| When was the last time that you cleaned your | | | | process as much as you need. |
| coffee maker? Last month? Last year? Or never like | | | | Depending on your water quality, it's recommended |
| me? | | | | that you clean your coffee maker anywhere from |
| A dirty coffee maker can ruin even the best coffee. | | | | every seven to fourteen days for the best tasting |
| Limescale, mineral deposits build up inside, tainting the | | | | results. |
| way our morning brew tastes. Cleaning it is very | | | | One warning. This isn't a quick process. It can take |
| simple to do and from the very next pot of coffee | | | | over an hour to completely clean your coffee maker, |
| that you make, you'll taste a dramatic difference. | | | | so if you're in need of some caffeine, make the |
| There are several different ways to clean a coffee | | | | coffee now and clean the machine later. |
| machine, I used the white vinegar method because it | | | | Alternatives to vinegar include: |
| was effective and cheap. It didn't hurt that I had a | | | | Two denture cleaning tablets, just make sure they |
| bottle of it sitting in my cupboard. | | | | dissolve before you put them into the water |
| 1st Step - Fill your the pot with one third vinegar and | | | | chamber. |
| two thirds cold water. | | | | Citric acid mixed with four cups of hot water and an |
| 2nd Step - Put a filter in. | | | | additional four cups of cold water. |
| 3rd Step - Pour the water and vinegar into your | | | | There's even cleaning solutions that you can buy at |
| water chamber, then turn it on. Let it go through the | | | | most grocery stores. |
| normal brewing cycle, filling up the pot with the oil | | | | You an also put a glass marble in to the water |
| and vinegar mixture. If possible, open up your | | | | chamber. It attracts mineral deposits in hard water so |
| windows to dilute the not so pleasant vinegar smell. | | | | that you only have to wash the marble once a week |
| 4th Step - Throw out the filter. You might be | | | | instead of cleaning the whole machine. |
| surprised with how much sediment and minerals are | | | | How To Clean Your Coffee Pot |
| caught in the filter | | | | You shouldn't use soap to clean your pot or put it |
| Let the it sit and cool for ten to fifteen minutes. | | | | into the dishwasher. The soap can actually attach |
| 5th Step - Rinse the pot. If it was like my coffee | | | | itself to the oils from leftover coffee, leaving soap |
| maker and still needs more cleaning, you can repeat | | | | residue behind |
| the previous steps. | | | | Instead, use ice cubes with a little bit of water. Swirl |
| 6th Step - Once you're done with the vinegar, repeat | | | | the ice and water around the coffee pot. If you |
| the process twice more with just cool water to get | | | | have tough stains, try adding some salt. Using just ice |
| rid of any remaining vinegar and the accompanying | | | | and water wasn't strong enough to clean mine, but |
| odor. If you can still smell it, you can repeat the | | | | the addition of salt made a noticeable difference. |