How to Descale a Keurig K-Slim Coffee Maker

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Quickly remove scale buildup in your Keurig with this easy guide
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If your Keurig isn’t working properly or brewing bitter coffee, it’s time to descale your machine. It’s easy to get rid of all the buildup in your Keurig with descaling solution or white vinegar, and it only takes about 15–20 minutes to do. Descaling is an important step in maintaining your coffee maker, and we’ll walk you through the whole process. Keep reading for everything you need to know so you can start brewing fresh coffee again.

This article is based on an interview with our house cleaning professional, James Sears. Check out the full interview here.

Things You Should Know

  • Fill your Keurig’s reservoir with a mix of half water and half descaling solution or distilled white vinegar. Put a large mug on the tray under the machine’s spout.
  • Hold the “8oz” and “12oz” buttons down for 3 seconds so the Descale light turns on. Run brew cycles until the Add Water light flashes.
  • Refill the reservoir with clean water, and run brew cycles until it empties out to finish descaling your coffee maker. Descale your Keurig every 3 months.
Section 1 of 4:

Descaling Your Keurig K-Slim

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    Fill the reservoir with an equal mix of water and descaling solution . If there’s any water still in the reservoir, empty it out. Pour the full bottle of descaling solution into the reservoir. Then, refill the bottle with water and add it to the reservoir with the solution. Put the lid back on your reservoir and ensure it’s attached properly to the machine. [1]
    • Alternatively, you may try descaling your Keurig Slim with distilled white vinegar in place of a descaling solution. However, vinegar is acidic and may damage internal parts of your Keurig machine, so it’s not recommended by the manufacturer.
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    Choose your largest ceramic mug and set it on the tray underneath the spout. Open your Keurig and take out any pods that are still inside because they can interfere with the cleaning process. [2]
    • Avoid using a paper cup because the hot water could cause it to break.
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    Start with your Keurig coffee maker turned off. Look for the “8oz” and “12oz” buttons on top of the machine, and press them at the same time. Keep holding the buttons down for about 3 seconds until the Descale light in the top-right corner stops blinking and turns solid. [3]
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    When the Brew light on top of the machine starts blinking, press the button so the descaling solution goes through the machine and breaks apart the calcium deposits. When one cycle finishes, empty the mug into your sink and run the Brew cycle again. Keep running the solution through your Keurig until the reservoir empties and the “Add Water” light flashes. [4]
    • It usually will take around 15–20 minutes to descale your Keurig Slim.
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    Rinse out any leftover solution in the reservoir and fill it up with clean water. Start a Brew cycle by pressing the button so hot water runs through the machine. Empty the mug after each cycle, and continue running them until the “Add Water” light starts flashing again. After that, your Keurig K-Slim will be clean and ready to use again. [5]
    • Running clean water through your Keurig cleans out any leftover calcium deposits or descaling solution left inside your coffee maker.
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Section 2 of 4:

Why should you descale a Keurig?

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    When calcium deposits from hard water build up inside your Keurig machine, they can block the internal components and cause them to run inefficiently. Regularly descaling your coffee maker breaks apart the buildup before too much accumulates inside. [6]
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    Scale deposits inside of your Keurig can make coffee taste more bitter and may have an unpleasant odor. By removing the scale, you keep your cup of coffee tasting fresh anytime you brew it.
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Section 3 of 4:

Maintaining Your Keurig

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    Running the Descale cycle on your coffee maker every 3 months ensures that no large scale deposits form inside your machine. Make a note every few months to get some descaling solution or vinegar to run through your Keurig to keep it clean.
    • If you don’t have hard water in your area, you may descale your Keurig every 6 months instead because buildup won’t form as quickly
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    Whenever it looks dirty on the outside, clean your Keurig with a damp cloth. If there’s stubborn residue still stuck on the surface, then spray a non-toxic cleaner onto your cloth, and gently scrub it off.
    • Be sure to take off and clean the removable parts of your machine as well. Pieces that you can easily remove include the drip tray and the K-cup pod holder.
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    If you have hard water in your area , scale deposits will continue to quickly form inside of your Keurig machine. If you want to avoid frequent cleanings or descaling, add filtered or bottled water to the reservoir instead so your coffee continues to taste fresh. [7]
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    When water sits in the reservoir, it could cause scale to form more quickly or it may make your coffee taste stale. If it’s been a few days since you last used your Keurig Slim, empty out the reservoir and put some fresh water in before brewing your coffee. [8]
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Section 4 of 4:

Troubleshooting Common Problems

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    If you notice foam coming out from the Keurig’s spout, start by turning off and unplugging your machine. If you still have descaling solution in the reservoir, rinse it out and refill it with clean water. Then, plug your coffee maker back in, turn it on, and press the Brew button so the solution cleans out of your machine. [9]
    • If you still notice foam coming out from the spout, then leave your machine unplugged for 30 minutes before continuing the rinse cycle.
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    If you notice the Descale light stays on even after running clean water through the machine, fill the reservoir up with clean water. Start a Descale cycle by holding down the “8oz” and 12oz” buttons for 3 seconds, and let the water run through your machine. Refill the reservoir and run a few more Brew cycles, and the light will turn off. [10]
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    Open your Keurig Slim and carefully pull out the K-Cup pod holder to expose the needle underneath. clean the needle by straightening a paper clip and sticking it inside to remove any scale deposits or loose coffee grounds that got stuck inside. [11]
    • The needle is usually the issue if you have coffee grounds in your mug or if your mug doesn’t fill up as much as it normally does.
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      Tips

      • If you’re still having problems with your Keurig Slim machine, contact Keurig customer service by filling out the email form or by calling 1-866-901-2739 7 days a week between 7 AM –12 AM EST. [12]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/8hrJcY9-a9A?t=5
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/8hrJcY9-a9A?t=10
      3. ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
      4. ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/8hrJcY9-a9A?t=34
      6. ↑ https://coffeecredible.com/descale-keurig-slim/
      7. ↑ https://coffeecredible.com/descale-keurig-slim/
      8. ↑ https://www.roastycoffee.com/how-long-can-you-leave-water-in-keurig/
      9. ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
      1. ↑ https://mycoffeecity.com/how-to-descale-keurig-slim/
      2. ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
      3. ↑ https://support.keurig.com/

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