How to Clean a Drip Coffee Maker With White Vinegar

Clean a coffee maker with vinegar every 30 days for top performance.

Mineral deposits from water make drip coffee makers run slowly and brew poor tasting coffee. If the coffee maker is used daily, clean it every 30 days to maintain high quality results in the shortest amount of time. White vinegar breaks down the calcium and other deposits found in hard water that affect the appliance's performance. No other cleaning products are required for the internal system, and the brewing cycle does most of the work itself. Does this Spark an idea?

Things You'll Need

• Paper coffee filter
• Cloths

Instructions

1. Fill the coffeemaker's empty reservoir with 4 cups white vinegar and place the pot on the warming plate. Rinse and empty the basket and pot, then add a clean filter to the basket.

2. Turn on the coffee maker and allow three cups of vinegar to brew, then shut off the appliance. Allow the vinegar to sit for 30 minutes.

3. Turn the coffeemaker on and allow the rest of the vinegar to cycle through. Empty the solution and rinse out the pot with clean water. Throw away the paper filter, or remove the filter basket and rinse it with clean water and replace it.

4. Fill the pot with clean water and add it to the reservoir. Place the pot on the warming plate and turn on the brew cycle. Let the water completely cycle through. Repeat this once more, then discard the water.

5. Dry the filter basket and pot with a cloth. Wipe the external surfaces of the coffeemaker using a cloth dampened with warm water and vinegar. Dry it with a cloth or let it air dry.

References

• Mr. Coffee: User Manual
• Good Housekeeping: How to Clean Automatic Coffeemakers