Cleaning your coffee maker regularly is essential in maintaining flavor and for the health of your machine. Most people use vinegar to clean their coffee makers – but it also works without vinegar. We’ll show you how.
Like any other frequently used household appliance, a coffee maker needs to be cleaned in order to maintain the overall health of the machine. The inside can become a mold and bacteria breeding ground – in fact, the 2011 NSF International Household Germ Study found that 50 percent of all sampled coffee machines had yeast or mold growing in their reservoir. Yeast and mold can alter the taste of the coffee, as well as cause gastrointestinal issues. That’s why it’s important to clean your machine properly and regularly – learn how to clean your coffee maker without vinegar here.
Cleaning The Inside of the Coffee Maker: Drawbacks of Vinegar
Vinegar is often used to clean the inside of your coffee maker, as it is widely available and not overly expensive. Although it’s commonly used, it does have some drawbacks. The powerful odor can be off-putting and often requires multiple rinses with water to fully remove its odor and smell from the inside of the machine. It is also not effective at removing grease or oil, both of which can accumulate in the coffee machine. However, it’s very possible to clean your coffee maker without vinegar using natural alternatives.
How to Clean a Coffee Maker Without Vinegar: Baking Soda, Lemon Juice and More
Natural home remedies allow you to clean without adding more chemicals into your home. The following household items can help clean your coffee maker without the use of vinegar.
Baking Soda: a natural cleaning remedy that removes grease and dirt and is non-toxic. Just be careful not to confuse it with washing soda. To clean the inside of the machine:
- Fill the reservoir with 1 cup warm water and ¼ cup baking soda.
- Stir the mixture to dissolve some of the baking soda crystals.
- Run a full coffee cycle.
- When complete, remove the dirty water.
- Fill the reservoir with water and run another cycle.
- Check the water – if it’s clear, the machine is clean. If not, you may need to run the cycle again until the water comes out clear.
Lemon Juice: a natural alternative to vinegar and doesn’t leave a strong odor. The instructions are similar to the baking soda method, but with two optional additions.
- Fill the reservoir with 1 cup warm water and 1 cup lemon juice.
- Stir the mixture.
- Run a full coffee cycle.
- When complete, remove the dirty water.
- Fill the reservoir with water and run another cycle.
- Check the water – if it’s clear, the machine is clean. If not, you may need to run the cycle again until the water comes out clear.
- Optional: use the lemon and water solution to wash the coffee pot/carafe.
- Optional: If you like the flavor of coffee with lemon (called an espresso romano), skip the last step of a water cycle, and brew a pot of coffee instead.
Cream of Tartar: a natural alternative to vinegar that acts much like baking soda.
- Fill the reservoir with 1 cup warm water and 3 tablespoons of cream of tartar.
- Stir the mixture to dissolve the the crystals.
- Run a full coffee cycle.
- When complete, remove the dirty water.
- Fill the reservoir with water.
- Run another cycle of coffee with just water.
Dish Soap: when choosing a dish soap to help clean your coffee maker without vinegar, you should choose one with all-natural ingredients to clean the inside of the machine.
- Simply add a little dish soap to a warm water cycle and run.
- Run again with just water to ensure you have removed all of the soap.
Salt Water: a simple way to clean the inside of the machine.
- Add two tablespoons table salt (iodized, not sea salt) to a warm water cycle, mixing before starting to dissolve the crystals.
- Run the cycle.
- Run again with only water.
Cleaning your coffee maker without vinegar is made easy with any of these natural alternatives. Remember to do it at least once a month to ensure your machine is healthy and that your coffee tastes as it should.
Cleaning The Outside of Your Coffee Maker
The outside is just as important as the inside when it comes to keeping a coffee maker clear. If you have a regular brewing machine follow these steps after every use:
- Remove any items that can be lifted out, like the basket for coffee grounds and the coffee pot itself.
- Wash these items with warm water and homemade dish soap.
- Wipe down the outside of the machine with soapy water and a rag, as well as the hot plate.
- Do this after every use to ensure the outside of the machine is clean.
An additional step to maintain your carafe or pot is to add warm water and a small bit of unboiled rice to the pot and swish until the residue is loosened from the sides. Rinse the rice and residue away and find a sparkling clean carafe or pot!
Read on:
- The Best Reusable Nespresso Pods
- Quitting Coffee: Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms and How to Beat Them
- Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner: Simple DIY With 2 Ingredient
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