In this article we would like to show you how to clean a Keurig. We know you want your coffee fast! So in this article we want to show you how to keep your coffee coming! But you also want your coffee to taste the best that it possibly can.
While pod coffee systems are by far the fastest way to get a single serve coffee, without proper care for your machine, the taste of your coffee may fall short. We are here to help you with that problem by properly showing you how to clean your Keurig Coffee Machine.
Follow the steps below to ensure that you keep your system brewing without any problems every morning like clockwork.
We all know it can happen. Use something over and over again on a daily basis and it’s sure to eventually break or wear out someday right? Well if you take care of your Keurig properly and keep up with these simple steps you shouldn’t have any problems getting your coffee fix when you need it.
In this post we are going to show you how to clean your Keurig 2 ways. In the following guides there are 9 simple steps to success. One method uses white vinegar which is by far the cheapest way and will likely do the trick.
The 2nd method uses Keurig’s approved cleaning solution made especially for its brewers. We will leave it up to you to decide which method you choose, though we will say that using Keurig’s cleaning solution is probably the most thorough method. So if you try white vinegar and still have scaling on your machine, give method 2 a try.
Before you get started…
Here are some items you should have on hand:
- Soap
- White vinegar (method 1)
- Descaling solution (method 2)
- Water
- Mug/Cup/or any container that will fit under the Keurig dispenser.
- Clean, dry cloth
Method 1: How to clean Keurig with Vinegar
Step 1. Unplug the machine.
Make sure you hands are dry and that you have a nice dry surface to work with. It would be a shame if all you wanted to do was clean your favorite coffee machine and, uh, you died. Let’s stay alive and unplug the machine so we can at least make it to the next step.
Step 2. Take apart the Keurig and wash the pieces in soapy water.
For instance, remove the water reservoir, take apart the filter compartment, throw away the old filter, take apart the mug stand, and also the K-cup holder. Then wash these pieces in warm, soapy water and dry.
Use your favorite dish soap and scrub pads. We love the scrub daddy and palmolive dish soap. Make sure you get inside and outside the reservoir. Take apart the mug tray and wash in the inside of the spill catcher.
Step 3. Wipe machine surface
Use your favorite rag or cloth and get it damp. You can use a cleaning solution like Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-surface cleaning spray. Try to get as much of the gunk off as you can. There will be lots of coffee grinds inside the k-cup tray. Try to get them out, but be careful of the needle that is in there. It’s very sharp and will cut you. Wipe down the bottom of the Keurig as well. Get rid of all of the lime where the reservoir sits into the well.
Once you have wiped down the Keurig let it dry before you put any of the pieces back together. You can actually let all the pieces except for the reservoir sit until step 9 if you like. However, you can go ahead and assemble them now if you like. I personally only reassemble the reservoir at this point since we are going to be running the Keurig with Vinegar in it. This way I don’t get any splashes of vinegar on any of my newly cleaned parts.
** Quick Note: If you put things back together while they are still wet you may get a build up of mold or other bacteria so be sure to completely dry your pieces before reassembling them.
Step 4. Fill the reservoir halfway with vinegar
We are now going to add vinegar to the reservoir. But first dry the area around your Keurig machine and put the reservoir back on. Do not put the filter back in yet. You don’t want to get vinegar on your new filter. (You will be replacing the filter in another step.) We are going to use white distilled vinegar as the descaling agent for this step. It will help descale your coffee maker, which is key to helping it run. Vinegar eats bacteria and breaks down tough limescale buildup. Once you have added the vinegar to the reservoir, carefully plug you Keurig back into the wall.
Step 5. Fill the reservoir the rest of the way with water
This is simply to dilute the vinegar. By adding water we will be able to flush the system several more times.
Step 6. Start the brew cycle without inserting a K-cup
First put a container under the pour spout. It could be a mug or a glass or anything really. This will catch the vinegar solution when it runs through the cycle. By running the machine you will force the vinegar though the system with the intent of flushing out any internal limescale and other gunk that is clogging up your Keurig.
Step 7. Repeat until reservoir is empty
Each time you run the system dump the container into the sink.
Step 8. Repeat again with only water
Repeat the process using only plain water in the reservoir to remove any residual vinegar taste.
Step 9. Replace your filter and reassemble the Keurig.
If you use a water filter process before putting water into your Keurig, this step is optional. If not, we recommend that you grab some filters from Amazon. We receive a small commission off all purchases on this site so it would help us out if you would use the above link to buy some. It’s pretty easy to change the filter. However, make sure you rinse your new filter really well. Follow any instructions that came with the filters that you purchased.
All you have to do is pull the bottom of the Keurig filter chamber off, remove the old filter, and then put the new one in. Once you have the new filter in place, put the bottom of the filter chamber back on.
Method 2: How to clean a Keurig with Keurig Descaling Solution
Follow all the steps above but substitute white cleaning vinegar with this amazing descaling solution.
Keurig recommends descaling your brewer at least every 3 to 6 months depending on your water source. We hope that you found this step by step helpful.
We hope you have found this how to clean your Keurig coffee machine post helpful. Please share it if you know someone who is drinking sub-par coffee every morning and you think this will help!
