When Did You Last Clean Your Keurig Machine?
The great thing about a Keurig coffee maker is its convenience. Just pop in your favorite flavor of coffee and in minutes, you’ve got a steaming hot cup of your favorite brew to enjoy. But even the most convenient of devices comes with its drudgery, and if you want your Keurig to be working at its highest possible level of efficiency, eventually, you’ve got to clean it.
Fortunately, deep cleaning your Keurig coffee maker is not a difficult task. Here are some easy steps to take when it’s time to deep clean your Keurig.
When Should You Clean Your Keurig?
There are a number of signs that it’s time to clean your Keurig. First, there’s the eye test. If you see the machine getting especially grimy, then it’s time to clean. There’s also the smell test. If your Keurig reservoir smells funky, it’s definitely ready for a cleaning.
Perhaps more importantly, if the Keurig is not working properly—the water isn’t getting through or it comes through without brewing the coffee—then deep cleaning your Keurig should be your first step. Regardless of the signs, for optimal use, you should be cleaning your Keurig about four times a year on average.
How to Clean Your Keurig
The most important part of the Keurig cleaning process is called descaling, but let’s not get to that right away. First, take off any removable parts, including the reservoir, and wash them with warm, soapy water. Clean the tank filter as well to clear any debris that may be blocking it.
Then, clean any grinds stuck to the K-Cup holder with a wet sponge. While you’re at it, you can wipe down the exterior of the machine. Finally, clean the needles that pierce the K-Cup. This is important because if those needles get clogged, it can prevent the flow and stop your machine from working. Use a paperclip to clear any debris out of the needle holes. Now you’re ready to descale.
How to Descale Your Keurig
Descaling is the process of removing minerals that build up in your machine over time - minerals that can seriously interfere with the machine functioning. While it may sound like a complicated process, it is actually incredibly easy to do and can make a real difference.
To descale your Keurig machine, all you need to do is fill the reservoir with about 10 ounces of white vinegar, and start a brew cycle without a K-Cup. Make sure you still have a mug to catch the liquid as it flows through. Do this cycle twice, then fill the reservoir with 10 ounces of fresh water and do it one more time.
That’s all it takes! This simple process that takes only a few minutes to complete can be the difference between a machine that doesn’t work, works slowly, works noisily, or produces a sub-par cup of coffee, and one that makes the quick, delicious Keurig brew you’ve come to rely on.
If you’ve never descaled your Keurig coffee machine and you’ve had it in your kitchen or office for a while, give it a try today and see what a difference it makes.
SEE ALSO: STEP-BY-STEP DESCALING FOR KEURIG MACHINE
If your Keurig coffee machine serves up multiple cups daily, you may want to check out this article. While drinking coffee has health benefits, using your Keurig machine daily without routine cleaning and maintenance can lead to awful consequences.
Cleaning Your Keurig is a Must
It’s essential to clean a Keurig because it can be a health hazard if not cleaned properly. Like any coffee maker (or espresso machine), Keurigs can grow mold if not properly drained, descaled, and cleaned. Cleaning keeps mold and bacteria at bay but also removes the mineral buildup in the machine that affects the coffee taste and quality. A clean Keurig makes better-tasting coffee.
Wash removable parts and reassemble
First, unplug the machine. Next, disassemble your Keurig taking note of where things go. While there are many Keurig models, you should be able to remove the water reservoir and lid, the drip tray, and the pod holder. Careful! You’ll see a pointy needle-like spike in the top assembly, which does not come off, so don’t try to remove it. In fact, be careful to avoid poking yourself.
Thoroughly wash and dry the removable parts using hot soapy water. Alternatively, you can run these parts through the dishwasher, a good idea if they are particularly skanky. In the meantime, using a microfiber or other dish cloth, clean and wipe down the machine’s exterior with a damp, soapy cloth. Rinse then buff dry using a microfiber or other towel.
Reassemble the machine making sure you get everything back into its proper place.
How to Descale a Keurig
When you fill a Keurig reservoir with water with a high mineral content level, over time, this will result in a buildup of hardened calcium and mineral deposits, known as scale. That impacts the taste of your coffee but also prevents the machine from working properly. If it is not cleaned and descaled regularly, you should expect your Keurig to just up and slow, painful death. But don’t worry, you can descale a Keurig using a few different methods:
Keurig Descaling Solution
It should be noted that the manufacturer recommends only one method to descale your machine: Its proprietary Keurig Descaling Solution. You can purchase this online or possibly at the store where you purchased your machine.
Interestingly, the Keurig descaling liquid is mostly citric acid, water, and inert items like silica and bleaching agents. Hmmm….
DIY Keurig Descaling
There are two homemade options to effectively descale a Keurig machine that are definitely cheaper than the pricey stuff from the manufacturer, and quite possibly better and faster, too.
Citric acid
Citric acid offers a simple homemade way to eliminate any scale formed in a Keurig. Prepare a citric acid solution by combining one to two tablespoons of citric acid (more or less depending on how long it’s been since you descaled your Keurig) with about four cups of water. Stir to dissolve, then pour it into the water reservoir. Leaving the K-cup holder empty, place a coffee mug underneath the drainage spout, brew a cup of hot water, pour it out, and repeat the step until the reservoir is emptied. Fill up the water reservoir with water a second time, and keep brewing until there’s nothing left in the reservoir.
You can find citric acid at spice shops, in your grocer’s canning aisle, or on Amazon. Then check out more ways to use citric acid to clean and brighten your home.
Vinegar
Like citric acid, plain white vinegar is great for sanitizing a Keurig, and a simple homemade way to get rid of any scale that’s formed. Fill the water reservoir to the halfway mark with plain white vinegar. Fill the other half with water. Begin the brew cycle leaving the K-cup holder empty, and repeat until the entire reservoir is empty. Repeat by filling the reservoir with plain water to flush out the vinegar taste. Is there anything that vinegar can’t clean? Well, yes, there are a few things—but look at all the ways vinegar works so well to make your life easier!
- MORE: 29 Brilliant Ways to Use Vinegar That May Surprise You
How Often Should I Descale My Keurig?
The general answer from the folks from Keurig: Once every 3 to 6 months. And that leaves a big question mark in my mind because 3 to 6 months is quite a range.
A better answer is to assess your use and the water source you use to brew coffee in your Keurig. If you make coffee several times a day and live with hard water, every three months is not often enough. You may need to descale once every month. Check routinely for hard water deposits, and let that be your guide.
If, on the other hand, you use bottled water or have a reverse osmosis (RO) system, descaling every five to six months may be sufficient.
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