Welcome to the Basic Easy to Follow Walkthrough on How to Clean Keurig Coffee Maker. Correct maintenance of your Keurig will require a regular cleaning with dish soap perhaps once a month. Every 4 – 6 months, depending on how much it is used, your Keurig must be cleaned with vinegar as described below.
Table of Contents
How to clean Keurig Coffee maker regularly
Step 1: Disassemble the Brewer
To do this first lift the handle and open the brewer’s front cover. Secure the K-cup holder with one hand and with the other push the K-cup’s assembly up from below, this should release the K-cup.
Warning: There are some sharp implements inside the assembly: Proceed with Caution.
The assembled components should all come apart fairly easily. Gentle effort on the funnel should pull it off the K-cup holder and the same for pulling the drip tray from the base of the machine; gentle effort.
Step 2: Clean the Components
– Being dishwasher safe, the funnel, drip plate, drip tray and K-cup can all be placed on the top shelf in the dishwasher. Use a mild detergent and standard settings.
If you want to wash the device by hand, first, be careful with the sharp needle on the inside of the K-cup holder. The k-cup holder doesn’t require any scrubbing, simply rinsing under hot water will suffice.
The rest of the pieces (drip tray, drip plate and funnel) can be gently scrubbed with soapy water and a non-abrasive sponge and rinsed well. Make sure the pieces have dried well (air drying or towel drying is OK) before returning them to the Keurig.
– Cleaning the exit needles within the top and bottom of your K-cup holder can best be accomplished with the aid of a thin paper clip. Insert the clip about 1 inch into the three holes of the exit needles and wiggle it around in order to clean them of any debris.
Cocoa mix and Coffee grinds often leave residue in the Keurig and should be regularly removed. Remember you won’t be able to poke a clip through the needle. The opening is not on the top but on the K-cups’ side.
-A non-abrasive cloth dampened with just water or soapy water, depending on how thoroughly you need to clean it, will do just fine for the outside of the Keurig Coffee Maker. Never immerse the entire brewer in water.
Step 3: Reassemble the Keurig Coffee Maker
When the brewer and all its components have been cleaned and dried it is time to reassemble the device. The funnel will snap onto the K-cup which can be inserted back into place. Make sure the arrows on the Machine line up with those on the top and bottom of your K-cup; press down on the rim and it hear it snap into place.
Slide the drip tray into place until it clicks securely.
How to Clean Keurig Coffee Maker with Vinegar
Step 1: The Vinegar Rinse (aka Descaling)
Every 4 – 6 months it will be necessary to descale your appliance. To descale your Keurig begin by filling the brewer’s reservoir tank with pure undiluted vinegar. Vinegar will thoroughly remove all residual grime from the inner workings of the Coffee Maker. Negligence in this important procedure will result in a faulty Coffee Maker that won’t make that perfect cup of brew.
Remove the K-cup during this process and place a ceramic mug on the drip tray to catch the vinegar brewing through the machine. If you are using the smaller “mini” model, pour 10 oz. of distilled white vinegar in to the reservoir. After 5 seconds lower the handle into position and hit the “Brew” button. It should turn from blue to red and begin the brewing process.
If you are using the standard sized brewer, you will need to use 48 oz of vinegar in the reservoir and then begin the process by hitting the “Brew” button.
Step 2: One More Time with Feeling
To complete the process perform the vinegar rinse yet again; this time allowing the vinegar to sit in the machine for a while to maximize its cleaning ability. Again place a ceramic cup on the drip tray and remove the K-cup.
The “mini” model will require only 10 oz of white vinegar in the reservoir. Press the “brew” button to power up the machine. As soon as the first drops of vinegar begin to drip through shut the machine off and allow the vinegar to sit inside and work. After thirty minutes come back and turn the Coffee Maker allowing complete the process.
The standard model will need 48 oz of vinegar to begin the process. Press the “brew” button and wait till the add water prompt is indicated. Turn off the Coffee Maker and wait 4 hours before returning to finish the process.
Discard the hot vinegar and fill the water reservoir with pure water to remove the last traces of vinegar from the Coffee Maker. Rinse thoroughly so as avoid any vinegar tasting brews.
Now you know how to clean Keurig Coffee Maker, the complete process can be done in less than 20 minutes and will extend the life expectancy of your appliance.
