Annie's All Natural Coffee Maker Cleanser

This morning, as I eagerly anticipated that first sip of coffee, my fingers drummed the counter. When the coffee was finally in my cup, doused with a bit of almond milk, I took the first taste.

What I expected was a tasty, wonderful mouthful of a richly, brewed drink. What I got was bitterness. It was time to clean the coffee pot.

Cleaning a coffee maker is relatively simple. I am sure that they sell some sort of coffee maker cleansers somewhere, stock full of chemicals that you in no way want to ever ingest. Ever.

Instead of some high priced cleanser, let me let you in on a little all natural secret of mine. This little secret will cost just a few pennies, and a bit of wait time.

If you read my blog with any regularity, you will know my secret weapon of choice for all sorts of things. Its name is vinegar.

Annie’s Coffee Maker Cleanser

• Pour vinegar into carafe. For large (12 cup) carafe, use 2 cups of vinegar. For small (4 cup) carafe, use 2/3 cup of vinegar.
• Pour vinegar from carafe into the holding tank, where you normally would pour the water.
• Leave filter basket in place. This is a great time for it to get a cleaning as well.
• Turn on coffee maker.
• Let the vinegar run through the coffee maker.
• Turn off coffee maker.
• Pour vinegar from carafe into holding tank, taking care not to burn yourself. The vinegar will now be very hot.
• Repeat three times.

While the coffee maker is running the vinegar through four times, I take this time to clean my sinks, and prepare them for cleaning their drains. This little tip is found here.  Since the vinegar still is useful, and is already hot, why waste it? Right? After the vinegar has ran through the coffee maker for the fourth time, just pour the vinegar from the carafe, down into the drains as directed in the drain cleaner post. In this way, you are killing two birds with one stone.

Ok, back to our coffee maker….

• Fill carafe with water.
• Pour it into the holding tank.
• Run water through coffee maker.
• Once the coffee maker has finished filling the carafe, pour the hot water down the kitchen sink. I pour half down one side, half down the other.
• Repeat six times. Yes. Six. For a total of seven times. I have found that it takes seven times to completely rid your coffee pot of the vinegar taste. If you want to chance it and live life on the wild side by only running water through a total of six times, do it. (I am currently on round number five of running water through the coffee maker as I write this post.)
• Your coffee maker, filter basket, and carafe are now ready to be used again.

If you have found that your favorite coffee now seems to have a bitter taste to it, clean your coffee maker. If you find that your coffee is taking forever to brew in the morning, clean your coffee maker. If you can no longer see through your carafe, clean your coffee maker.

For only a few cents, you can have your coffee maker back in like-new condition, and your favorite coffee tasting like a little bit of Heaven with each eagerly anticipated sip.

 As Aristotle said, “Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities. “

~Annie