How to Clean a Coffee Percolator

Coffee percolators work by heating cold water in the bottom of the pot and pumping it out a tube. The cycle is repeated frequently, and the percolator needs to be cleaned frequently. Here is how to clean a coffee percolator.

Things You'll Need

• Needle or toothpick
• Thin-blade knife
• Baking soda
• Vinegar

Instructions

1. Create a solution of 2 tsp. of baking soda and eight cups of water for one complete cycle.

2. Clean your coffee percolator by placing your cleaning concoction inside the percolator and turning it on for one complete cycle. If your home is in a hard-water area, clean your percolator a second time with a mixture of water and white vinegar.

3. Let your coffee percolator dry and unplug it. Make sure you thoroughly allow your coffee percolator to dry out, so that mold and mildew won't form in the interior places of your percolator.

4. Remove the pump tube and basket from your coffee percolator.

5. Scrape out any coffee residue trapped in the spaces between the washer and the pump-tube flange, using a thin-bladed knife. It is common for coffee grounds to get trapped in the interior parts of your percolator. But if they stay in there, they can keep your percolator from operating as efficiently as it should.

6. Remove all debris from holes in your pump-tube flanges by using a needle or a toothpick. Brush out the debris and dirt.

7. Unclog all the holes in your coffee percolator basket by taking a needle or toothpick and poking out the residue.

Tips & Warnings

• You can clean the outside of your percolator by using a damp cloth.

• Never clean your coffee percolator while it is plugged in.