Cleaning vinegar is generally safe to clean almost anything, including your coffee maker. It’s said to be 20% more acidic than regular white vinegar.
It is important to remember, however, that cleaning vinegar is sold as a cleansing agent and is not tested for human ingestion. To clean a coffee maker, it is advisable to stick to regular, white vinegar instead.
A coffee maker is a ripe environment for bacteria growth because of the moisture and warmth it offers. To ensure the smooth functioning of your machine and get that beautiful brew every single morning, it’s essential to clean it from time to time.
In this article, let’s go over how to clean your coffee maker and other things related to it.
How To Clean A Coffee Maker Using Cleaning Vinegar?
Here’s how you can clean a coffee maker through the use of cleaning vinegar.
1. Create A 50-50 Mix Of Water And Vinegar
Fill up your coffee maker halfway to its maximum capacity with water and the rest with vinegar. For example, if your coffee maker holds 10 cups, add 5 of water and 5 of vinegar.
2. Start The Cleaning Process
Turn on the coffee maker and let it do its thing as if you’re actually making coffee. Let the water and vinegar mixture work its way into the pot.
Wait for the coffee maker to be done with its cycle and let it cool down for a few minutes.
3. Repeat The Cycle
Empty the coffee pot back into the coffee maker and run the same cycle once again. Once done, rinse out the pot with clean tap water.
Add only water to the coffee maker and run the cycle once again to rinse out any residual vinegar. The water should look a lot cleaner now.
Repeat the latest cycle once more to get crystal clear water.
4. Post-Cleaning
Leave the lid open to allow for more airflow, thus drying out the entire apparatus. This shall help restrict the growth of bacteria.
Follow these steps to ensure your coffee maker is all set and ready for that next brew in the morning.
Can Vinegar Damage A Coffee Maker?
Vinegar can potentially cause damage to the inner workings of a coffee maker, especially the rubber parts such as seals and gaskets.
It can also leave a hint of vinegar taste in your coffee which no one likes. It is also notoriously difficult to remove this taste and odor from your coffee machine.
This can be prevented by placing a paper filter in the basket and running a couple of regular tap water cycles to get rid of the vinegary taste and odor.
If you do not wish to use vinegar at all, there are dedicated products made for cleaning a coffee maker. These are, however, pricey as compared to vinegar.
What Kind Of Vinegar To Use For Cleaning Coffee Machines?
Cleaning vinegar is excellent at cleaning almost anything, including your coffee maker. It is not, however, tested for ingestion and you should run a couple of plain water cycles through your machine to get rid of any residual vinegar.
Regular, white vinegar is far less acidic in comparison and hence may require a couple of extra cycles for a thorough cleaning. It’s, however, edible and on paper, a lot safer in comparison to cleaning vinegar.
In a pinch, you can always use apple cider vinegar to clean your coffee maker, as well. It’s cheap, readily available, and does almost as good a job as regular or cleaning vinegar.
Vinegar, in general, is a cheap and efficient tool to clean your coffee maker. The key ingredient acetic acid is a powerful disinfectant that can stop the growth of bacteria.
How Often Should I Clean My Coffee Maker?
A coffee maker should ideally be cleaned every month if it’s being used daily.
Cleaning a coffee machine is basically decalcifying it. Over time, the minerals from the water used for brewing coffee start building up in the machine.
This can lead to slower brewing and longer waiting periods. It’s essential to decalcify your coffee machine regularly to prevent this.
Cleaning your coffee machine every month is a good routine to prevent the growth of bacteria and yeast. This not only makes your coffee healthier but also makes the machine more durable.
Tips To Avoid Rapid Buildup Of Contaminants In Your Coffee Maker
- Hard water contains a lot more minerals as compared to filtered water, thus contributing to excess buildup in the machine. Consider switching to filtered water if you’re using your machine regularly.
- While you shouldn’t clean your coffee maker with vinegar too often, you should always empty and rinse the basket after every brew.
- Consider leaving the lid open after cleaning to allow for airflow which dries out the machine. This dry environment is a lot less susceptible to bacteria buildup as compared to a moist one.
Final Remarks
There’s a lot of information on the internet on how to clean your coffee maker and what to use in the process. The focus of this article was on cleaning vinegar and how it can be an efficient material to clean your coffee machine.
Here’s a brief recap. Cleaning vinegar is almost the same as regular vinegar, except that it’s 20% more acidic.
Cleaning vinegar can also be used instead of regular vinegar for cleaning a coffee maker but you need to run a couple of cycles of regular water. This is to remove any residual vinegar or odour.
My name is Rick Kinney and I am the founder of ExHandyman. I have worked as a handyman for many years, and fixing stuff is my greatest pleasure in life.