How to Clean a Coffee Maker
Coffeemakers should be cleaned every three months. If you notice some scaliness (whitish or gray residue on the coffeemaker and/or coffee pot) or if your coffee doesn’t taste as good as it once did, you may need to clean it more often.
Required Materials
- Water
- Vinegar
- Dish washing soap
- Sponge
Required Tools
- Coffeemaker
- Measuring cup
- Wooden spoon
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of vinegar and 2 cups of water into your coffee pot and mix with a wooden spoon. Once combined, pour the mixture into the water reservoir of your coffeemaker. Place the coffee pot back on the warming plate and turn your coffeemaker on as though you are going to brew a pot of coffee. Do not add coffee grounds or a filter.
- When your vinegar mixture is completely through the system, pour it out of the coffee pot and wash the coffee pot with soap and water. Allow the pot to dry.
- Fill the coffee pot with water to the maximum cup amount (as marked on the glass pot). Pour the water from your pot into the water reservoir, place the coffee pot back on the warming plate and turn your coffee maker on as if to make an actual pot of coffee, but do not add coffee grounds or a filter.
- Once the water is through the system and back into the coffee pot, empty the coffee pot, rinse it thoroughly and refill it with fresh water. Pour this water into the reservoir and start the coffeemaker again. Once this is complete, you will have brewed 1 pot of water and vinegar mixture, and 2 pots of water only.
- Pour the last bit of water out of the coffee pot. Clean the coffee pot with a damp sponge and dish soap and allow it to dry.
- Take your sponge and dampen it. Clean off all external surfaces of the coffeemaker. Remove the filter basket (this should snap off easily) and soak it in water mixed with dish soap.
- After letting the filter basket soak for 10 minutes, wipe down all the grooves inside the basket with the sponge. Rinse the basket off and allow it to dry.
- Once the basket is dry, snap it back on to the coffeemaker. Lastly, put the dry coffee pot back on the warming plate.