If you love to have a great cup of coffee first thing in the morning, then you need to know how to clean a coffee pot .
You might be thinking that we are stating the obvious here but trust me when I tell you that this piece is necessary.
There are at least 4 reasons why this subject is very important and they are as follows:-
- Your coffee pot is a warm damp environment that can breed bacteria.
- Every coffee pot or coffee maker gets moldy over time.
- Water contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium and sodium; these minerals are good for the body. But a buildup of these minerals leaves behind a residue that gives your coffee that “off” taste. This is in addition to the rancidity left over by the oil from the coffee beans.
- The mineral buildup loosens up from time to time and this blocks the pump in your coffee maker and either slows down the machine or makes it stop working.
Benefits Of Cleaning Your Coffee Pot
The benefits of getting tips and hacks that would make cleaning a coffee pot easier and keeping your coffee pot clean are derived from the reasons given above.
When you clean your coffee pot t regularly, you avoid ingesting bacteria. Secondly, you are sure to have great tasting coffee because there’s no infusion of weird residue into your coffee. And finally, your coffee pot would work as it ought to and wouldn’t break down suddenly on you.
Materials Needed
So now that you know that you need to always keep your coffee pot clean, here are materials to always have on hand:-
- Cleaning agents – for example dishwashing soap/liquid
- Scouring brush
- White Vinegar
- Water (obviously)
Now lets get to the different methods that can be used to clean a coffee cup
Simple Methods
Daily Cleaning
If you want to ensure that you wouldn’t have a buildup of all the yucky stuff that we talked about earlier, it is necessary to wash your coffee pot after each use.
You can wash all removable parts of the coffee pot with dish washing soap after every use by hand. But the good news is that the removable parts of most coffee pots are dishwasher safe. So you can throw them into the dishwasher, set it on low before running them through the cycle.
It is recommended that you use a dishwashing soap (that’s designed to remove oil) and warm water. So that you can be sure that every oily residue in the coffee pot is cleaned out. There are also multipurpose cleaners that can get the job done. click here to find out more about them
Also ensure that you always wipe down the warming plate and the exterior of the coffee pot . This would also help to clean up spills so that it wouldn’t burn on the warmer.
Leave the cover of the reservoir open after washing it so that it can dry out after each use/wash. This would ensure that there is no enabling environment for yeast and bacteria.
Monthly Cleaning
While it is necessary to wash your coffee pot daily, you’ll also need to do a kinda spring cleaning every month.
Prepare a solution of equal part white vinegar and water and pour into the reservoir of the coffee pot . Then place a paper filter into the basket, put the pot in place and then run a brew cycle. Stop the coffee machine when the cycle is halfway and allow the machine to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Turn on the machine again and complete the cycle. Pour out the solution, add fresh water and fresh paper filter and run another cycle. Then rinse out the coffee pot thoroughly with more fresh water.
You can repeat this cycle one more time if you feel your coffee pot needs more descaling. (That is, there are still some more residue to clean out).
There are also some tested and tried cleaning products that can make the task easier. Just ensure that you read the product description and label to know how to use them.
Refreshing the Coffee Pot
If your coffee pot is old and tired and need a little infusion of sparkle, then you may need to clean it out with some rice and warm soapy water.
Just add the dishwashing soap and some rice into the coffee pot and swoosh it around for a while. Get out your scrubbing brush and apply some elbow grease. You’ll get your coffee pot sparkling again. If your coffee pot has some hard to reach areas, you can use a baby bottle brush or some specialized brush made for such tasks.
Expert Tips
Signs That Your Coffee Pot Needs Cleaning
Your coffee pot would give you some signs that it is in need of thorough cleaning and descaling by the following:-
- Your coffee would have an “off” taste. This is due to the rancidity left over by oil residue and mineral buildup.
- The coffee maker would just be making noise without brewing.
- Your coffee would take longer to brew.
- The sound of the coffee maker becomes louder.
- The machine would spurt coffee when in operation.
Tips For Keeping Your Coffee Pot Clean Always
- If you always use your coffee pot to fill the reservoir of the coffeemaker, then ensure that you always wash the coffee pot with warm soapy water after each use.
- Use only demineralized water to brew your coffee.
- Never leave used up coffee grounds in the coffee maker for long. This might enhance the growth of those unwanted elements. Also check out our post on how to use a coffee pot for more tips
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning your coffee pot.
Conclusion
We know that often times we are in a hurry to just grab a cup of coffee and be on our way for the day. But if you are a caffeine addict, then you need to know how to clean a coffee pot and your coffee machine or coffee maker. Also make sure that you create time to keep your coffee pot clean.
There are many products that you can use on at least a weekly basis to ensure that you don’t end up with rancid tasting coffee. With these products, you can at least rinse out your coffee pot with warm soapy water daily and then give it a more detailed washing on weekends.
Find the time and whatever means you like to always keep your coffee pot clean. But whatever you do, ensure that you are not ingesting bacteria or harmful substances with your daily injection of caffeine into your system.
