How To Clean Coffee Maker With Apple Cider Vinegar

Read and learn how to clean coffee maker with apple cider vinegar. It helps remove built-up oils, grounds, and muck.

Coffee is the lifeblood of many people. It’s the perfect wake-up call in the morning and a great way to finish off a long day. However, it can be tricky to brew a good cup of joe if you have a dirty coffee maker. This can lead to bad-tasting coffee that’s not satisfying or capable of giving you the kick you need. Luckily, there are some easy ways to clean your coffee maker with vinegar that will keep your machine running smoothly and give you a delicious cup of coffee every time.

If you’re finding it hard to make good coffee at home, this article will teach you How To Clean Coffee Maker With Apple Cider Vinegar so you can get back on track in no time!

Table of Contents

Why cleaning your coffee maker is important?

Over time, your coffee maker can accumulate a lot of icky things like mold and mineral deposits. This will lead to bad-tasting coffee and might even leave you with some nasty stomach problems. If left untreated, those minerals will continue to build up and start to interfere with the brewing process. So in order to get the best tasting coffee possible, it’s important you clean your machine every once in a while so that those minerals don’t interfere with the flavor.

WHY SHOULD I USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR?

Vinegars have one ingredient in common-acetic acid. This acidic content is what gives vinegar its sour taste and strong smell. Vinegar can also be used as a disinfectant and descaler for household products!

If you’re looking for a versatile cleaning agent, look no further than vinegar. Vinegar can dissolve greases and fats, as well as mineral buildup or other kitchen messes- that’s why it is so widely used to clean! Here are some facts about using vinegar:

Vinegar can be used as a natural disinfect, killing about 90% of harmful germs on surfaces.
Vinegar is a safe household cleaner because it is nontoxic.
Vinegar is more cost-efficient than harder detergents or cleaners you might otherwise use to eliminate common coffee maker build-up.

However, not every coffee maker owner keeps the pure form of vinegar, distilled white vinegar, at home. That’s where apple cider vinegar comes in: many households cook with apple cider vinegar.

Since you most likely have this vinegar already, that means that it’s available to use on your coffee maker right now!

How To Clean Coffee Maker With Apple Cider Vinegar: Step By Step Guide

When cleaning your coffee maker with apple cider vinegar, you should follow these steps to ensure that you do not cause any damage. The process is different than the one for distilled white vinegar.

Preparation:

First, make sure you have everything you need to clean out the coffee maker:

Bottle of apple cider vinegar big enough to fill half of the coffee maker’s reservoir or carafe.
Hot, soapy water
A sponge
Dry and wet kitchen towels

Keep these items close. It is imperative to measure out the apple cider vinegar since you need at least half of the amount the coffee maker can hold to get a good, deep clean.

Step 1: Empty Out Everything In The Coffee Maker

To get a good clean, the coffee maker needs to be empty. Remove the water from the reservoir and make sure there are no grounds in it as well. Water will dilute your apple cider vinegar, making it less effective at cleaning.

If you need to, wipe out the reservoir and other wet parts of the coffee maker.

Step 2: Make a Mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar And Water

To make your apple cider vinegar solution, mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar and clean water once you know how much your reservoir or carafe can hold. So, for example if your reservoir holds eight cups of water, use four cups of apple cider vinegar and four cups of water.

If you want a deeper cleaning, then 2:1 vinegar and water mixture will work. Usually it isn’t needed and can make your cleanup more difficult later on- but if part of your coffee maker is gummed up by coffee oils, the cleaner might help.

Step 3: Run Through a Half Brew Cycle

To really clean your coffee maker, it’s best to mix up a special cleaning solution and add it into the machine. When you hit brew, run the half-brew cycle which will allow for heat from the heating element to warm and dissipate some of that solution through every part of your coffee maker.

Once the half brew cycle goes through, turn off the coffee maker and let everything sit for an hour. This will dissolve any calcified mineral deposits and any other dirty spots.

Step 4: Run Through a Full Brew Cycle

After an hour has passed, turn the coffee maker back on and run a full brew cycle. As the process runs through, your coffee maker will move cleaning solution through everything including calcified spots that need to be cleaned.

