How To Clean And Descale A Coffee Maker

Who doesn’t want to wake up to a fresh cup of coffee every morning? Or be able to serve a pot of richly brewed coffee to guests?

The thing with coffee makers is that, over time, the natural minerals in water can build up in a coffee maker and affect the taste of the coffee in addition to the brewing time and overall performance of your machine. We recommend regularly cleaning and descaling your coffee maker. The good news is that it doesn’t take much effort. All you’ll need is some coffee maker cleaning tablets or plain white vinegar and some water.

Wondering how to clean a coffee maker? We are here to help. Our guide will tell you how to clean coffee maker with vinegar or cleaning tablets.

In order to descale a coffee maker, it must be freed of mineral deposits, which could negatively affect the way it brews coffee and the taste of the coffee.

The following symptoms may indicate that your coffee maker needs to be descaled:

1. The cleaning indicator light is on (only applicable on select models).
2. Excessive brewing time.
3. Gurgling and other unusual sounds during brewing.

Once the Cleaning Needed Indicator (if a feature on your coffee maker) turns on, you should descale your coffee maker right away. If descaling agents aren't available, use vinegar and water.

When cleaning your coffee maker with a commercial descaling agent, to determine the exact amount of descaling agent and water to use, carefully follow the instructions on the package.

Fill the carafe with a 50% vinegar/50% water solution to clean your coffee maker.

NOTE: We recommend using Affresh(R) coffee maker cleaning tablets. These cleaning tablets can be purchased online or in select retail stores.

Coffee makers with a grid make it tough to put the entire Affresh(R) tablet into the water reservoir. You can place the tablet in a plastic bag, crush it and then pour the powder into the water reservoir.

1. Before descaling, you must always remove the water filter and ensure that there is no coffee filters or coffee in the brew basket.
2. Run the coffee maker through a complete brewing cycle using a carafe full of descaling solution.
3. If the Cleaning Needed Indicator (available on select modes) is lit up after the brewing cycle finishes, you should repeat Step 2 until the Cleaning Needed Indicator turns off after brewing.
4. Thoroughly rinse the coffee maker by running two brewing cycles using a carafe full of cool, fresh water each time.
5. Wash the brew basket and carafe in a soap and hot water solution, and then rinse with just hot water.
6. The last step is to reinstall or replace the water filter.