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cleaning my coffee maker with vinegar

N

nanette1985

Diamond Member
My brain isn't working - I need to clean the coffee maker - I know you can use vinegar, but I forget the specifics. Run a batch through with water with some vinegar added. Anything else I need to remember except to do a pot of cheap coffee after dumping out the vinegar, to get rid of any lingering vinegar taste.
 
if you know your water is very soft (low hardness, ie very little minerals), you might want to do a cycle with baking soda also, after a cycle with plain water
1/4 cup of baking soda
 
My coffee maker says fill the reservoir with vinegar, turn the machine on and allow 2 (of 4) cups to pass through. Turn it off, let it sit for ~15-30 minutes, then turn it back on. Afterwards, I run water through twice or thrice to remove any residual vinegar.
 
what kind of coffee maker?

our keurig cleaning process is as follows (we haven't done it ourselves but our friend gave us instructions):

1. empty water reservoir
2. fill reservoir with vinegar
3. "brew" vinegar until you get the "add more water" indicator
4. empty water reservoir
5. wait 4+ hours
6. fill reservoir with water
7. brew hot water until water no longer tastes or smells of vinegar (this may take several refills of the reservoir)
 
nanette1985 said:
My brain isn't working - I need to clean the coffee maker - I know you can use vinegar, but I forget the specifics. Run a batch through with water with some vinegar added. Anything else I need to remember except to do a pot of cheap coffee after dumping out the vinegar, to get rid of any lingering vinegar taste.
Click to expand...
I rould just run it with plain water.
 
Every couple of years, I fill my Bunn coffeemaker with plain white vinegar and let it soak for a couple of days WITH the heating element on, then dump all the vinegar out and run several pots of water through it.
Since it takes over 1/2 gallon of vinegar to do this, I buy cheap white vinegar at Winco or at Costco for the job.
 
You really should clean out drip coffee makers. The water reservoir is a damp dark place that nobody looks at. Your water deposits stuff in there and creepy crawlies can grow.

I use a kettle and a french press. Just into the dishwasher with the press, and I keep the kettle stored open so it dries out. Every so often I'll wash out the insides but it holds boiling water at least every day.
 
bobdole369 said:
You really should clean out drip coffee makers. The water reservoir is a damp dark place that nobody looks at. Your water deposits stuff in there and creepy crawlies can grow.

I use a kettle and a french press. Just into the dishwasher with the press, and I keep the kettle stored open so it dries out. Every so often I'll wash out the insides but it holds boiling water at least every day.
Click to expand...


Yeah I use a French press or a mocha pot just because we have really hard water and cleaning/de-scaling espresso/electric filter machines is a pain in the donkey.
 
nanette1985 said:
cleaning my coffee maker with vinegar

My brain isn't working - I need to clean the coffee maker - I know you can use vinegar, but I forget the specifics. Run a batch through with water with some vinegar added. Anything else I need to remember except to do a pot of cheap coffee after dumping out the vinegar, to get rid of any lingering vinegar taste.
Click to expand...

First you have to sign a consent form for the vinegar.
 
I try to use it for 2 years and replace with a new one. Every coffee pot I tried to clean with vinegar ended up forever tainted. The sour smell is a instapuke for me. 🙂
 
BoomerD said:
Every couple of years, I fill my Bunn coffeemaker with plain white vinegar and let it soak for a couple of days WITH the heating element on, then dump all the vinegar out and run several pots of water through it.
Since it takes over 1/2 gallon of vinegar to do this, I buy cheap white vinegar at Winco or at Costco for the job.
Click to expand...

I was told during Bunomatic training that Vinegar was really bad to use on coffee makers with tanks.
 
French press FTW, much easier to clean, much better coffee. I was a long time coffee machine user, but once you try coffee made with a press, you can't go back.

The downside is they are manual, in other words you can't set it to start brewing just before you wake up. D:
 
davmat787 said:
I was a long time coffee machine user, but once you try coffee made with an espresso machine, you can't go back.
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FTFY 🙂

French press is cool but Cafe Americano (espresso shots + hot water) is my favorite after trying various methods- drip, french press, cold brew, etc

And speaking of which, I was visiting family this week and all that was available were K-cups. What a waste of money. I'd rather drink drip coffee.
 
Ksyder said:
FTFY 🙂

French press is cool but Cafe Americano (espresso shots + hot water) is my favorite after trying various methods- drip, french press, cold brew, etc

And speaking of which, I was visiting family this week and all that was available were K-cups. What a waste of money. I'd rather drink drip coffee.
Click to expand...

Espresso is fantastic but its way too much hassle to try and de scale the tank. And the coffee never tastes quite right afterwards. 🙁
 
WelshBloke said:
Espresso is fantastic but its way too much hassle to try and de scale the tank. And the coffee never tastes quite right afterwards. 🙁
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Well, if you want a functioning espresso machine you should probably descale the machine periodically 😉 ... but you gotta flush the machine several times with plain water so you know the boiler is clean. I probably do it a little more than once a year.
 
Too poor for a proper espresso machine. Too much work too. I just want coffee, I don't want to open a business. I did have the boiling water pressure machine (the $30 fakespresso machine) for a while, but I ended up realizing it was just strong coffee. Then began my enlightenment. Full court press was on. I might one day buy a proper pump style espresso machine, but not anytime soon, the french press is good enough.

I also agree that k-cups are worse than anything. I like the convenience at the office, but I swear the coffee is at least 6 months old in those things. I know you can fill your own, but the convenience is out the window.

Why do people accept crap?
 
bobdole369 said:
Too poor for a proper espresso machine. Too much work too. I just want coffee, I don't want to open a business.
Click to expand...

LOL, you are right, though... not to derail the topic too much but I've learned with espresso you have to spend more and more money... start off with a pressurized portofilter machine and then you realize that you need a non pressurized head to get the best espresso with the best crema. But then the grind becomes important and then you find out you need a $300 burr grinder at the minimum as well as a proper tamp to get the best shots. Not to mention the fact that you want good and fresh beans and for me preferably organic and getting those is a hassle in and of itself.

My Saeco Aroma for $125 on ebay + fresh roasted organic coffee ground at the store from Whole Foods is the best I can do for now... Like you said I don't want to open a business... the standard espresso enthusiast setup (Rancilio Silvia + Rocky grinder) is going to cost close to a grand and is basically commercial quality. Maybe after my school loans are paid down a little more 🙁
 
Ksyder said:
FTFY 🙂

French press is cool but Cafe Americano (espresso shots + hot water) is my favorite after trying various methods- drip, french press, cold brew, etc

And speaking of which, I was visiting family this week and all that was available were K-cups. What a waste of money. I'd rather drink drip coffee.
Click to expand...

OMG you did an FTFY!! That is so against the new rules and you are so reported!! J/K. Actually I have been meaning to add a line to my sig that says "Feel free to FTFY to my posts, I find them funny and you will not be reported per new rules."

I do love an Americano, but I just can't justify the expense of a proper Espresso machine right now. Have heard to many stories of disappointment with cheaper Espresso machines. I always go back to regular ole coffee made with a French Press anyway.

You should be able to buy a Bodum 8 Cup Press at Target or a similiar store for $20.00, give or take a buck or two. Well worth it, especially if the power goes out.

Fun Fact: French Presses were actually created in Italy during WWII, not France.
 
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