How to Clean a Coffee Pot

Keep your coffee pot clean.

Cleaning a coffee pot necessary, but it doesn’t have to be a big chore. You can use a simple, virtually cost-free method to clean your coffee pots quickly. This will eliminate stains and help keep your coffee tasting fresh.

Things You'll Need

• Ice cubes
• Salt
• Plastic wrap (optional)

Instructions

1. Unplug the coffee pot, just to be safe. While it will probably be OK to get the machine wet, and the pot and machine will be separate while you clean it, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

2. Pour just enough salt in the coffee pot to cover the bottom of the pot.

3. Add a few ice cubes. Three or four should be sufficient.

4. Hold the coffee pot in both hands, making sure the lid is closed. If you want to make sure not to make a mess, cover the lid with plastic wrap.

5. Shake the coffee pot slowly in a circular motion to get the ice cubes to move around the bottom of the pot. Once they are sliding quickly around the edges, move the pot more rapidly and use centrifugal force to spin the ice cubes around the sides of the pot.

6. Make sure the ice cubes slide over every surface of the pot and take some salt with them. The salt is abrasive and the ice cubes move it around, thus scouring the sides of the pot.

7. Pour out the water once the ice has melted. If there are any stains left, repeat the entire process.

References

• Campus Center for the Environment: Dying in the Name of Cleanliness: The toxic toll of consumer santiation