Discover how to clean a Keurig single-serve coffee maker the right way with the help of another fellow Keurig lover/owner standing by your virtual side.
It wasn’t until I got a Keurig that I became a coffee casualty. Yes, coffee owns me and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Which is why I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my keurig running smoothly so that this good thing we’ve got going never ends. Ever.
Today, you’ll discover how to clean a single serve Keurig coffee maker, so that you never experience the heartache of nothing but spitter spatter coming from your beloved coffee maker. *The Worst*
One of the things I love about having a keurig coffee maker is that it’s super low maintenance. Compare it to an old school coffee pot and the winner is obvious. When I think of *the office coffee pot* from when I was in the military I still get chills to this day.
Keep an eye on the mug plate. Coffee mugs go there to get rained on. Extra drips of coffee that come out long after you’ve swiped your coffee mug can stack up quick making it the obvious hot spot on your keurig.
Coffee that makes the crowd go wild starts with good tasting water. Think about it. Water is the main ingredient in coffee. Bad tasting water equals trash coffee. No matter how rich and bodied your K-cups are.
AH-mazing water is simply water that’s not full of whatever creepy things live in unfiltered water. Keurig water filters specifically remove chlorine from your water. Not speaking from experience but I’m pretty confident pool water doesn’t make good coffee.
Keep your coffee extra bold and not full of extra impurities by changing those filters every 2 months. Or according to the Keurig site, every 60 tank refills.
Ok this is the fun part. But not really. Descaling your Keurig is something you have to do to keep your coffee flowing smoothing and tasting heavenly. The descaling process is how you really clean your Keurig.
And to be honest, it’s very easy to do. But. I’ll be up front and let you know you need time and a endurance to see the descaling process through.
Basically, don’t do this on a whim.
Maybe I’m jaded because I was caught off guard with how long everything took. I decided to descale my keurig 2.0 at 11:30 pm thinking it would be as simple as pushing a button and walking away. But that’s not quite how it works.
Ever heard your Keurig make a choking noise? Or just stopped putting out all together? A number of things could be happening inside your machine. However, buildup is more than likely the issue which means descaling is probably going to be your fix.
According to the Keurig website, descaling your Keurig coffee maker is a necessary process that removes calcium deposits, or scale, that can build up inside a coffee maker over time. Calcium and scale are non-toxic, but left unattended, they can hinder your brewer’s performance.
Descaling should take place every 3 to 6 months to preserve long-term health of your brewer.
READ THIS – Descaling your Keurig is a 2-part process. The quickie cleaning routine I outlined above comes first. Once that’s done, you can slide straight into the descaling process. If you *really* want to clean your Keurig, THIS is how you do it:-)
The ONLY thing I’d do differently than the instructions on the Keurig website is leave the water filter out during the descaling process. I’m not saying you have to. I just think it’s weird to leave it in. The thought of the water filtier holding onto traces of whatever I descale my keurig with terrify me.
OPTION 1: Descale your keurig with white vinegar:
OPTION 2: Use the Keurig descaling solution. I had a bottle on hand so that’s what I used. When I nervously test-tasted a cup of coffee at the end of the descaling process, it was indeed delicious!
No. Or maybe. It depends.
When cleaning your single-serve Kuerig, we advise against the use of distilled water as it can make the coffee taste flat. Moreover, since distilled water contains no minerals, your coffee maker may not be able to detect water in the reservoir and the “add water” light will remain on. That’s a straight copy & paste from Keurig.
But according to other blogs, you can use distilled water in classic keurig machines, just not in the Keurig 2.0. So as you do your research, just note that *the official source* and the internet experts are at odds on this one.
Acidity from chemicals like vinegar can actually damage the inside of your coffee maker. So if you’re going to use vinegar, do so at your own risk. Again, that’s a copy & paste from Keurig.
Personally, I think it’s ok as long as you don’t use it often. Keurig really boxed us in when they said the only descaling product they approve is their own but on the flip side, we know it works so I’d definitely recommend swiping the Keurig maintenance kit that has everything you need to maintain your Keurig from top to bottom.
It’s a 100% natural reaction between the cleansing solution and scale (via Keurig). This is more likely if a coffee maker has a lot of build-up, which may prevent the descaling solution from properly filling the brewing system. Continue to clean your Keurig as usual. You’re not damaging it.
If this happens, turn off your coffee maker. Empty and thoroughly rinse any remaining descaling solution in the tank and then refill it with fresh water. Reconnect your brewing system, turn it on again and repeat.
Your single serve Keurig is undeniably more important than vitamins so do the right thing and keep her clean. Use the right products, do your quickie cleanings regularly and your deep cleanings on time to keep your Keurig happy, coffee full of dark magic, and you a productive member of society.
And to clarify, I mean good dark magic – like chocolate and Idris Elba. Not Voldemart kind of dark magic.
Now, if you’re really in the mood to clean random things around the house, head on over to my post, How to clean a flat screen tv so that it’s streak-free. Because the big screen is no place for a smudge to hang out.
Good things are meant to be shared! Save this to your Pinterest account so you can actually find it later and so others can see you’ve got all the good stuff!