This post about how to clean a coffee maker is sponsored by Bar Keepers Friend, but the love of their products is all my own.
If you enjoy a cup or two of coffee each morning, your coffee maker is probably working overtime to keep you caffeinated.
And if you’re one of those people that can’t survive without their morning coffee, then you’re going to want to make sure your coffee maker is always in good working order.
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The best way to ensure your favorite appliance is in tip-top shape is to clean and descale it on a regular basis.
Luckily, Bar Keeper’s Friend has the perfect products to keep your coffee maker running like new each and every morning!
Table of contents
How to Clean a Coffee Maker
For this coffee maker cleaning tutorial, I am not using vinegar which is probably the most common way I’ve seen to clean your machine. While I love vinegar for a lot of hard water stains and other cleaning jobs, sometimes, I need a little extra cleaning power.
So, my coffee maker cleaner of choice are some of the newest cleaning products from Bar Keepers Friend.
Coffee Maker Cleaner
Regular Bar Keepers Friend has many uses, and works amazing on so many things, that I really wanted to test out their coffee maker descaler and coffee maker cleaner to see if it also gives superior results.
Problem was…. I don’t drink coffee.
So, I found someone who did and she tested it out for me (as well as tested it out on cleaning a Keurig).
The following are her results and her process for using their products to clean your coffee machine.
Note that their coffee machine cleaners are designed to be safe (and effective) for ALL coffee machines: automatic drip coffee makers, single cup coffee makers, and even espresso machines.
She cleaned a Mainstays coffee maker from Walmart.
Preparing to Clean Your Coffee Maker
The first step to getting your coffee maker clean and descaled is to prepare your work surface.
Because Bar Keepers Friend is acidic (the three acidic active ingredients are citric, glycolic, and sulfamic acids), it’s a good idea to cover your countertop with a plastic trash bag with an absorbent towel on top to protect it from any acidic etching it may cause to your stone kitchen countertops (they do have a great product specifically for cleaning granite countertops though).
Next, grab a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands from any harmful ingredients found in the cleaner.
To clean and descale your coffee maker, you’ll need:
- Bar Keepers Friend Coffee Maker Descaler (see where to buy here)
- Bar Keepers Friend Coffee Maker Cleaner (see where to buy here)
- Cold water
- Towel
- Rubber gloves
- Dish soap
- Sponge
After gathering all your supplies, take a few minutes to prep your coffee maker by removing any leftover grounds and filters from inside the coffee maker.
Then, check to make sure the carafe and water reservoir are both empty.
Finally, unplug your coffee maker.
How to Descale a Coffee Maker
After several uses, your coffee maker will inevitably collect hard water deposits inside the reservoir and around the heating element.
If these deposits get too severe, it could cause your coffee maker’s heating element to stop working, which means you won’t be able to enjoy your morning coffee.
But these hard water deposits are easy to prevent by descaling your coffee maker every three months.
To descale your coffee maker with Bar Keepers Friend, start by filling your coffee carafe with cold water. For every eight ounces of water in the carafe, you should add one ounce of Bar Keepers Friend.
Be sure to wear rubber gloves when working with the cleaning solution!
After mixing the solution in the carafe, pour the water into the coffee maker reservoir and start a brew cycle.
Let the coffee maker complete the brew cycle, then pour the hot water out and thoroughly rinse the carafe.
Fill the carafe with cold water and pour that cold water in the reservoir.
Set the coffee maker to do another brew cycle to rinse the cleaning solution from inside the coffee maker and reservoir.
When the brew cycle is complete, pour the hot water into the sink.
How to Clean a Coffee Maker
While descaling your coffee maker is an important step to keeping it in good working order, it’s also a good idea to clean the components of your coffee maker on a regular basis, too.
Time needed: 30 minutes
Here’s how to clean a coffee maker using Bar Keepers Friend.
- Clean Coffee Carafe with Soap and Water
Remove coffee carafe from the coffee maker and wash it with soap and water.
- Use Bar Keepers Friend to Remove Hard Coffee Stains in Coffee Carafe
If your coffee maker has stubborn coffee stains that won’t come off with a simple scrubbing, I suggest using Bar Keepers Friend Coffee Maker Cleaner to get the job done.
- Mix the Coffee Maker Cleaner with Water
To clean your carafe and filter basket, fill the carafe with cold water and add one ounce of Bar Keepers Friend coffee maker cleaner for every eight ounces of water.
Be sure to wear gloves when mixing the cleaning solution! - Pour Coffee Machine Cleaning Solution into the Reservoir
After filling the carafe, make sure you have removed all leftover grounds and filters from the coffee maker, then pour the cleaning solution into the reservoir of the coffee maker.
- Run a Brewing Cycle
Place the empty carafe back in place, then run a brewing cycle.
- Let It Sit Then Rinse
Let the cleaning solution sit in the carafe for 30 minutes to soak, then pour it in the sink and wash the carafe with soap and water.
- Refill the Coffee Maker
Fill the carafe with clean cold water and add it to the coffee maker reservoir.
- Run Another Brew Cycle
Run another brew cycle to rinse the coffee maker.
- Remove, Wash, and Dry Carafe and Brew Basket
After the final brew cycle completes, remove the carafe and brew basket from the coffee maker. Wash both with soap and water.
Allow the components to air dry while you finish cleaning the exterior of the coffee maker.
- Wipe Clean the Exterior of Coffee Maker
To clean the exterior of your coffee maker, use a clean wet sponge to gently wipe away coffee stains and dust from the outside of the coffee maker. Pay close attention to the heating element on your coffee maker, which often collects spilled coffee.
- Scrub Exterior Coffee Maker Stains
Add some dish soap to the sponge to scrub away any stubborn stains, then wipe the soap away with a clean sponge.
- Dry the Coffee Machine, Carafe, and Brew Basket and Reassemble
Use a clean, lint-free towel to dry the outside of the coffee maker.
Then, dry the carafe and brew basket and place them back in the coffee maker.
How Often Should I Clean My Coffee Maker?
This simple process of descaling your coffee maker should be completed at least every three months to ensure your kitchen appliance is clean and in good working order.
But wiping down the outside of the coffee maker and washing the carafe and brew basket with soap and water should be done on a regular basis to prevent coffee stains and dirt build-up.
My friend loved using Bar Keepers Friend coffee maker descaler and cleaner! And as I look over the reviews on Amazon, so do many others, saying it works better than just using vinegar, and their coffee tastes better.
But, you’ll have to try it and test it out yourself! Get it here.
For more great kitchen cleaning tutorials, check out the following posts:
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