Clean Your Coffee Pot with Vinegar, Plus, How I Kept My Coffee Maker Working for 36 Years Old

Whether you have a Keurig, Drip Coffee Pot, Nespresso, or some other brand of coffee maker, you will need to clean your coffee pot. This process is called descaling. I consider myself an expert in this field. I have even given myself an honorary coffee pot degree. In some of the photos, you will see my Farberware Coffee Maker that is currently 38+ years old! I had my Keurig last 6-7 years before I sold it for $65. My Nespresso machine is over 5 years old. Maintaining your machines is the easiest way to having a lasting coffee maker. Keep reading to find out how to descale your coffee machine.

But not only do you have to descale the machine, what you put inside it is essential to a lasting coffee maker. This article will give you the 411 on how often to clean your machine, what to use, and how to do descale your coffee pot. By caring for your maker in this way, you will ensure that it lasts a long time and it makes a good cup of coffee.

What is Descaling?

Descaling is simply the process of removing hard metals and other elements from the interior components of the coffee maker. This helps your coffee maker work better and last longer. I always use distilled water in my coffee makers, so the chance of mineral buildup is greater reduced, and I still clean my coffee maker 4 X a year.

How Often Should You Descale Your Coffee Machine?

There is no simple answer to this question. First, how often do you use your coffee maker?

When determining how often to descale your coffee pot, you need to look at the use of the machine. We use my drip coffee maker (the one that is 36 years old) 4-5 days a week. Since it is used on a regular basis, I descale that machine once a quarter or every 3 months. Similarly, with my Keurig, I descaled the machine every 3 months. It helps if you get into a routine. January – April – July – October works for me.

If you use your machine for 2-3 pots a day, you should descale your machine more often – consider monthly. If you use your coffee maker less, you can probably get away with descaling the machine once every 4-5 months. However, picking and maintaining a regular maintenance schedule for a descaling program is the best way to making sure you clean your pot often.

When descaling, make sure you clean all components of your machine. Coffee grounds have a way of hiding in nooks and crannies. If the coffee grounds were wet, that means that there may be mold growing in places. Having old coffee grounds stuck in crevices can effect the taste of your coffee.

Make sure to clean the water chamber, if it attaches separately. Some times people think that since they are using fresh water each time they fill the chamber, there is no need to clean it. However, water sitting still gets stagnant. Another area that people forget to clean is the drip tray.

What Should You Use to Clean Your Coffee Pot?

Most coffee makers recommend descaling your coffee machine with white vinegar, but there are descaling agents sold that some brands recommend you use. I use the Nespresso Descaling Agent, but for my drip coffee maker I use the white vinegar method.

The Process of Cleaning Your Coffee Pot by Descaling Your Machine

How to Descale Your Drip Coffee Maker?

After cleaning all parts with hot soapy walater, I mix hf distilled water and half white vinegar in the glass coffee pot. I insert a filter into the basket and pour the solution in the coffee maker. After brewing, I empty the pot and clean everything (save the vinegar water – see below)

Descaling My Nespresso Machine

My Nespresso Vertuoline Machine has a “descaling” alert, but I have always descaled it before the alert flashes. I usually descale on the same schedule as my Farberware drip-maker which is every 3 months. However, if I notice my coffee tasting bitter, I will descale more often.

Always use the descaling agent available recommended by Nespresso. 

If you don’t have the owner’s manual, you can find descaling instructions online. Most of the instructions say it takes 20 minutes – HaHa!!!!

It will take longer than 20 minutes – it actually takes me 20 minutes to figure out how to start the descaling process because the instructions miss a step, and I can never remember which step it misses!

