How to Clean a Coffee Maker with Vinegar
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The best way to make sure your coffee tastes great every time is knowing how to clean a coffee maker with vinegar. There are other types of cleaners on the market but vinegar is a natural cleaner and is gentle on your coffee maker.
Coffee beans contain natural oils that can build up and cause bitterness or an off taste to the coffee. In addition, water contains minerals that can also build up. Pretty soon your coffee begins to taste flat, stale, and bitter.
You should plan to clean your coffee maker every six to eight weeks. This is not a large investment of time; you will only need about one hour to thoroughly clean the machine. Keeping your coffee maker clean on a schedule will keep minerals from building up and will ensure that your coffee tastes fresh and delicious.
Removing these mineral deposits, or scale, will also keep your coffee maker running at peak efficiency and help it to last longer.
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Process for Cleaning a Coffee Maker with Vinegar
You will need the following items:
- Rag
- White vinegar
- Dish soap
- Water
- Mix vinegar and water in a ratio of one part vinegar to three parts water. For a twelve cup coffee maker this means three cups of white vinegar to nine cups of water. Use the carafe to mix the vinegar and water.
- Pour the mixture into the water reservoir of the coffee maker. Replace the carafe on the warming plate. Turn the coffee maker on and let it run through a brewing cycle, as if you were brewing coffee.
- Allow the vinegar and water solution to cool.
- Pour the solution back through the coffee maker.
- Now, pour out the vinegar solution. It will make your garbage disposal smell great. Run a full carafe of clean, cold water through the coffee maker. Pour out and repeat with another carafe of cold water.
- If you have a permanent filter this is a great time to clean the filter and the carafe as well. Wash the filter out thoroughly and then soak it in a solution of one part of white vinegar to three parts of water, just like you used for the coffee maker. Leave it soak while you are working on the coffee maker and then rinse thoroughly. Wash both the carafe and filter in hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly and allow to air dry
- Wash the appliance off with hot soapy water, paying special attention to cracks, designs, or anywhere that could harbor dirt. Wipe off the cord.
Just Like New
At this point your coffee maker is just like new. In order to keep it that way you can try this little trick. Drop a marble in the water reservoir of your coffeemaker. Leave it in there for the month. It will attract the minerals and other deposits and keep these things from building up between cleanings. Once a week remove the marble, wash it thoroughly and replace it.
Knowing how to clean a coffee maker with vinegar can save you money both in the cleaning and by lengthening the life of your coffee maker.
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Thank you for tip. As an avid coffee drinker, I probably need to do this once every two weeks. I'm going to have try that marble trick. I live in Fl. and we're on well water. Thanks again.
I knew you could clean a coffee maker with vinegar, but I didn't know the exact procedure to follow. Now I do, thank you. :-)
Nice tip. Let's see this particular coffee maker is about 2 years old and never been cleaned. No wonder people say I make a horrible cup of coffee? What am I doing to my guests?!!?
What I do is fill the reservoir to the max with a half and half mix of water and vinegar and let it run on a normal brew cycle. After that is done, run it again using only clean water. I do this in conjunction with the marble method, and it keeps my coffee tasting great. Also, a Mr Clean Magic Eraser works wonders at getting a coffee stain off your pot and cups.
Yes! I love the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to remove coffee stains. We purchase those by the case. Nice tips to clean the coffeemaker at home. Using vinegar is a great way to get your pot clean.
hey, i couldn't agree more that vinegar is the best thing to clean with. alternative chemical cleaners leave chemical residues which end up in the coffee and then you so best to leave these well alone.
Bob
This works so well! The first time I was nervous the vinegar would damage the coffee maker, but it does a great job.
Thanks a lot. I got my great aunt's percolator the kind with the silver insert. Makes good tea once you figure out what your strength color you need to make it.
Great tips. I love reading about the use of natural products at home. There's always so much to learn.
I've been using the vinegar solution above for a while now, but the smell is just overwhelming! Just discovered this new product at William-Sonoma and thought I'd share. It's called Full Circle. Totally odor-free, works super fast and is biodegradable. You might want to check it out as an alternative!
One quarter water, three quarters vinegar for the first pot. Just keep pouring cold clean water (maybe about 5-6 more pots) until the vinegar smell leaves.
I will try to clean our coffee maker with the vinegar today. Thanks for the tip.
can you clean with bleach?
Thank you very much....mine is cleaning right now. Yay
Hahaha....mine is cleaning now, too! I didn't have much vinegar left, so I just used what I could. I guess it will have to do till next time. Thanks!
awesome advice, i guess i'm the youngest of the bunch as a coffee drinker,bought this coffeemaker 5 yrs. ago when my mother passed away,i guess this was a way to keep her memories around after years of making coffee for her,i bought a new one today, thinking the old one has seen its last days,well what do u know, it still works,and better after cleaning it. thank you very much
I am so glad that I read this. I've tried the vinegar thing but wasn't using nearly enough! I love good tasting coffee and can't wait to try this!
Does number 4 mean running it through another brewing cycle with the vinegar/water, or just pouring it into the reservoir and pouring it out of there?
james i think it means to run it through again, i just did it it works great reminds me of coloring easter eggs tho peee u.
Oh, and about the marble trick: At least with my coffee maker, it is not worth the trouble. Seems every time it rolls right into the spout in the reservoir, so no water comes out. Doesn't matter how many times I move it or wedge it into a corner.
Im cleaning my coffee maker just know after almost five months of use... I hope this works. Thanks for the tip
DRG Da Real Grinc Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago
Thanks for this tip, my coffee maker did need a good cleaning...1