Let the full cycle run through and collect the cleaning mixture in the carafe.

STEP 5: Get Rid Of The Vinegar And Water Mixture

Collect the cleaning mixture in the coffee carafe for disposal once the brew cycle completes. Let the mixture sit in the coffee pot for a while to remove any mineral deposits or dirty spots.

Once you’ve finished cleaning, you can safely dispose of the mixture down the kitchen sink.

Step 6: Run 4-5 Hot Water Cycles

Once you finish your cleaning, the first thing to do is fill the reservoir with filtered water and run a few coffee cycles. This will eliminate any leftover apple cider vinegar smell or taste in your coffee maker.

Apple cider vinegar is harder to clear out of the water than other kinds of vinegar. You’ll need to refill the reservoir and run a fresh water cycle four or five times, so you can make sure you’ve cleared as much of it as possible.

Step 7: Clean And Wash Everything

The inside parts of the coffee maker are fresh and clean, now it’s time to take care of the external components. Wash both the reservoir and carafe with hot soapy water to get rid of all that stubborn coffee residue as well as any water lines on either surface.

Make sure you scrub well and get as much vinegar out of the pot to avoid ruining the coffee flavor of your next brew.

If you have other things to do, leaving the reservoir and dirty coffee pot to soak for an hour can help eliminate the smell without requiring as much scrubbing on your part.

Use the wet kitchen towel to wipe down the external surfaces and follow up with the dry kitchen towel to prevent water streaks from forming.

Where To Buy Apple Cider Vinegar?

Check Price

The best place to purchase apple cider vinegar is a locally-owned store or big box store. Given the nature of the product, you’re likely to get more options and a better price at this type of establishment! In case that’s not your option, you can also buy it online. Some top-rated options are:

This is a popular apple cider vinegar. Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is made from organically grown apples and claims to be a healthy choice. That doesn’t matter much for a coffee maker cleaner, but it does make a big impact for regular vinegar use.

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What you should know about cleaning a coffee maker

Coffee makers are tough to maintain because of the water that it goes through. The water is exposed to oils and other particles that can build up quickly. This can lead to a buildup of residue that will eventually cause problems with your machine. It’s crucial to know how often you should be cleaning your coffee maker, but in general, you should clean it every two weeks.

In order to clean your coffee maker with apple cider vinegar, start by unplugging it from the wall and then wiping down the outside of the machine with a damp cloth. Next, pour two cups of distilled white vinegar into a measuring cup and put it on the heating plate for about 15 minutes.

After this time has passed, turn off the coffee maker and let everything cool down before removing the vinegar container and pouring it back into its original container. Finally, pour some water into the reservoir until it reaches just below the heating hot plate and turn on your machine again while waiting 15-30 minutes before turning off again and emptying out the water again. This process should clean any dirt or buildup in your coffee maker and enable you have a delicious cup o’ joe every morning!

Conclusion

While it’s not as easy to use as plain vinegar, apple cider vinegar, though not recommended, is still an effective method to clean a coffee maker just as well in a pinch.

Still, if you’re looking to keep your coffee maker clean with what you have on hand, then apple cider vinegar works just as well as any other kind of vinegar! Then you can continue to make pots of delightful coffee to enjoy all day long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Regular Vinegar Instead of Apple Cider Vinegar?

Yes, you can use white vinegar. Both type of vinegar have the same benefits, however, Apple cider vinegar has a milder and more pleasant scent than white vinegar. So it is easier to get rid of when you’re cleaning the machine.

Does vinegar damage coffee maker?

Vinegar can damage the internal parts of the coffee machine, especially the seals and the rubber gaskets. In addition, it is very difficult to rinse, and its smell and taste will remain for a long time in the espresso machine.

Is It Safe to Use Vinegar to Clean a Coffee Maker?

Yes, absolutely. It is a natural solution, that we normally consume with our food anyway. So it is certainly safer than any chemical solution you can use to clean your coffee maker.

What kind of vinegar do you use to clean a coffee maker?

To clean your coffee, begin by filling the reservoir with a 50-50 mixture of white distilled vinegar and water. If there is especially nasty buildup on your machine, you can increase the ratio of vinegar to water.