# Cleaning Coffee Makers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-coffee-makers/19454>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 13, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-coffee-makers/19454 "2000-05-13T21:24:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spudszz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/48db29/32.png) [@Spudszz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudszz)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-coffee-makers/19454/1 "2000-05-13T21:24:21Z")

</div>

How do you clean a coffee maker?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2000, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-coffee-makers/19454/2 "2000-05-13T21:35:05Z")

</div>

Other than the obvious soap and water on the pot and the grounds-holder, and assuming it is an ordinary drip coffeemaker:

Run a solution of 1 part distilled white vinegar to 3 parts water through the machine. In other words, pour the solution into the water-holder and let the macine “brew.” You will smell the lovely hot-vinegar odor!

If this is the first time the machine has been cleaned in a while, do another run with the solution.

Then run plain water through to “rinse.”

That’s it! They make fancy expensive cleaning fluids, but all they are are mild acids. The vinegar is a mild acid, too, and works just as well.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ultress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7c8e57/32.png) [@ultress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultress)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2000, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-coffee-makers/19454/3 "2000-05-13T22:29:14Z")

</div>

Green Bean is absolutely right. Vinegar is the best cleaner to use.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2000, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-coffee-makers/19454/4 "2000-05-13T22:29:36Z")

</div>

You read the instructions!

If they steam, its time to clean.