Clean a drip coffee maker in two parts. After every brew, wash the carafe, basket and any reusable filter in warm soapy water. Once a month, descale the inside by brewing one part white vinegar to two parts water, letting the machine sit for 15 to 30 minutes, then running two full brews of plain water. Hard water means descaling more often.
The two jobs fix different problems. Washing removes coffee oils, which go stale and bitter. Descaling removes the chalky mineral layer that builds up in the reservoir, the heating tube and the shower head, where you can't see it until the machine starts acting up.
How often should you clean a coffee maker?#
Mr. Coffee's cleaning guide recommends cleaning the carafe, reusable filter and other removable parts after each use and deep cleaning the whole machine once a month. That monthly schedule is a sensible default for any drip machine.
Adjust from there. If your kettle and shower glass get white crust quickly, you have hard water and should descale every two or three weeks. If your machine has a "clean" light, go by the light and treat the calendar as a backstop. And if you only make coffee on weekends, every two or three months is plenty.
How to descale a drip coffee maker with vinegar#
The vinegar ratio, rest time and two rinses come from Mr. Coffee's guide for its drip makers. Most basic drip brewers work the same way, but check your manual first, since some brands specify their own descaling solution.
- Empty the carafe and basket. If your machine has a charcoal water filter in the reservoir, take it out.
- Fill the reservoir with one part white vinegar to two parts water. For a 12-cup machine that's roughly four cups of vinegar and eight of water.
- Put an empty paper filter in the basket. It catches flakes of scale that the vinegar knocks loose.
- Run the machine's clean cycle if it has one. If not, run a normal brew.
- When it finishes, leave everything alone for 15 to 30 minutes. Then pour the vinegar solution down the sink and throw away the filter.
- Fill the reservoir with fresh water and run a full brew. Empty the carafe.
- Run a second full brew of plain water and empty it again.
Don't skip step 7. After a single rinse you can often still taste vinegar in the next pot.
If the clean light stays on afterward, look up the reset sequence in the manual before running more vinegar through it.
Washing the carafe, basket and lid#
Rinsing the carafe isn't the same as washing it. Coffee leaves an oily film that water alone won't lift, and that film is what gives an old carafe its brown tint and a faint rancid smell.
Wash the carafe, the brew basket and any permanent filter in warm water with dish soap after each use. Turn the carafe lid over and clean the underside and the little flap valve, where coffee drips dry. Check the corners of the basket, too. Let everything air dry before you put it back.
Some carafes and baskets are dishwasher safe. Mr. Coffee's Dishwashable model, for example, lets you put the coffee-contact parts in the dishwasher, but not the electrical base, cord or plug. Never put the base of any coffee maker in water.
For a stained glass carafe, a paste of baking soda and a little water on a soft sponge usually shifts the brown ring without scratching. Mr. Coffee also gives a baking soda alternative to vinegar for the deep clean (one part baking soda to four parts warm water) if you can't stand the smell.
Signs your coffee maker needs descaling#
- Brewing takes noticeably longer than it used to.
- The machine gurgles, sputters or steams more than normal.
- Coffee comes out less hot.
- You can see white or gray flakes in the reservoir or in the bottom of the carafe.
- The machine stops partway, leaving water in the reservoir.
Any of these can show up before the monthly reminder. If you see them, descale now and shorten your interval next time.
Single-serve and espresso machines#
Don't transfer the vinegar recipe to every machine. Pod brewers, espresso machines and bean-to-cup machines often have their own descaling routine, a specific product and a sequence of button presses. Keurig's descaling page, for example, says to descale every 3 to 6 months or, on brewers with a descale light, when it comes on, and points you to instructions for your specific brewer. Use the descale instructions in your manual or on the maker's support site, and run every rinse cycle it lists.
Common mistakes#
- Leaving water sitting in the reservoir for days. Empty it if you won't brew again soon.
- Washing only the pot and never descaling, or descaling and never washing the pot.
- Using a scouring pad on the warming plate. Wipe it with a damp cloth once the machine is cold.
- Forgetting to put the charcoal water filter back in after descaling.
The grinder is a separate job, and a dry one. Keep water well away from it and follow the steps in how to clean a coffee grinder. If hard water is the reason you're descaling so often, the same scale is probably building up in your kettle and your faucet aerators.
Set one ChoreLists.com reminder for the monthly descale and note your machine's model and method in it, so you don't have to look up the ratio each time.