Cleaning a Coffee Maker in 7 Easy Steps

Cleaning a coffee maker is rarely fun... I know, nobody REALLY likes cleaning! But the reality is that if coffee is a regular part of your day, the quality of the coffee you drink is probably important to you. So having a clean coffee maker should also be very important.

Whenever you use your beloved coffee maker oils from the coffee beans and hard mineral deposits from the water (yes, even if it's filtered water) build up on the inside of your pod coffee maker. This build up taints the taste of your coffee, and can shorten the life of your coffee machine.

To avoid this, you can follow our 7 easy steps to cleaning a coffee maker. Once you taste the difference of a clean coffee maker, you'll make cleaning coffee makers part of your regular chores!

Now while there are many very effective cleaning solutions on the market, we prefer a more environmentally friendly version. Check out our Planet Friendly Cleaning Solutions.

Cleaning a Coffee Maker in 7 Easy Steps

1. Get rid of any old coffee pods, coffee grinds, or stale coffee. Put the kettle on so you have nice hot water on hand.

2. Next, grab your cleaning solution. Or simply mix 1 part white vinegar with 2 parts boiling water into your coffee makers water reservoir and let this sit for a few minutes.

3. Make sure you have your coffee pot or mug under the coffee maker, then turn on your machine and let it run a cycle. If your machine is a single cup coffee maker, you can let it run through two or three cups. This lets the cleaning solution get right inside your machine and start working.
   
   Note - Keep the cleaning solution as it comes out, as you may want to run another cycle or two. It's also good to clean the outside of your coffee maker.

4. Once the coffee maker has run it's cycle, or done a few mugs, let it sit for 15 minutes to soak.

5. If it's been a while since you cleaned the insides of your machine, you may want to run through steps 2-4 again.

6. Now you should have a lovely clean coffee maker. Vinegar (or whatever other cleaning mix you used) can leave a taste in your machine - so you'll need run a few cycles of fresh water though to flush the system.

7. All done!!!

Now that wasn't so hard was it?

HINT: To help you clean in every little nook and cranny, wrap a thin cleaning cloth around the end of a chopstick!

Also, just be careful that when cleaning the surfaces of your coffee machine. Never use steel wool or similar harsh pads that can scratch.

If you have any other great ideas for our readers, write us your own Cleaning Coffee Maker Tips.

Related Pages

How to Clean a Coffee Maker

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