How To Clean a Keurig Coffee Machine

By Kitchenistic

20 May 2019

If you happen to be one of those coffee fanatics out there who cannot start the mornings without grabbing a cup of coffee from Star Bucks or some other coffee place, chances are, you spend quite a great amount of time standing in line behind so many people, desperately waiting to be awakened by the pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee. However, nowadays, most people have switched to coffee machines to enjoy a cup of coffee at the ease of their home in order to save both the money and time.

New coffee maker and cup

List of Some of the Best Coffee Makers On The Market:

There are tons of coffee maker brands in the market and it can be quite difficult to choose the perfect one to begin your mornings. Hence, we have listed down some of the best coffee makers to help you out.

Cuisinart
Brew Express
Breville
Keurig
Capresso

The list, however, doesn’t end here since there are a lot more brands widely available in the shops nowadays and you need to be on a look-out for them if you want your hands on the best ones.

Coffee machines are a genuine lifesaver when you’re in a hurry especially before starting off to work or school to stay energetic and concentrated throughout the day. Nevertheless, most coffee machines tend to stop functioning properly after some time. You should know that this is no mechanical disturbance rather it is now the time to clean up your coffee machine.

Even though every brand has a different model out there, the basics of cleaning up a coffee machine are still the same. Hence, we have listed down the instructions on how to clean a Keurig at home since it is one of the most common and promising brands out there.

Cleaning Keurig with Vinegar

Requirements:

White Vinegar
Water
Clean, Dry Cloth
Soap

woman making coffee

Instructions:

Unplugging

The first and one of the most important steps is to unplug the machine from the power outlet before beginning to clean it. This is will not only shield the machine from any kind of permanent damage but will also inhibit the perils of electrocution.

Detaching & Washing

The next step is to disassemble the removable parts of the machine. This includes the K-Cup holder, water reservoir, lid and the mug stand/ drip tray. If you haven’t cleaned these parts of your Keurig in a while, now might be a good time to shed some sweat and clean these removable parts. All you need to do is use the sink in your kitchen and clean them up with warm and soapy water. In order to make them spotless, you can use a soft sponge dipped in liquid dishwasher to scrub on them. Once cleaned, rinse the parts with clean water and keep them aside to dry off.

Wiping the surfaces

After you have finished cleaning the detachable parts of the machine, take a clean and dry piece of cloth to wipe off the rest of the surfaces of the machine. If needed, dampen the cloth a bit to get rid of all the dirt, dust and grease that may have build-up over time. If you want your coffee or tea to be completely free of dust and dirt, give special attention to the places where coffee or tea granules may have collected.

Cleaning the crevices

If your Keurig hasn’t been functioning well for a while, it may be because of all the blockage and debris that may have collected over time. Hence, it is important to give a more in-depth cleaning to these parts to safeguard the pureness and quality of your cup of coffee. Keep in mind that if those parts have not been cleaned in a while, the water will supposedly be more contaminated with dirt and may even have a weird smell to it.

In order to give these parts a thorough cleaning, and to remove all the clogs in the machine, take a toothbrush and a paperclip or a pin. The holes present in each “tooth” are to let hot water or coffee to pass through. There is always a possibility that these holes may get blocked which would result in a slow-running machine. Put your pin through these holes to work lose any clotted dirt by moving the pin about in a brisk motion. Clearing out the clogs will definitely help the machine run smoothly. However, if you do not wish to use the pin, you could always use the Keurig needle cleaning tools that are available in the market.

The vinegar wash

Now, it isn’t always necessary to clean the Keurig manually all the time. There are certain parts of the maker that are beyond your reach and thus cannot be cleaned. However, a good news for you is that there is absolutely no need to disassemble the entire machine while giving it a clean. All you need to do is take white vinegar and pour it into the reservoir until its halfway full.

Adding water

For the next step, you’ll need to grab a bottle of water and fill up the rest of the reservoir with it.

Running the machine

Now, all you need to do is put the plug into the socket and start the brewer without the K-Cup. Keep on repeating the cycle until all the vinegar-water solution has been removed. This process will help your machine to get rid of the lime build-up.

Rinsing the machine

For the final step, repeat the same process. Only this time, instead of a vinegar-water solution, you must use only water. This will ensure the remnants of vinegar and its smell and taste is washed off completely with the plain water.

Back to normal use

After you have cleaned your Keurig, brew as much coffee as you like, only after putting all the parts back to its place.

Note: You can also use Keurig’s Descaling Solution which works best for cleaning their coffee makers.

Now that you know how to clean a Keurig coffee maker, hopefully, you will be able to make coffee just the way you prefer with an even better and faster performance. But, if your machine gives trouble from time to time, don’t forget to try the cleaning process every once in a while. The removal of scale will definitely help to run the machine faster. Using more of filtered or bottled water might help too instead of using tap water. If your Keurig comes with filters for the reservoir, make sure to replace the filter cartridge once in a while to avoid clogs or blockages.