Tinfoil Chef

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Since I make regular, even sorta heavy use of the coffee maker, I need to actively do something to clean it once in a while. This isn’t just a matter of cleaning the outside of it and the filter basket & carafe. This is a cleaning of the insides from the water tank all the way through the system.

Why? Because unless you use distilled water, you’re going to have mineral deposits of one kind or another depending on your local water supply. Over time this buildup in the tubing and heating elements will slow the coffee maker down, causing it to take longer to make a pot of coffee. Eventually things will get so blocked up that the machine can be considered junk and need to be replaced.

The cure? Vinegar.

Take the filter out and replace the basket. Then fill the carafe with about four cups of plai vinegar and pour that into the water tank just like you were making a pot of coffee. Turn the pot on and wait about a minute or so to let it heat up and then turn it off.

Allow this heated vinegar to sit for about ten to fifteen minutes and then turn the pot back on and let it cook out the vinegar. When the machine is done with the vinegar, let it cool and then run at least three full carafes of water through it (also without grounds of course) to clear out the vinegar.

You should notice the coffee maker taking less time to brew a pot. I generally try to remember to do this one every couple of weeks or so. Also, you can repeat this a couple of times in order to clear out heavy deposits.

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