How to Clean and Descale a Coffee Maker for a More Delicious Brew

Ensure your coffee pot brews a delicious cup of Joe every morning by regularly cleaning this workhorse appliance. If it goes neglected, you may see a brown ring on the bottom of the pot, which is a combination of the minerals in your water and lime deposits. Additionally, the inside of your machine can also accumulate debris and grime if it's not regularly cleaned. To help you prevent this buildup—and keep your machine running efficiently–we spoke to cleaning experts, who shared their tips for how to clean a coffee maker.

How Often to Clean a Coffee Maker

Aim to clean your coffee maker at least once a month to ensure optimal performance and prevent mineral buildup. "If you are using your coffee maker on a daily basis, you might need to clean it more frequently, ideally bi-weekly," says Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of AspenClean,

Materials Needed

Make sure you have these materials on hand when cleaning your coffee maker.

• Distilled white vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Water
• Baking soda
• Dish soap
• Sponge
• Bowl

How to Clean Your Coffee Maker

Cleaning your coffee maker takes about the time it would take to make two pots of coffee, says Leslie Reichert, a green cleaning coach and author of The Joy of Green Cleaning.

1. Empty out any remaining coffee grounds in your coffee maker and remove the filter. 
2. In your coffee pot, mix 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Fill the rest of the pot with water.
3. Place the mixture into the water reservoir of your coffee maker.
4. Run a brewing cycle. 
5. Once the cycle is complete, fill the coffee pot with clean water, pour it into the water reservoir, and run an additional 2 to 3 brewing cycles until the vinegar taste is gone.
6. In a bowl, combine baking soda and water until a paste forms.
7. Using a sponge, gently scrub the coffee pot with the paste.
8. Rinse with warm water, making sure all the baking soda is removed.

How to Descale a Coffee Maker

Scale or mineral buildup in your coffee maker can affect its performance and the taste of your coffee. "While you can purchase a special descaling solution for your coffee maker, the easiest and most natural method is to use a mixture of water and vinegar," says Sokolowski. The process is similar to deep-cleaning your machine.

1. Mix equal parts distilled vinegar and water in a coffee pot.
2. Pour the vinegar solution into the water reservoir and run a brewing cycle.
3. Once the cycle is complete, discard the solution.
4. Follow up by running a couple of additional cycles with clean water to rinse out the coffee maker.

Tips for Keeping Your Coffee Maker Clean for Longer

In addition to deep cleaning your coffee maker once a month with vinegar, you should also do a lighter clean after brewing a pot. "You want to clean it to keep the buildup to a minimum and minerals out of your coffee, but mainly, to keep the taste of your coffee consistent," says
Reichert. After making your morning cup, clean your coffee pot and filter out with warm, soapy water and rinse to remove any soap residue.