How to clean my Keurig with vinegar?

12/17/24 7:52am

Hey all! I was gifted a fancy Keurig a few months ago and I’ve been absolutely loving it! It does appear to be getting about that time for a cleaning, though. There’s that chalky white stuff building up in the machine and I’m guessing that means it’s time to clean it. I read online that most people use white vinegar for this, but I’ve never actually done it so I thought I’d ask here: how do you all clean your Keurig with vinegar? What should I do? Are there any tips or tricks I should know about?

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Expert Answers

James Sears
House Cleaning Professional

12/17/24 10:10am

So, white vinegar is safe to consume. That’s kind of the idea here—other chemicals can clean your machine, but vinegar is the safest natural option. White vinegar is slightly acidic so it will work to break down the scale, which is mostly just mineral deposits like calcium. That stuff is in your water naturally, so it builds up in the machine. You load up your Keurig’s water reservoir with white vinegar and run a few cycles until you have depleted all of it. Make sure you have a cup underneath to catch the vinegar, as the vinegar will come out as normal, like you were making coffee. Here are the complete instructions based on Keurig’s guidance:

Step 1: Power off & empty the reservoir (remove the water filter).
Step 2: Pour white vinegar into reservoir.
Step 3: Fill an empty bottle with water and add to reservoir.
Step 4: Power on, place a mug underneath, and perform a cleansing brew using the 10oz. brew size.
Step 5: Pour the contents of the mug into sink.
Step 6: Repeat until the add water light comes on.
Step 7: Let the machine sit for 30 minutes (with the power on).
Step 8: Rinse reservoir thoroughly.
Step 9: Fill reservoir with fresh water and perform at least 12 cleansing brews with water alone.

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Reader Answers

WikiToadDancer525

12/17/24 8:49pm

When you're using vinegar to clean out your Keurig, make sure you flush it out with clean water until there are no more traces of vinegar! The first time I cleaned my machine I was lazy and didn't flush it out much and I could taste the vinegar in my coffee. So be thorough!

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WikiButterflyCaster230

12/18/24 2:00pm

It's safe to use vinegar and it does work to some extent, but I have heard and read about a lot of people saying that it’s better to use descaling solution. If you're willing to pay for descaling solution (probably less than $10), it might be better.

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