Brewing coffee every morning is an essential part of a successful day, at least for me. For coffee drinkers, the coffee maker is probably overused. Many of us students in dorm or apartment style living situations bought one coffee maker at the beginning of college and have moved it into every new dorm or apartment since. But apart from cleaning the coffee carafe out or emptying and rinsing the K-cup on my Keurig, my coffeemaker definitely has not been cleaned since the day I moved in. And maybe it’s just me, but I had no idea that it was expected to deep clean your coffee maker on the regular now. Let’s get into how to clean your coffee maker.
Do I need to clean my coffee maker?
Coffee makers contain hot water and can collect bacteria and other oils from coffee grounds. This can then lead to mold overgrowth. While mold from a coffee maker might not make you sick, it does have the potential to interfere with the taste of your coffee. And for coffee lovers, a bad tasting cup of coffee in the morning can leave a serious distasteful mark on the rest of your day.
How often do I need to clean my coffee maker?
Besides the bacteria growth and possible mold, it’s important to clean your coffee maker at least once a month to ensure the best tasting morning cup of coffee. According to Mr. Coffee, you should be cleaning all removable parts of your coffee maker after every use. That includes the coffee carafe and for single brew machines, like Keurigs, the reusable pod, the drip tray and anything else you can remove. You should also be cleaning the entire machine at least once a month.
How do you clean the accessories?
For a Keurig or single serve machine, you first want to unplug the machine. Remove all parts that can be easily taken off, including the water reserve, the drip tray, and if you didn’t remove it already, the coffee reusable pods. Most of the removable parts can go into the dishwasher. But don’t place the water reserve in the dishwasher, especially if you have a Keurig. Instead, wash it in the sink with warm soapy water. After, lay everything out to dry, wipe down the base of the machine, and set it up for your next cup of coffee.
How do you clean the inside?
For deep cleaning your machine, it’s important to follow the instructions of the brand you own. For most basic coffee machines, it’s safe to clean the machine with one part vinegar and two parts water. Just run through the brewing process like you would to make a cup of coffee. Let the coffee maker sit for about 30 minutes to make sure the vinegar mixture can really do its job.
Make sure to run the cycle two more times with just water or your next brew might have a vinegary aftertaste. This will help fight mold buildup and clean mineral deposits leftover from your daily coffee brews.
But, as a word of caution, some brands do not suggest using vinegar to clean the coffee machine and it can affect the longevity of your machine. Some brands, like Lazarro and Smeg, advise to not use vinegar regularly to clean because the acidity can break down the rubber materials in the coffee maker and can shorten the lifespan of the coffee maker. Make sure to check with the manufacturer instructions before you start using vinegar to clean your coffee maker and always dilute the vinegar with two times the amount of water.
What about cleaning the filter?
Some coffee makers, like the traditional style coffee pots, have a coffee filter that should also be cleaned out. If they are removable, you can clean them the same as your accessories: rinsing the grounds out and cleaning with soapy water. For those that are not removable, you want to make sure to empty the grounds after every brew and then wipe down the inside of the filter with a wet rag.
Don’t forget about the exterior.
For every coffee maker, regardless of the style, make sure to wipe down the outside of the coffee maker after every use. Make sure you unplug the coffee maker first. For this, you can use soapy water and a rag to clean any parts that may have residue coffee or dust.