How to Remove Burned Coffee Stains From Glass Coffee Pots

If you have a coffee machine with a glass carafe and a heating pad, it will pay off in the long run if you keep a close eye on the heating switch. Leaving the heating element on when there's just a thin layer of coffee in the bottom of the carafe will burn the coffee right onto the glass. You'll be left with a seriously tough stain to clean. Burned coffee is one of those stains that doesn't respond well to simple elbow grease and soap. You'll need to use the secret ingredient (salt) to loosen the particles and rinse it away.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Glass coffee pot
• Salt
• Hot water
• Synthetic scouring pad
• Dish towel

1. Rinse the pot several times with very hot water. After the last rinse, dump out the remaining water but do not dry the inside of the pot.

2. Sprinkle salt liberally over the stained areas on the bottom of the pot. Once the areas are well-covered, allow the pot to sit for at least ten minutes.

3. Pour a couple of ounces of hot water into the pot after it has had time to sit. Immediately scrub the bottom of the pot in a circular motion with a synthetic scouring pad, applying considerable pressure.

4. Rinse the pot thoroughly with warm water. If the burned-on stains have lightened significantly but aren't completely gone, a second attempt at this procedure may take care of the rest.

5. Dry the cleaned and rinsed coffee pot with a dish towel and replace it in the coffee machine.

Tips & Warnings

• In extreme cases where the burned-on coffee stains are very thick and raised, consider soaking some white vinegar in the bottom of the pot for about 15 minutes and then scrubbing the excess loose before attempting the salt method.
• If your glass carafe just won't come clean, you can usually buy a replacement from the manufacturer or a generic, one-size-fits-all replacement from a kitchen store or general retailer. These tend to cost around $15.
• When scrubbing the bottom of the pot, keep the bottom flat on a hard surface like a table or counter. If you try scrubbing it while holding it in the air, you run the risk of break the glass or snapping the carafe off of the handle.