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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.
Steps
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] X Research source
- 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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Put a mug on the tray and remove any K-cup pods from the machine. 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] X Research source
- Avoid using a paper cup because the hot water could cause it to break.
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Hold down the “8oz” and “12oz” buttons until the Descale light turns on. 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] X Research source
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Run brew cycles until the “Add Water” light turns on. 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] X Research source
- It usually will take around 15–20 minutes to descale your Keurig Slim.
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Run clean water through your Keurig until the reservoir empties. 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] X Research source
- Running clean water through your Keurig cleans out any leftover calcium deposits or descaling solution left inside your coffee maker.
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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] X Research sourceThanks
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Things You’ll Need
- Descaling solution or distilled white vinegar
References
- ↑ https://youtu.be/8hrJcY9-a9A?t=5
- ↑ https://youtu.be/8hrJcY9-a9A?t=10
- ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
- ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
- ↑ https://youtu.be/8hrJcY9-a9A?t=34
- ↑ https://coffeecredible.com/descale-keurig-slim/
- ↑ https://coffeecredible.com/descale-keurig-slim/
- ↑ https://www.roastycoffee.com/how-long-can-you-leave-water-in-keurig/
- ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
- ↑ https://mycoffeecity.com/how-to-descale-keurig-slim/
- ↑ https://www.keurig.ca/medias/J11726-KGM-KSlim-UCGuide-CDN-E-401.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfGtldXJpZ2NhfDc2MjAzNXxhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi9wZGZ8a2V1cmlnY2EvaGY0L2hkMy82MTY1MTE1MjIwNzkwMi5wZGZ8YzcxZTRmYTkxZTM0OWZjYWNkNjMxM2Y4NWNlMzYxM2MxZjRjOTVkOGFmZjYwNGRkNjJmYjdhN2EzMTYwMDVhMw
- ↑ https://support.keurig.com/
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