Q&A for How to Clean a Coffee Maker

Try to deep clean your coffee maker once a month so mold doesn't grow inside of it, especially if you use it every day.

Denture cleaning tabs tend to work well when left in a carafe full of water for about 30 minutes!

Do a full cup of water. Let it run through.

Put a mixture of vinegar and water in the water reservoir. Run a cycle of a few cups without the k cup, they have plastic k cups for normal coffee at Walmart for about a dollar. Use one of those, after you have run all the solution through, repeat the process with plain water.

Use a pot's worth of water and two denture tablets. Dissolve the tablets in a separate container of water and not the coffee-maker water reservoir. Undissolved tablets can make the rinsing process lengthy.

This likely means your heater line is completely clogged with hard mineral deposits. Your only options at this point would be to buy a new coffee maker or take yours apart and try to clean it out. It's almost just always better and easier to buy a new machine. Just make sure to run 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water through your machine once in a while to prevent another clog up.

Empty the filter as usual. Place empty filter back in the maker. What you're doing is making coffee without the coffee but with all the maker's parts.

If it has been more than 3 months since the filter was changed, it's a good time to replace the charcoal filter. You don't have to replace it at the same time you clean the coffee maker.

Fill the carafe with boiling water and one dishwasher detergent pod. Close the carafe, swirl it around, and let it soak for 20 minutes. Rinse it out well with clean water.

It could be that your coffee pot isn't on securely and is keeping the exit closed.

Try unplugging the machine and plugging it back in after 1-2 minutes. If that doesn't work, run the coffeemaker through the clean cycle.

Run the machine with plain water until you have about a half cup of hot water, then turn the machine off and pour the water onto the burner area. Wipe it away (carefully) and spray the rest of the machine with a disinfectant before wiping that away as well.

This depends on the type you're using. Read the manufacturer's instructions.

This should not damage most coffee pots, but it's a good idea to refer to your instructions manual just in case.

White vinegar is a better option. It works better in terms of removing mold and debris.

Yes, the method for cleaning your coffee machine with vinegar, whether plain white or apple cider, is the same.

Just clean it again, but use more vinegar than water.

It seems to work just as well, but you usually have to rinse it a bit more to make sure the vinegar taste is completely gone.

It depends on the method that you are using, but it should be able to be cleaned the same way.

To catch any solids that will be cleaned out. It's easier to remove a paper filter than to clean your internal filter again, but the paper filter isn't an essential step.

Use some soap and water to dislodge any loose coffee debris. You can also deep clean the pot with vinegar once a month.

This can be cleaned like any other coffee maker.

Run two cycles with vinegar, and then run water through once to get the vinegar out.

You can leave the on switch on for awhile to keep your coffee warm, but turn it off before leaving your home. Leaving it on too long or unattended is a fire hazard.

Consult your instructions manual. This should advise you on how to troubleshoot common problems. If your coffee maker still does not work, you may want to buy a new one.

The method for cleaning your coffee machine with vinegar, whether plain white or apple cider, is the same.

Yes, but it will require more rinsing to flush out the taste. This is due to tannin in the apple cider vinegar. It is recommend to use white vinegar.

Yes. All parts of a coffee maker should be cleaned regularly.

If you do this, then when you drink coffee it will taste like dish soap for a bit. Instead, take some water and put it on the stove and pour hot water into the coffee maker. Leave it for a bit, then pour all the water out.

Add hot water inside (heat the water on the stove top). Let it sit for a while, then empty out the water. After this, the smell should be gone but repeat if necessary.