The following steps are to descale your Nespresso VertuoLine Machine:

1. Turn the Machine “ON” by pushing the button. Blinking Light: Heating Up. Steady Light: Ready
2. Open the machine head and eject the used capsule.
3. Close the machine and leave the lever “UNLOCKED”: Towards the front of the machine.
4. Empty the cup machine and the used capsule container.
5. Fill the water tank with 1 package of Nespresso descaling unit and .8 Liters of distilled water (About 27-28 oz of water – 3 1/2 cups). (I honestly don’t know what is in this cleaning solution).
6. Make sure the machine has been “ON” for more than 15 seconds. To enter the Descaling Mode: Hold the button for at least 7 seconds. I find my machine needs to be held for at least 10 seconds. Additionally, the machine needs to be on for more than 15 seconds.
7. The button will start blinking rapidly. You have 45 seconds to enter descaling. If it does not begin blinking, you may have to redo steps 6 over withholding the button longer. Make sure the water reservoir is in place.
8. Lock the machine by turning the lever to the left to the lock symbol and then unlock by turning right. Hold the button again for at least 7 seconds in the “Unlocked” position.
9. Place a container under the coffee outlet. Make sure it will hold at least 4 cups of water. I have 2 containers ready.
10. Lock the machine by turning the lever left and push the button. The machine will begin descaling. It will stop when the machine is done. Your machine will start and stop in spurts cycling through the descaling mode.
11. When the machine is done, empty, rinse, and clean the water tank.
12. Fill the water tank with fresh distilled water and put it back on the machine.
13. Push the button to rinse the machine. It will stop and start just as it did in the descaling mode. When it is done, empty and refill the tank. 
14. To exit descaling mode, hold the button for at least 7 seconds.
15. The button will stop blinking and become steady.
16. Descaling is done. Allow the machine to sit for 10 minutes before using.

What to do with a Keurig that Trickles Water or Doesn’t Brew a Full Cup?

Help, My Keurig isn’t brewing a full cup! 

Help, My Keurig is just trickling water!

I extended the life of my Keurig machine to 6 years by the following method:

Many people with Keurig machines report that their machines begin to drip slowly. In fact, this happened to my machine, but I extended the life of my Keurig machine to 6 years by the following method:

 Burping my Keurig – when you find your coffee maker isn’t brewing a full cup, and the water is just trickling out, you most likely have air in the water line. The following steps will help you extend the life of your Keurig:

1. Unplug your machine
2. Remove the water tank
3. Take your Keurig machine to the sink
4. Turn it upside down and smack the side of it.
5. This is called burping your Keurig. You may have to smack it several times. Water will drip out. 
6. I hit my machine hard. My hand hurt when I did this. However, it works! 

What to Do With the Vinegar Water after Descaling?

You have cleaned your coffee pot, and now you are wondering what to do with the vinegar and water that you used.

Vinegar and Hot Water are used to clean a variety of surfaces, however, this is a 1:1 mixture and has much more vinegar than most other vinegar solutions. This solution is much too harsh for your countertops and many other surfaces. However, it can still be used.

I have done the following things with my descaling water from my drip coffee maker:

If I have any glasses that have film on them, I will soak them in the water.

I have also soaked pots and pans in vinegar water.

Do you need to descale your shower head? Soak your shower head or other fixtures in this solution.

Can’t I Use Clean Water from the Tap?

If you use tap water, it has sediment, chlorine, and other minerals. We have a well and our we have hard water. Even when I lived with city water, I still used distilled water. This will affect the production of your coffee maker.

Can I use filtered water?

Before using filtered water, I recommend checking to see what the water filter removes. Most likely newer filtering systems will produce a water that is great for coffee makers.

Can I use any type of bottled water?

Using distilled water will get the best results. Distilled water is water that has been boiled and then condensed into a liquid in a way that removes all impurities. This means the water is purified. If you buy bottled spring water, you do not know the mineral content of the water or the water quality. (Did a train derailment happen near the spring that was the source for the bottled water? Or is the “spring water” just a term for “we turned on the tap?”)

I have a water softener. Can I just use that water?

This water will not produce the best-tasting coffee. Hard water produces a better-tasting coffee, but in the long run, significantly impacts the life of your coffee maker. Soft water will extend the life of your coffee machine, but the coffee taste is compromised.

Do I have to use vinegar to descale my machine?

No. There are other options available to you. A commercial descaling solution can be purchased. However, there are other DIY options. For example, baking soda or citric acid (made from citrus fruits) and doesn’t have the same odors as a vinegar solution.

How to Get Your Coffee Maker to Last For Years?

1. Make sure To Descale Your Coffee Machine on a regular basis.
2. Always use distilled water.
3. Read the Above article: How to Clean Your Coffee Pot
4. Clean Your Coffee Pot!

READ MORE: The Best Low-Acid Coffee

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