Sometimes, your Keurig coffee machine might brew just half a cup of coffee or start leaking. This issue can often arise from a clogged needle. Dirt and debris can block the needle in a Keurig machine, making it crucial to regularly clean and maintain it. In this article, I’ll guide you through the process of cleaning the Keurig needle. So if you’re uncertain about how to go about it, you’ve come to the perfect spot.
Needle – What’s Its Purpose In A Keurig Coffee Maker
We must first understand the needle in order to solve the problem. The top needle of the coffee maker is the part that will poke holes in the foil on top of a coffee pod. This causes hot water to pass through the coffee grinds, allowing your coffee maker to brew coffee.
Occasionally, coffee grounds and dirt can build up on the needles. As a result, little to no water flow getting through the coffee maker, with difficulty puncturing through the top of the coffee pod.
Cleaning Keurig Needles – Why Is It Important
In a Keurig coffee maker, a needle pokes a hole through the foil lid and into the coffee grounds inside to reach the ground coffee. Due to this, coffee grounds can easily accumulate in the needle over time. This isn’t very hygienic and will affect the taste of your beverage. The build-up can even interfere with the flow of water in your Keurig, preventing it from making a tasty cup of coffee!
Carefulness is crucial when cleaning a Keurig needle. It is very sharp, so be careful not to hurt yourself. Additionally, it’s an vital part of the coffee maker, so you don’t want to break it by mistake.
Cleaning Tools You Will Need
You can easily clean the needle with Keurig’s coffee maker maintenance accessory tool, available with all Keurig 2.0 models. No worries if you don’t have one! You can easily purchase one for only a few dollars. In addition, Keurig offers a maintenance kit that includes disposable rinse pods and works with both Keurig models 1.0 and 2.0.
The Keurig needle on a Keurig coffee maker can be cleaned without its tool as well. You can use a toothpick or a paperclip instead, works just fine as well.
How to Clean the Keurig Coffee Maker Needle
The process of Keurig needle cleaning is quite simple and doesn’t take too long. Here are the steps you need to follow to completely clean your Keurig’s needle.
Step 1. You’ll have to turn off and unplug your Keurig coffee maker before you get started. It will protect you from electric shocks.
Step 2. Take the pod holder off the coffee maker by lifting the handle on your Keurig. Pull the pod holder up using your other hand from underneath by grasping the top of the pod holder.
Step 3. Pull the funnel out of the pod holder.
Step 4. You can clean the needle using a toothpick or a paperclip. Slide the pod holder into the tube by flipping it upside down. To loosen clogs and get rid of dirt, move the toothpick/paperclip around for 30 seconds.
Step 5. Rinse the pod holder and funnel with running tap water to ensure a fully clean exit needle.
Step 6. After cleaning the exit needle, it’s time to clean the entrance needle. This is located under the brewer’s head. When you lift up the lid on the Keurig coffee maker, you will find the entrance needle.
Step 7. Clean the entrance needle using a paper clip to remove dirt and clogs.
Step 8. Reassemble your pod holder.
The Keurig Coffee Maker Spits Out Coffee Grounds
When the Keurig coffee maker spits out coffee grounds, it could be due to coffee grounds or grime clogging up the exit needle. No need to worry about this since it’s quite common. A clean exit needle is usually all that’s needed to resolve this issue.
A Few Things To Keep In Mind
Keep in mind while changing or cleaning Keurig needles that they are quite sharp, capable of piercing into the skin since the needles are designed to puncture pods. Be careful when cleaning the Keurig needles since they might hurt you. Make sure to disconnect the coffee maker from any electrical sources before cleaning the Keurig needles, since we don’t want anyone to get shocked.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that Keurig is one of the most popular coffee makers on the market at the moment, just like all coffee makers, it also requires maintenance and cleaning to extend its life. You now have an in-depth guide to keeping your Keurig needles at peak performance. We hope this article helped you clean out your Keurig coffee maker, so you can enjoy fresh coffee again!
