If you are a Keurig Supreme user and currently wondering how to descale Keurig K Supreme with vinegar, this article is for you.
Is your Keurig Supreme coffee maker not working properly? Or, perhaps your coffee has an off-taste? Then, it’s your cue to learn how to descale Keurig supreme with vinegar. What does it mean to descale? And why use vinegar, though? Scroll down for the elaboration.
Table of Contents
Why Do You Have to Descale Your Keurig?
Your Keurig coffee machine is a perfect breeding ground for mineral deposits, germs, bacteria, and molds. For this reason, it’s essential to regularly clean the insides of the Keurig. Cleaning, in this case, is actually known as a descaling process.
Descaling is a metal cleaning procedure to remove mineral buildup left by hard water. Not only does this keep your coffee maker running correctly, but it also discharges harmful germs and helps you keep achieving good-tasting coffee.
Then, what should you use to descale your Keurig Supreme? Vinegar has always been a cost-effective descaling solution. However, before you descale Keurig K Supreme with vinegar, make sure your machine is no longer in the warranty period. This method is not recommended for a brand new device, which may void your warranty.
How Often Should You Descale Your Keurig?
It’s not recommended to wait for the automatic reminder to appear on your Keurig Supreme. As preventative maintenance, Keurig advises descaling your coffee maker every two to three months.
If you make coffee almost every day, you ought to descale your appliance every two months. You might even want to do it more often if you use hard water that has high dissolved minerals, such as magnesium and calcium.
Hard water accelerates the buildup of minerals inside the machine. While some people claim they can tell their coffee has a bit off-taste when the mineral accumulates, it’s actually not really that noticeable. Therefore, you will need to check the inside of the machine yourself with a flashlight. If you see the chemical buildup, it’s time to descale it.
How to Descale Keurig Coffee Maker with Vinegar
The step-by-side guide on how to descale a Keurig K Supreme with vinegar we are going to elaborate on below also works for the Supreme Plus version. Before you begin, make sure you prepare:
- White vinegar
- Fresh water
- Heat-safe container like a large ceramic coffee mug.
1. Prepare for descaling
First, turn off your coffee maker. Drain any water in the water reservoir and the K-Cup pod. Remove the charcoal water filter from the tank if one is present. Now, place a ceramic mug on the drip tray. The cup is used to collect the discharged descaling solution (vinegar).
2. Add white vinegar and water
Now, remove the lid cover from your Keurig water tank. Pour 90 ounces of undiluted white vinegar into the reservoir. Finally, add water to nearly fill the water tank.
3. Turn on the descaling mode
To descale Keurig K-Supreme Plus with vinegar or other Supreme models, you simply need to enter the “descaling mode.” This unique feature is what differentiates Keurig K-Supreme models from the Keurig predecessor types.
In order to enter the descaling mode, you need to make sure your brewer is turned off but plugged in. Afterward, press and hold the 12oz and 8oz buttons simultaneously for 3 to 5 seconds.
Immediately press the “BREW” button once the button light begins to flash.
4. Finish the descaling process
Once you press the cycle button, the vinegar solution will start brewing into the cup you have placed on the tray. When finished, empty the mug’s hot contents into a sink. Repeat the above step until the water tank is almost empty. You need to bear this in mind to ensure the brewer’s internals won’t heat up without enough water.
5. Rinse with fresh water
Lastly, pour any leftover vinegar solution from the water tank of your Keurig coffee maker into the sink. Afterward, add fresh water until it reaches the tank’s max line. Brew it into your mug, then dump it into the sink until the “Add Water” notification appears. This step is done to remove any vinegary taste left in the tank.
You may need to repeat this step as well until you no longer have the “Descale Now” message. Should this notification still show up, that means your Keurig is still in the Descale Mode. Of course, it can be particularly annoying but don’t panic.
All you need to do is to ensure you descale your Keurig as per the above steps. And make sure you repeat Step 5 until the “Descale Now” notification completely disappears.
6. Clean the removable parts
Now that you have done descaling your Keurig Supreme coffee maker, you may also want to clean all the removable parts.
To do this, take off the water reservoir, lid cover, drip tray, and coffee pod. All these parts are firmly recommended to be cleaned with dish soap and lukewarm fresh water in order to get rid of coffee oils. It also stops mold growth, particularly those on the drip tray and water reservoir.
7. Gently wipe down the outside
Carefully wipe down the exterior of the coffee maker and all the reachable surfaces, including the pod holder, using a disposable paper towel or new dish sponge. Don’t wipe any mechanical or electrical components.
Make sure to also thoroughly clean the hooks that pierce your coffee pods’ top and bottom parts. Allow the water tank to dry itself. You can also wipe the excess water using a clean dishcloth or paper towel to prevent lint buildup.
Keep in your mind to never submerge your Keurig machine in the water, for it is an electronic device.
Final Thoughts
That’s how to descale Keurig Supreme Plus with vinegar that you can also implement to other Supreme models. While this method is known to be cost-saving, you should not overlook the fact that it may void the machine’s warranty period. So, if you want to employ this descaling method, ensure your Keurig warranty has been void. If it’s a new coffee maker, perhaps you want to consider the descaling solution made by Keurig.
References:
http://mykup.com/descale-clean-keurig-k-supreme-plus-k910-k920-brewer-coffee-maker/
https://www.insider.com/guides/kitchen/how-to-clean-a-keurig
Incoming search terms:
- how to descale my keurig
- keurig descaling solution
These are clear instructions for descaling with vinegar, but I do have a question. Step 2 instructs me to add 90 ounces of vinegar to the water reservoir; the reservoir won’t hold that much. Should step 2 be corrected?
Thank you, Peggy Elder
Here’s my calculation:
The Keurig brand descaler is 14 oz. and you add that much water again to dilute it. That would total 28 oz.
The remainder in the bottom of the water reservoir (after descaling) when the “add water” comes on is about 3 oz. That process runs two 12 oz descaling cycles.
What I add is 40 oz. of vinegar. That gives 3 complete cycles of descaling (12 oz. each) and leaves about 3 oz. in the water reservoir. 2 might work but I do one extra.
I then run a full reservoir of clean water through to rinse the vinegar from the machine.
The reservoir will not hold 90oz of any liquid for Keurig Supreme or Supreme+.
Descale light will not turn off regardless of how much water I run through the machine.
Step 2 “90 ounces” is a typo. The reservoir only holds 70 ounces. Here is the best video I found to descale the keurig:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4e4OqbpqTE