Wake up and smell the coffee, but only if the coffee smells good! Coffee is known for having a warm and comforting scent—one that can wake you up and brighten your morning after one pour. But if it’s waking you up because it doesn’t smell good, it may be time to give it a good scrub. It’s not as intuitive as sweeping your floors or cleaning your stove, so here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to clean your coffeemaker.
1) Empty it all out. This seems like a no-brainer, but the first step is to empty out the carafe (the container that holds the coffee) and dump out any loose coffee grounds from your filter.
2) Pick a cleaning solution. The most recommended is a vinegar-based solution. According to The Kitchn, a good formula is one part water and one part white vinegar. Then pour this solution down the water chamber.
3) Run the brewer for half a cycle. It’s recommended that you stop the cycle halfway through so that you can let the solution sit in the chamber for about an hour.
4) After the solution sits for an hour, let the coffeemaker finish out the cycle. Once complete, discard the solution and clean the coffeemaker and chamber with a damp rag.
5) This time, fill the chamber with water—no vinegar. Run a cycle or two, and once you’re finished, make sure the coffee maker doesn’t have a vinegar scent to it anymore. If it does, run it one more time. The vinegar odor should subside after 3 water rinses.
6) Don’t forget to focus some attention on the carafe and filter basket! Soak both of these in hot water mixed with antibacterial soap for 30 minutes - 1 hour. It allows the soap suds to really soak into the carafe and filter basket.
7) When you’re finished soaking the carafe and filter basket, rinse them with hot water to get rid of the soap suds.
8) Use a damp rag to wipe down the exterior of the coffeemaker. This is when you take your coffee maker cleaning job from clean to impeccable!
The next time you decide your coffee maker needs a good clean, this guide should provide you with everything you need to ensure a barista level of excellence with your coffee. Now when you wake up and smell the coffee, you’ll actually smell coffee!
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