How often do i descale my keurig

In an age where people are always on the go, kitchen appliances that prioritize modern convenience have become staples in households across America. And this sentiment couldn’t be truer for a morning necessity: coffee. Keurig machines have revolutionized morning routines for hundreds of thousands of Americans by making their coffee in- house, economical, and convenient.

Keurig machines are what many of us have come to rely on for a cup of Joe to jolt their days into action; as such, it’s important to keep your Keurig operating smoothly. To make sure your machine functions reliably, you need to descale your Keurig. While that may sound technical, descaling your Keurig is simple. Read on to learn what you need to know in order to keep your morning cup brewing with ease.

How Often Should I Be Descaling My Keurig?

We recommend roughly every three to six months. Of course, frequency of use should factor into your decision about how often you descale the machine. If multiple people are brewing coffee with your Keurig machine daily, you will need to descale your Keurig more often to ensure smooth operational flow.

What Materials Will I Need to Descale My Keurig?

Don’t be alarmed by the (potentially) unfamiliar term of “descaling.” In reality, you only need a few materials to descale your Keurig. Before you begin the process, search your home for a few conventional household items: a vinegar mix (equal parts white vinegar and water), a sink with warm running water, a paper clip, and a microfiber cloth. Once you have these necessary items, you’ll be ready to descale your Keurig.

How Involved Is the Descaling Process?

Getting rid of grime and build up in your machine is simple; just follow these easy steps to descale your Keurig.

• Begin by dumping any residual water in the reservoir and removing any pods that may be in your Keurig.
• Use your microfiber cloth to wipe away any loose grounds of muck that you find on the exterior surface and the pod area.
• Put that paper clip to good use and insert a prong of the paperclip into the needle holes that pierce the pods.
• Then use your vinegar and water mixture. Descale your Keurig by pouring the mixture into the water reservoir until it hits the fill line.
• Without putting a pod in, complete a brewing cycle (be sure to put a cup below!) by selecting the largest brew option.

Once complete, repeat the last step with plain water to remove the vinegar taste. When the mug is full, dump the mixture down the sink and repeat until there is no more solution left in the reservoir.

And there you have it! If you can’t remember the last time you descaled your Keurig, clean your machine out today to keep your coffee brewing, and your mornings running smoothly.

Descaling Made Easy

• It's essential to clean your Keurig regularly to prevent mold, bacteria, and germs.
• Cleaning your Keurig is known as "descaling." 
• The descaling process involves running a mix of water and white vinegar through your Keurig.

Keurig coffee machines have been a gamechanger for the at-home barista. And while they have made making our coffee, espressos, lattes, tea, and hot chocolate almost too easy, your Keurig still requires just a smidge of upkeep. They do not clean themselves, but sure would be amazing if they did that too.

Cleaning your Keurig is actually known as "descaling." No, not like skinning a fish. Rather, descaling is the process of using vinegar to break down calcium deposits that can build up inside a coffee maker over time. Not only does this achieve better-tasting coffee, it also removes harmful bacteria and mineral buildup. 

Coffee machines are a breeding ground for molds, bacteria, and germs — not exactly what you want in your coffee. We spoke to the experts to learn how to easily clean your Keurig in a few simple steps with common household items. 

How often should I clean my Keurig? 

Graham Cooke, founder of Cafe Last, recommends the descaling process be done once a week. But in reality, you only need to descale it once every two to three weeks. "We make [the once a week] suggestion because most people don't descale their coffee makers until they stop working, which has a lasting effect on the machine," says Cooke. "The idea is that if we tell someone to descale their machine once a week, they will actually do it once every two or three weeks."

In addition to the descaling process, Lopez recommends cleaning all removable parts, including the water tank and lid, coffee pod holder, drip tray once a month. 

If you're not making coffee every day, it's crucial to descale your machine at least every quarter, says Cooke. Why? Because mineral build-up in the reservoir can destroy your coffee machine by corroding your machine's internal seals and clog the machine with hard water buildup.

In general, try to keep the machine as clean as possible by checking the tray and exterior for spillage after each use. If the machine is used repeatedly on a daily basis, follow the wipe-down instructions daily.

I live in an area that has hard water. Does that change my cleaning frequency?

Hard water areas will naturally need to descale their machine more often. If you live in an area with very hard water and you are making multiple cups per day, Cooke recommends descaling your machine once a week.

Is it okay to use water in my tank that's been sitting around a while?

Use the water poured in the tank within one week, says Lopez. Never use water that has been sitting still for more than a week as it could grow mold. 

Before you store the Keurig away or go on a trip, make sure it is fully empty of water, says Shabbir Nooruddin of Coffee Brewster.

How do I clean my Keurig without vinegar or descaling solution?

Use denture tablets, says cleaning expert Abe Navas, the general manager of Emily's Maids, a house cleaning service in Dallas, Texas. 

"Even if I'm not a coffee expert, I am a cleaning expert. I developed a technique for cleaning coffee makers some years ago. It's easy and it will increase the lifespan of your machine for a long time," says Navas.

You need a denture tablet and a microfiber cloth. Put half of a denture tablet in the K-cup chamber. This will help clean any gunk build-up. Then run the machine for three to five cycles. Follow with a cycle of just water. 

Alternatively, you can use citric acid, says Nooruddin. Use one tablespoon of citric acid crystals to one gallon of water. This makes a mildly strong acid, explains Nooruddin —  it's safer to use a milder acid and descale a couple of times rather than using an excessively strong acid that could corrode the metal parts. 

Run your Keurig using several cycles of the citric acid solution, followed by several cycles of plain water. Several cycles really depends on how badly the scaling is, says Nooruddin. For very mild scaling, 2-3 cycles of citric acid solution will do the trick. For a Keurig that's been sitting in the attic for a couple of years, you'll have to run multiple cycles, recommends Nooruddin. 

"The earlier cycles will probably contain little bits of scale in the mug - ideally, you want to keep going until there is no (or tolerable) scale."

He suggests flushing with at least 2-3 cycles of water to get any remnants of citric acid out of your brewer. 

"It's always good to err on the side of caution and flush a couple of extra cycles to really get the acid out, otherwise your coffee will be a little bit funky."

Insider's takeaway

Even though a Keurig makes coffee in a snap, it is essential to spend a few moments to regularly clean it for the best coffee ever, every day. Descaling it with a simple solution of equal parts water and white vinegar will extend the life of your favorite coffee maker and keep your coffee tasting fresh.

Marisel Salazar is a New York City-based Latinx food writer and cook. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Newswomen's Press Club of New York, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Salazar is originally from Panama, has lived in Hawaii, Japan and Madrid. She is a host on the Spirits Network, MSG Networks, and more and also runs her own small creative agency Due West.

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