How to Clean Keurig with Vinegar

Curious how to clean Keurig with vinegar for under a dollar? This article will teach you how!

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The Keurig coffee maker is an absolutely wonderful invention. It takes the mess and hassle out of making a morning cup of coffee.

If you are anything like us, we use our Keurig machine multiple times a week and never think about cleaning it. Like many other appliances in our house such as the dishwasher, washing machine, and vacuum, we just expect it to run when we need it and often forget it needs maintenance to keep it working in tip-top shape.

RELATED-If you are interested in saving money on K-cups, these have saved us tons of money everyday!

How often do I need to clean my Keurig?

Keurig coffee makers have a tendency to get scaly as minerals in the water harden and can cause damage to the machine. Anytime you have standing water, you grow the risk of growing mold or other bacteria. Yuck, I don’t want that in my coffee!

There are different parts to your Keurig and each of those requires different frequency in cleaning.

Parts of a Keurig

• Water tank (where all of the water sits)
• Lid for the water tank
• Mug tray (where you place your mug)
• K-cup holder (where your K-cup sits)
• Needle
• Water filter cartridges (inside the water tank)

Now that you know the different parts, we can talk about how often each one needs cleaned.

• Removable parts (water tank, lid, mug tray, k-cup holder) should be cleaned weekly.
• Water filter cartridges should be REPLACED every 2-3 months.
• Inner brewing system needs descaled every 3-6 months.

Why do I need to clean it?

Like all of our household appliances, Keurig coffee makers require some basic maintenance to keep them working properly. Because they come into direct contact with water, they have a tendency to get scaly, especially if you have hard water.

• Keurig coffee makers can be a breading ground for harmful bacteria.
• Anytime there is standing water, there is a risk of mold growing.
• It can extend the life of your coffee maker.
• Cleaning the coffee maker regularly will protect your health.
• It keeps your coffee tasting the way it should.

How to clean Keurig with vinegar?

Now that you know the importance of cleaning your Keurig, I am going to show you just how simple it is too! There are two main components to cleaning the different parts of a Keurig.

Clean the removable parts

Remember, these parts are easy to remove and should be cleaned weekly, but at minimum, once a month.

1. Unplug machine and remove the water tank, lid, mug tray and K-cup holder.
2. Place all of these in the dishwasher or wash with warm soapy water. Be sure to rinse them well.
3. Let air dry. Do not use a towel inside the water tank otherwise you might get some lint in your next pot of coffee.
4. Assemble back together.

Clean Keurig with vinegar

This process of cleaning the brewing system is a little more extensive and will take more time. It should be done at least twice a year, but best practice would say every 3-6 months.

1. Get distilled white vinegar or the Keurig Descaling Solution.
2. Dump out the water tank and fill the reservoir with 16 oz distilled white vinegar (or the descaling solution) and 16 oz water.
3. Start a brew cycle without a K-cup and have a container to catch the liquid.
4. Repeat this process multiple times until the ADD WATER sign appears.
5. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
6. Empty the reservoir and rinse it with water. Fill it up about halfway with water and perform a few brewing cycles to clean out all of the vinegar.
7. Brew your drink of choice as normal!

What you need to know…

• There are two majors parts of the Keurig and each have different cleaning requirements.
• Wash the removable parts at least once a month.
• Descale the Keurig with vinegar or descaling solution at least twice a year.