There are millions of people throughout the world that use a small coffee maker to brew their favorite morning beverage. These machines are available in a range of options, from fully automatic versions with programmable timers and grinders to models with nothing more than a simple on/off switch. In order to keep these machines running the way they should, it’s important to keep them clean. Fortunately, cleaning your small coffee machine is a relatively simple undertaking and doesn’t require any special knowledge or skills beyond the tips mentioned in this brief article.
The first step in cleaning your machine is to fill your carafe with water, being careful to leave enough space for 1 cup of white distilled vinegar. Once you have your vinegar solution, simply pour this into the reservoir and activate the brew cycle. For this process you want to be sure that you don’t have any coffee or filter in the machine. Allow the vinegar to make its way through the machine just as you would when brewing a pot of coffee. The vinegar will help to remove any oily residues and hard water deposits that have accumulated on the machine. Once the brew cycle is complete, simply discard the vinegar solution and run two additional cycles through the machine using just clean water. You want to be sure you’ve eliminated any traces of vinegar, as this will surely be a detriment to your coffee if you do not. In addition to this process, it’s also important to remove the filter basket and any other removable parts in order to clean them using a small brush.
Once all the parts have been cleaned and dried with a clean cloth or paper towel, simply reassemble the machine and enjoy it as normal. You should aim to clean your machine at least once per month and more frequently if you brew more than one pot per day.