How to Clean a Keurig Coffee Maker

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Oh, the beauty of a single-serve coffee maker! Mornings have never been better with a fresh cup of coffee every time. For those of us who love to get a couple more Zs in the morning , using a Keurig means no more waking up to the taste and smell of burnt java that has been sitting in the brewer for hours.

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Whether you choose to use a premade K-Cup or go with a reusable pod, it is so simple to use, and you don't need to drink a cup of coffee in order to be able to make a cup of coffee. However, our love for these instant coffee machines can go south if you wake up to the dreaded message that you have to descale your brewer before you can make a cup of coffee. To avoid scale buildup and continue to have the perfect cup of coffee every time, the inside of your Keurig coffee maker should get a deep cleaning every two to three months, and we're here to show you exactly how to do it.

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Image Credit: Beth Huntington

Things You'll Need

Image Credit: Beth Huntington

Step 1

The most important step in this cleaning process is to unplug the coffee machine before you do anything else. After unplugging, disassemble all the removable parts of the coffee machine, including the K-Cup pod holder.

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Image Credit: Beth Huntington

Step 2

Scrub each of the removable parts in warm, soapy water. Rinse and dry them.

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Image Credit: Beth Huntington

Step 3

Reassemble the coffee maker and wipe down the entire outside of the machine with a warm, wet cloth.

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Image Credit: Beth Huntington
Image Credit: Beth Huntington

Step 4

The best way to clean the inside of your Keurig coffee maker is to start by filling the water reservoir halfway with distilled white vinegar and then fill the rest with fresh water. There are several benefits to using distilled white vinegar to clean the inside of the brewer. Vinegar is an inexpensive, nontoxic and effective way to remove any residue buildup on the inside of your machine. Keurig also makes a descaler that could be used instead of vinegar.

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Use the brew cycle to run the vinegar mixture through the brewer a few times by making several cups of hot vinegar. If you think the inside of your machine might have quite a bit of mineral buildup, you can leave the vinegar mixture inside for a few hours and then run the coffee maker until the vinegar mixture is completely out of the machine. Fill the reservoir with fresh water and run it through a few times until the vinegar smell is gone. This process will essentially descale your Keurig.

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Image Credit: Beth Huntington
Image Credit: Beth Huntington

Enjoy a fresh cup of coffee every morning with your clean machine.

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Image Credit: Beth Huntington

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