Coffee has become an important ingredient in almost every meal and is used by most people to maintain energy during workdays. This is the most popular breakfast drink in the world and for good reason. Coffee makers are the ultimate way to enjoy the coffee experience. Your coffee maker may love it more than any other appliance in your kitchen – but have you ever considered cleaning it? You may never have thought of how to clean a coffee maker, but there are some good reasons to do so. One is the hygiene problem: In a hot, humid environment, germs such as bacteria or mold can form.
“We see growth from this residual moisture,” says Kelly Reynolds, Ph.D., a professor of public health at the University of Arizona who specializes in water quality, food safety, and disease transmission. Are “Coffee makers have a lot of small cracks that stay moist for a long time.” A 2011 National Science Foundation (NSF) study found that auto-drips make up about 50 percent of the coffee reserves (where you pour water). (Although the study was small, the results are certainly not surprising.) If you have a mold allergy or asthma, those germs can irritate your airways, Reynolds says.
Over time, yellow coffee leaves behind coffee oils, which can peel and taste bad. When leftovers are not removed regularly, they can quickly make your coffee taste bitter. This means that you may not be able to get your money’s worth on these horrible beans, which is why you are on your own. Also, due to the build-up of residual oils, you can actually get a stale, acidic taste. “It’s definitely something you can taste without even knowing it,” says McCutchen. In fact, casual coffee drinkers may become accustomed to the taste and think it is part of coffee.
Why you need to clean your coffee maker
When is the last time you cleaned your home coffee maker? If your response is to wonder if this device even needs to be cleaned and how to clean a coffee maker… then here’s some news for you. Just like everything else in your house, your coffee maker should make your cleaning list or else you run the risk of having mold and minerals build up inside. “If you think about a reservoir (in a coffee maker), it has water in it,” says Lisa Yakas, senior certification project manager for consumer products with NSF International. “It’s moist, it’s dark. This is a great area for microorganisms to live in.”
Sounds gross, right? But knowing how to clean a coffee maker is as crucial as knowing how to clean these 8 tricky kitchen appliances. The process of how to clean a coffee maker requires several steps, but you’ll be all the happier you did them in the end.
The Basics of Coffee Makers
Coffee machine manufacturers have been honoring their designs for over 30 years. They strive to make their coffee brewer as straightforward and easy to use as possible. Coffee machines, as the name implies, are home appliances used for drinking coffee. There are many models and types of coffee machines available today, and each uses a different drinking principle. However, more common machines use a similar principle of placing ground coffee on a metal or paper filter inside a fireplace. It is then set on a coffee pot made of glass or ceramic.
When you remove the top of your coffee machine, you will see three main features: At the beginning of the coffee storage process, there is water in a reservoir that you pour into the device. There is also a hole in the bottom of the bucket through which a tube passes. A white tube leads from the bottom to the top of the reservoir. This tube carries hot water to the drip area.
Finally, the showerhead is a type of water that comes from a white tube. The water then escapes from the showerhead and is sprayed on the ground coffee. In some coffee machines, the water escapes from the tube instead of the showerhead and goes to a lost disc called the drip area.
Tips For Using Your Coffee Machine
There are some things you can do to make sure that you are getting the best possible cup of coffee every time. The first, and most important, is to keep your coffee maker clean. The second is to always use a medium grind. Most auto-drip coffee machines were designed to be used with a medium grind, though the optimal grind may vary.
Lastly, always brew a full pot, regardless of how many cups of coffee you plan on pouring. Your coffee machine’s reservoir and brew basket are manufactured to accommodate the machine’s maximum capacity. Anything less will cause the machine to run inefficiently.
How to clean your coffee maker with vinegar
Experts recommend following the manufacturer’s notes for how to clean your coffeemaker first and foremost. But if those landed in the trash, the solution to cleaning your coffeemaker may still be in your home. Vinegar, as it turns out, is necessary to both sanitize and “decalcify”—or remove tap water’s mineral buildup from—your coffee maker. There are over 90 other vinegar uses that can clean all sorts of things in your house and yard, so stocking up on it to clean a device you use every day isn’t a bad investment. Here’s what to do:
- Start by filling the coffee maker’s water chamber with equal parts white vinegar and water.
- Using a paper filter, allow the machine to brew until half the chamber is empty.
- Turn the coffee maker off and let it sit for 30 minutes before turning it back on.
- After it completes its brewing cycle, brew a second and third batch with a new paper filter and clean water.
- Run several cups of water through to rid the machine of the taste and smell of vinegar.
- Fill the basin with warm, soapy water and rinse thoroughly. If there is any leftover gunk, use a clean sponge to remove it.
- Wipe the outside of the machine with a damp cloth and allow it to dry. As we said earlier, experts recommend repeating these last two steps every day. While you’re at it, consider cleaning these kitchen items crawling with germs.
If the smell of vinegar grosses you out or you only have time for a quick clean, there are other methods of how to clean a coffee maker.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article is really helpful for you. I try my best to explain to you how to clean a molded coffee maker professionally, and also hope you learn a lot about your coffee maker cleaning process.
