Among the most reputable coffee maker brands in the world is the Keurig brand. For years, they have designed and manufactured hundreds of thousands of single cup coffee makers that offer a long list of features. These models get a lot of use and need to be maintained. This article can help you learn how do you descale a Keurig coffee maker.
We have brought together a list of easy steps on how to clean and descale a Keurig coffee maker properly.
First, however, let us give you a brief introduction about this famous brand and what they offer.
About Keurig Green Mountain
For more than 35 years, Keurig has been known throughout the globe as one of the market leaders when it comes to coffee brewers. Through continuous advancement in the technology they are using, they deliver products that are innovative and reliable.
For this reason, they were able to hold ground and build their facilities throughout Northern America and New England.
As a testament to the quality reliability of their products, over 50 coffee, cocoa, and tea brands from all over the world have partnered with Keurig to promote a vast selection of beverages with more than 500 varieties.
Having said that, it is very important that you take good care of your Keurig brewer by making sure that it gets proper descaling. But, what does it mean, really?
What Does Descaling Mean?
Basically speaking, descaling is one of the most important parts of cleaning your brewer. In this process, everything that got built up inside your coffee maker from constant use, such as calcium deposits and limescale, are removed.
It is recommended that cleaning and descaling is done every three to six months not only to prolong its life but also to allow it to perform at its best.
Those who do not use purified water when making their coffee need to descale their brewer more frequently than those who do. This is because water other hand-purified water leaves a build-up of limescale inside the brewer, rendering it rather unhygienic. This build-up may also cause blockage and thereby prevent your brewer from working as it should.
Here are step by step instructions:
How Do You Descale a Keurig Coffee Maker?
There are a couple of ways in which you can descale your Keurig coffee maker. Some prefer using a descaling solution offered by the coffee maker’s manufacturer itself, while there are also others who just utilize the cleaning power of vinegar. You can easily pick up vinegar at your favorite supermarket too.
Before you start with cleaning your Keurig coffee maker, make sure that it is powered off and that there are no remaining K-cups inside it.
Also, pour out all the water from the reservoir. After doing this, follow the steps below.
Using a Descaling Solution
- Step 1
Turn on your brewer like you normally would when you are making coffee. Take your descaling solution and pour about one third or 4.6 ounces of the content into the water reservoir.Add in about 10 ounces of fresh water.On the drip tray plate, place a ceramic mug. Once that is done, you may now lift the brewer handle, but refrain from adding a K-cup pod.Wait five seconds before lowering the brewer handle and pressing the BREW button. Watch the solution get dispensed into the ceramic mug and discard the content in the sink. - Step 2
For the next part, repeat Step 1 until you press the BREW button. Wait for it to turn red. Turn the machine off just as the brewer starts to dispense the descaling solution into the mug.Let the solution stand there for about half an hour. After waiting, turn the brewer on, lift the brewer handle, and lower it down again before pressing the BREW button.Slowly and carefully discard the hot contents into the sink. - Step 3
The last part involves rinsing the brewer with fresh water. Do this by following the instructions in Step 1. However, instead of adding the descaling solution, add only the 10 ounces of fresh water.Repeat this process for two more times to make sure that your brewer is all clean and free from both the calcium deposits and descaling solution.
Using Vinegar and Water to Clean and Descale Your Keurig Coffee Maker
- Step 1
Fill the reservoir with a mixture of one part water and one part distilled white vinegar. Avoid using any other kind of vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar.Make sure that it reaches all the way up the top fill line. Place a large mug on the tray underneath the spout. - Step 2
Press the BREW button and allow time for the machine to do its work. Once done, throw out the contents of the mug into the sink. Place it back on the tray and press the BREW button againContinue repeating this step until you see the “Add Water” light flashing. For those who own an Ultimate Keurig, K10 Mini Plus or K130 Brewer, or any other small coffee maker, switch the power off just as the brewer begins to drip the hot vinegar and water solution into the ceramic mug. - Step 3
Leave the Keurig to sit for about four hours to allow the vinegar and water mixture to clean the brewer thoroughly. Ensure that the coffee machine is powered on and stays on for the hours that you need to let the mixture sitting in it. - Step 4
Pour the remaining vinegar and water mixture into the sink. Rinse the reservoir with water. To make sure that no traces of vinegar is left on the reservoir, brew a cup of water for several times until the smell of vinegar is gone.
Now that the internal brewing system has been cleaned thoroughly, its a good idea to learn how to change water filter in your Keurig in this article.
Final Words
So, how do you descale a Keurig coffee maker? The answer is quite simple. You just need to do a few basic steps and make sure that you are doing it regularly. This is the best way to always make the best tasting coffee.
Similar to any other kitchen appliance, a Keurig coffee maker needs extra care for it to last for many years. It is also advised that you rinse the removable parts weekly using a vinegar cleaning solution to prevent debris from accumulating. Check out our Keurig K40 coffee maker review today.
