To have great tasting coffee every day, it is best to know the procedure to clean your coffee maker properly. For this purpose, you could use vinegar. There are lots of commercial cleaners out there but using vinegar is fairly cheap. It is also a natural cleaning agent that is gentle to use on your coffee maker.
As you use your coffee maker daily, mineral deposits and oils can build up and this can affect the taste of your coffee. Cleaning your coffee maker once every 6-8 weeks will ensure that your coffee always tastes fresh and delicious. Regular cleaning will also lengthen the lifespan of your coffee maker.
Materials Required
- white vinegar
- rag
- dish soap
- water
Steps to Clean Your Coffee maker
The following simple steps are involved in the process of cleaning your coffee maker.
1. Make a solution in the ratio of three parts water to one part vinegar (3:1). If you have a 12-cup coffee maker, then you should have a solution of nine cups water to three cups of vinegar (9:3). Use the carafe in mixing the solution for cleaning your coffee maker.
2. Pour in the solution to the water reservoir to start cleaning your coffee maker. Put the carafe back in its place on the warming plate of the coffee maker. Turn on the coffee maker and run a complete brewing cycle just like brewing real coffee.
3. Let the solution cool down for a few minutes.
4. Once again, pour in the solution in the coffee maker and do the complete brewing cycle once more.
5. Dispose the solution and run a complete brewing cycle of clean, cold water through your coffee maker. Dispose the water and run a complete brewing cycle once again using a new carafe full of clean, cold water.
6. This is also the best time to clean the permanent filter of your coffee maker as well as the carafe. Wash the filter completely with water and soap then, immerse in a newly made solution of water and vinegar just like the one you used earlier. Leave it like that for a few minutes and then wash it using hot soapy water together with the carafe and rinse it completely. Leave it in a clean, safe place to air dry.
7. Wash your coffee maker completely using hot soapy water. Pay special attention to areas such as the cracks, designs, corners and so on, where there can be a buildup of dirt.
Tips and Warnings
Now that you are done cleaning your coffee maker, you might notice that it looks like new! Keeping it looking like this between cleaning is quite simple. Just drop a clean marble inside the water reservoir and leave it there for a month. This marble will act like a magnet for minerals and other deposits, thus, avoiding dirt buildups. Replace the marble with a clean one on a weekly basis.
While cleaning the coffee maker with the vinegar solution, wipe the electric cord to keep it dry. Always unplug the coffee maker before cleaning.
Use the above mentioned simple steps to keep your coffee maker clean and spotless.