How to Clean a Coffee Maker
As I wrote my guide on setting the delay on a Mr. Coffee maker, I noticed that my coffee maker could really use a good cleaning. It was rather embarrassing!
Most coffee maker manufacturers recommend you thoroughly clean and descale your coffee maker at least once a month. Hopefully, you're doing light cleaning of your coffee maker more often, but try to make the "big clean" a habit. Write it down. Set a reminder. Whatever you have to do!
Keeping your coffee maker clean helps to keep your coffee tasting top-notch. When we allow the coffee grounds or other residues to build up, it affects the taste - often making the coffee taste more bitter and stale. It also becomes a breeding ground for bacteria that begin to build new civilizations in your coffee maker. Who wants that in their coffee?!
And descaling the coffee maker increases the overall lifespan of the coffee maker. Think of it like exercise and a healthy diet for your coffee maker. Over time, the minerals in your water (all water has them) will accumulate on the elements inside your coffee maker, such as your heating element. Eventually, this will cause your coffee maker to malfunction or break entirely. Descaling with vinegar helps to remove those mineral deposits and save the life of your coffee maker.
You'll notice that my coffee maker is a Mr. Coffee Optimal Brew Maker - which I love and recommend - but I've tailored this guide to work with just about any drip coffee maker. (Cleaning will be different for pour-over makers or french presses obviously, but you probably don't need a guide for those!)
Let's get to cleaning that coffee maker!
Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker | × | 1 | ||
Drying Rack | × | 1 | ||
Bottle Brush | × | 1 | ||
Sponge | × | 1 | ||
White Distilled Vinegar | × | 1 | ||
Paper Towels | × | 1 | ||
Dish Soap | × | 1 |
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