What Cleans Coffee Makers?
If your morning cup of coffee tastes a little off, your coffee pot may need to be cleaned. Water leaves calcium deposits on the inside of the coffee machine and carafe. These deposits, combined with lingering oils from brewed coffee, can lead to an unpleasant tasting brew. Cleaning your coffee pot is a simple process that will make every cup of coffee perfect. Does this Spark an idea?
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Daily Cleaning
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Rinse the coffee maker's carafe each day after use. Remove the used coffee grounds and filter from the filter basket and discard. Rinse the brew basket and replace.
Cleaning the Carafe
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After every four pots of coffee brewed, wash your carafe and brew basket in hot water using a mild detergent. Avoid using cleaners that may scratch your carafe. Check your appliance owner's manual to determine if your carafe and brew basket are dishwasher safe, and follow the directions listed.
Brown stains in your carafe are caused by mineral deposits stained by coffee. To remove them, fill your carafe halfway with white vinegar and add hot water until the carafe is full. Allow this mixture to stand for 20 minutes, then rinse.
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Stainless Steel
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Stainless steel carafes scratch easily. Clean with a soft cloth, and avoid using harsh cleaners containing baking soda or other abrasive ingredients. Rinse daily after brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Clean with mild dish detergent and water after every four pots.
Coffee Machine
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Water running through your coffee machine leaves mineral deposits behind. These deposits not only result in unpleasant tasting coffee, but can make your coffee pot brew more slowly, as mineral deposits clog the water chambers inside your appliance. Individuals with hard tap water should clean the inside of their machines every 40 brews. Coffee drinkers with soft water should remove mineral deposits after 80 brews, or sooner if necessary.
To clean your appliance, remove any coffee or filter from the brew basket and empty the carafe of coffee. Fill the carafe almost completely full with white vinegar, and pour the vinegar into your coffee maker as you would water. If your machine features a cleaning cycle, set it up as directed in your manual. For other coffee makers, set your machine to brew as though you were making a fresh pot of coffee. Allow the vinegar two hours to remove all deposits from inside your machine. Fill your carafe with fresh water and run the machine through a normal brewing cycle to rinse. Mr.Coffee.com recommends repeating this rinse cycle five additional times, each time using fresh water, to completely remove the vinegar smell and taste from your machine.
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References
- Photo Credit coffee cup with coffee beans image by Greg from Fotolia.com
