Tips For Cleaning Your Coffee Maker
If you brew your own coffee at home instead of purchasing your coffee at a coffee shop, you know that you are saving hundreds of dollars a year. While this can be exciting, you might be getting disappointed in the fact that your coffee is beginning to taste a little bit different. Instead of throwing in the towel and going back to purchasing coffee at expensive coffee shops, you might need to try giving your coffee maker a thorough cleaning. You might think that you are cleaning your coffee maker just fine, but many people do not realize exactly what cleaning a coffee maker entails.
Surface Cleaning
If you are only surface cleaning your coffee maker, you are not getting it really clean. Cleaning out the coffee pot is important, and this is something that many people do remember to do. Most people clean out the coffee pot after each use, which is what is recommended for sanitary and taste reasons. In addition, people usually empty the filter after each use. People also commonly rinse out the part that holds the filter, especially if any coffee grinds are visible. However, this is simply surface cleaning the coffee pot and will not remove any strange tastes from your coffee.
In Depth Cleaning
It does not matter whether you have a above counter or under cabinet coffee maker: all coffee makers need thorough cleanings from time to time. When doing an in depth cleaning of your coffee maker, the first place you should clean is the holding tank for the water. Many people do not even think to clean this out as it simply holds water. However, much like a tub or a sink, the water tank can accumulate a slimy substance on the walls. This is especially true if you have any iron in your water or even if you simply have well water and not city water. Make sure that you scrub the walls of the holding tank very well when cleaning your coffee maker.
The second place you should clean is the actual head of the coffee maker where the water drips out. This is very important when cleaning your coffee maker. In some coffee machines this comes in contact with the actual coffee, and coffee residue can build up inside of it. Check your owner's manual to see exactly how to take that apart and clean inside of it.
After you think that your coffee pot is in tip top condition, check the owner's manual to see if you missed anything. If it does not say to clean anything else, brew some coffee. It will almost definitely taste good as new!
