple to clean the machine with baking soda; you have to squeeze the lemon or take its juice for wiping purposes. Basic steps for the rinse the beverage makers are.
Fill the water in the machine’s carafe and turn it on to remove the residues. After a few moments, turn it off when the running cycle is completed successfully.
Add and mix half a cup of lemon juice into the water and rerun a cycle.
If your machine has a water reservoir, add that lemon water and wait for some time so it can sit properly.
Place the coffee filter on the brewing machine and turn on the maker to run the cycle of the lemon solution.
After it has been done, empty the reservoir and carafe, then fill it with distilled water. Give 2 to 3 cycles to remove the particles or residues of the lemon solution entirely.
This time you have to wash or clean the basket’s or carafe’s inner side with a sponge dipped in lemon juice.
Finally, the final step is to wash all the detachable parts with soapy water.
Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide
A cheap and potent disinfectant that behaves similarly to vinegar for cleaning purposes. It is also known as HH2O2, and a small amount of this chemical can do wonders by giving the same new look to the coffee brewing machine.
How Can You Clean The Disinfectants Of The Coffee Maker
Take a coffee carafe, fill it with two cups of water, and pour one cup of hydrogen peroxide into the coffee maker.
Now put the coffee pot in the brewing basket and turn on the machine.
Start the brewing cycle at the average speed and wait until it finishes.
Flush the mixture and wash it with purified water.
Repeat this phenomenon 2 – 3 times with water only so no presence of hydrogen peroxide would remain.
Cleaning With Borax
It is a white chemical powder and detergent booster used as a multipurpose cleaning agent. People use this powder to clean various household items, e.g., coffee makers, fridges, and washing machines. It is considered one of the best substitutes for white vinegar because of its functionality.
To clean the coffee brewer with borax, you need a few things, which are
Fill the water reservoir of the coffee machine with 2-3 cups of lukewarm water.
Now add 2 tablespoons of the borax white powder to the water reservoir.
Turn on the machine and run a brewing cycle for proper mixing.
Don’t stop until the process finishes.
Then empty the water reservoir and run the clean water for 3 – 4 cycles.
Cleaning With Cream Of Tartar
It is a terrific natural coffee cleaner and a substitute for baking soda. The acid works excellently by removing stains and creating a balmy abrasive to clean the dirt from the coffee pot. Cream of tartar has a low acid level and tartaric acid features with high cleaning attributes.
How To Remove Specks of Dirt From Coffee Maker With Cream Of Tartar
Fill the coffee pot or reservoir with hot water.
Add three tablespoons of cream of tartar into it.
Stir it well until it dissolves successfully.
Run 2 to 3 cycles with this solution.
Allow it to cool for some time.
Scrub all the machine parts with a soft sponge and soapy water thoroughly.
Brew 1 – 2 cycles with fresh water to clean the traces of soap.
Cleaning With CLR Solution
Many professionals prefer using CLR solution over lemon juice or vinegar to describe the coffee maker. It is considered the best substitute to clean the machine because it contains calcium, lime, and old rust remover. For deep cleaning, it proofs as the top-notch solution choice.
The following steps are necessary to clean joe brewers with CLR.
First, fill the clean water in the carafe or reservoir and run a cycle to remove the remains of the last brew.
Now fill the reservoir with eight cups of water and one cup of CLR to brew a cycle for a proper solution.
After the cycle has finished, it’s time to rinse the coffee maker 2 – 4 times with cleaned water so no smell of CLR remains.
Cleaning With Denture Tablets
Another excellent and effective way to clean the coffee maker is through denture tablets. They have antibacterial properties, efficiently removing germs and stubborn mineral sediments. Also, due to alkalizing attributes, they help vanish limescale deposits.
They are easy to use with one-time rinsing and have no smell. Denture tablets are powerful in dispersing the spots; you don’t need extra effort to clean the coffee maker with your hand. They are cheap and easily available in medical stores.
What Will You Need To Know For Removing Stains From Coffee Maker
Take a container, fill it with warm water, and add two denture tablets.
Let them dissolve entirely and make a solution.
Give a cycle to the coffee maker and wait until it finishes.
Now run 2 – 3 cycles with cleaned water and make sure no traces of tablet solution are left.
Cleaning With Dish Soap
You should use liquid dishwashing soap to detach the coffee maker into parts to cleanse the machine. For drip coffee, remove all the components: the reservoir lid, pot, filter, and bed.
But if you have a Keurig machine, scrubbing the funnel, holder, reservoir lid, drip tray, and cover is necessary to wash. While doing all this, you must note that the soap should be unscented and will not affect the drink’s taste.
Steps Involved In Cleaning a Coffee Maker With Dish Soap
Remove all the parts of the brewer.
Rinse all the components with dish soap and drench the filter in the liquid for 5 – 10 minutes.
Take the filter from the luke water and wash it smoothly with a soft sponge, then scrub it with cleaned water.
Ensure you have washed all the parts of the appliance properly before reassembling it.
After all the processes, running a fresh and clean water cycle is time.
This cycle will remove the residues of the soapy water if it has left.
Cleaning With Alcohol Or Vodka
Vodka isn’t only a party thing but a famous cleaning agent. Hard alcohol removes the spots of coffee from the machine perfectly. It doesn’t leave any smell or change in taste after successfully wiping off the coffee maker.
How To Clean Coffee Maker With Alcohol
Pour 25% or a quarter cup of hard alcohol into the water reservoir with a full cup of water. Now run the brewing process, and a solution will go towards every corner of the reservoir. After finishing the cycle, flush the alcohol solution, fill the reservoir with fresh water, and run twice a process.
Cleaning With Citric Acid
If you’re looking for a cheap solution to cleaning a coffee brewer, picking citric acid is superb. It saves money from squeezing lemons, and you can take it from the market at a low price. Most expensive cleaning solutions and tablets use citric acid as the primary constituent. It is also handy because it takes less effort to scrub the machines.
Cleaning With Bleach
It is a well-known and influential corrosive used as a household cleaner. You can use it to clean the coffee maker but in less quantity; otherwise, it can damage the brewer. Not to pour it directly into the machine as it can fade the machine’s color.
How To Clean Coffee Maker With Bleach
The 3 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of water mix them properly.
Place the filter paper in the coffee maker and pour the bleached solution.
Run a brewing cycle.
Wash the machine with fresh water and run cycles with lukewarm water to remove the residues and smell of the bleach.
Final Verdict
To get the beverage’s fresh aroma and delicious taste, it is necessary to clean the coffee maker without vinegar. We have mentioned all the alternative methods for scrubbing the machine, which gives the long-lasting age of the appliance. You can easily clean every coffee brewer, whether Keurig or any other brand.
You can even try other options to descale the machine to maintain the drink’s taste. If you save the joe brewer from a pungent smell without vinegar, try different ways to obliterate residues and other dirt. You can also put salt and crushed ice to run a cycle to remove coffee scrubs.
FAQ’s
How often should you clean your coffee maker?
If you regularly brew the coffee, cleaning the coffee maker after three to six months is compulsory to avoid clogging and malfunctioning with the residues of the grounds.
How to clean a Keurig coffee maker?
Cleaning the Keurig coffee maker isn’t tricky; take white vinegar, fill the half reservoir with it, and fill the rest half with distilled water. Turn on the machine and run the brewing cycle without a k-cup; it becomes a solution.
Flush it after it has finished, fill the reservoir with cleaned water, and brew 2 – 3 cycles to wash the vinegar solution’s residues.
