How to Clean Coffee Maker with Apple Cider Vinegar?

You should clean your coffee maker regularly to maintain your coffee maker’s health and keep your morning brew taste fresh. Besides using commercial cleaners, some household ingredients work magically to clean coffee makers. Apple cider vinegar is one of those cleaning agents that effectively clean the dirty coffee makers.

Why Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is a powerful cleaning agent used to clean kitchen utensils and appliances. You can use cider vinegar to clean your dirty coffee maker. The active component in apple cider vinegar is acetic acid, which has amazing cleaning properties. Apple cider vinegar is preferred for cleaning coffee makers due to following reasons.

• Apple cider vinegar sanitizes the coffee maker by killing 90% of the harmful germs on its surface.
• It can also descale the coffee maker and remove mineral deposits.
• It is non-toxic, so it doesn’t have any health risks.
• Apple cider vinegar is readily available and cost-effective.

Method to Clean Coffee Maker with Apple Cider Vinegar

Cleaning a coffee maker with apple cider vinegar is different than cleaning with distilled vinegar. Follow the given steps to clean your coffee maker properly.

Things Needed

For apple cider vinegar cleaning, you need the following things.

• A bottle or 4 cups of apple cider vinegar
• Hot soapy water
• A sponge
• A wet kitchen towel
• Dry kitchen towel

Steps to Follow

1. Empty the Coffee Maker

For proper cleaning of the coffee maker; you should empty it first. Clear its water reservoir by discarding the water. Water can dilute apple cider vinegar and affect its cleaning efficiency. There must be no water in the coffee maker before cleaning.

If your coffee maker has coffee grounds in it, remove them also. You have to wipe out all the components of the coffee maker, including wet parts.

2. Prepare Apple Cider Vinegar and Water Solution

To make a solution of apple cider vinegar, you need to mix water and apple cider vinegar in equal parts. Keep their quantity according to the capacity of your coffee maker. For example, if your water reservoir has 6 cups capacity, you have to add 3 cups of apple cider vinegar and 3 cups of water.

If you want deeper cleaning, you can take two parts of apple cider vinegar and one part of water. You should only need this concentrated solution when your coffee maker has coffee oils, and residues stick to it. Otherwise, 1:1 is better and recommended for coffee maker cleaning.

3. Run A Half Brew Cycle

Add the above-mentioned cleaning solution to the coffee maker. Press the brew button and run a half-brew cycle on it. This cycle doesn’t help in cleaning, but the heating element of the coffee maker will heat the solution through this cycle. Moreover, it also helps spread the solution in the entire coffee maker.

After the half-brew cycle, turn off the coffee maker. Let everything sit for an hour. This step will dissolve dirty spots and mineral deposits.

4. Run A Full Brew Cycle

After passing an hour, turn on the coffee maker again and run a full brew cycle now. The cleaning solution will spin thoroughly in the coffee maker during this cycle. All calcified spots and other dirty spots will be cleaned out in this cycle.

After completion of the full brew cycle, remove the cleaning mixture and collect it into the carafe.

5. Discard The Cleaning Solution

After the brew cycle completes, collect the cleaning solution in the coffee maker’s carafe. Let this solution sit for a few minutes in the container to dissolve the remaining dirty spots. Discard the cleaning mixture carefully in the kitchen sink.

6. Run Various Hot Cycles

You will surely not want your coffee maker to smell like a vinegar bottle. After completing the cleaning with vinegar and water solution, you should run a few hot cycles with filtered water. The filtered water will help remove the left apple cider vinegar and its aroma from your coffee maker.

After cleaning, Apple cider vinegar takes more time to clear out than other vinegar types. So, refill your coffee maker’s water reservoir with filtered water and run 4-5 hot cycles. This step will clear out the vinegar from your maker as much as possible.

7. Wipe and Wash Everything

After cleaning the inside parts of the coffee maker, you should also clean its external parts. You must wash the water reservoir and carafe with soapy hot water. It will help remove coffee residues and water lines from these parts.

Use a soft sponge to scrub every part of your coffee maker to remove coffee residues and eliminate the vinegar smell. If you feel a strong smell of vinegar even after scrubbing, you must leave it for half an hour. Soak your coffee maker in warm soapy water for half an hour to eliminate any odor.

In the end, use a wet kitchen towel to clean the external surfaces of your coffee maker. Then, use s dry towel for cleaning to prevent making water lines.

Apple cider vinegar is an effective household ingredient that you can use for coffee maker cleaning. If you don’t have a commercial cleaning liquid or you don’t want to use it, apple cider vinegar is a good choice, just like other vinegar types.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What can apple cider vinegar clean?

Apple cider vinegar has good cleaning properties, and it can perform multiple cleaning functions.

• Clean coffee stains from mugs and coffee makers
• Clean cutting boards
• Wipe down windows
• Clear drains
• Scrub toilets
• Remove mildews and soap scums

2. Can apple cider vinegar harm the coffee makers?

Apple cider vinegar is not harmful to your coffee maker, but it can alter your coffee’s taste if you don’t wash your coffee maker well. After cleaning with apple cider vinegar, you should run 4-5 hot cycles on your coffee maker. The filtered hot water will help remove the aroma and flavor of apple cider vinegar from your coffee maker.

3. How often should you run vinegar through your coffee maker?

To maintain your coffee maker’s health, you should run vinegar through a brewing cycle once a month. You should make it your habit to thoroughly clean your coffee maker with any vinegar after every month or a two. It will keep your coffee maker hygienic, and also, your coffee will taste great if you use a cleaned coffee maker. On contrary, if you don’t clean your coffee maker regularly, it will alter your coffee’s taste and ruin your health as well.