How to Clean Your Drip Coffee Maker and Carafe

Clear glass coffee carafes are easily stained. The glass carafe turns a brown color and looks dirty fairly quickly. The drip coffee maker itself also gets dirty from the build up of coffee, hard water and mineral stains. Glass coffee carafes and drip coffee makers should never be cleaned with soap. Soap will ruin the flavor of the coffee no matter how well you rinse the drip coffee maker and the glass carafe.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Fill the reservoir of your drip coffee maker with white vinegar.

2. Turn the coffee maker on and run the white vinegar through as you would if you were brewing a pot of coffee minus the coffee grounds.

3. After the white vinegar runs through your coffee maker, pour the vinegar out to dispose of.

4. Fill the reservoir with plain water and let the plain water run through the coffee maker. Pour the water out and run plain water through one more time and pour the water out.

5. Allow the glass carafe to cool completely.

6. Fill the glass carafe ½ way with ice cubes, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the ice and add ¼ of a cup of salt.

7. Use a wooden spoon to stir the ice in a circular motion around the glass carafe for 3 to 4 minutes.

8. Dump out the ice cubes and rinse with cool water.

[ginamichellesat]

on 10/3/2009 Great instructions! Thanx!

[bellerose]

on 9/30/2009 Great inistructions on how to clean your drip coffee maker and carafe. I think this makes the coffee you brew taste better too. 5*

[jaredsgirl]

on 9/30/2009 I need to try this. My coffee maker and carafe get so stained because I drink a lot of coffee at home. Thanks a bunch for sharing! 5*

[sullysee]

on 9/29/2009 Squeeky clean coffee maker after these great steps. 5*

[shenandoah]

on 9/29/2009 Thanks for the good instructions on using things you already have in the kitchen to clean your drip coffee maker. Nice to know.