How to Quickly Clean a Keurig With Vinegar for Better Tasting Coffee

Keurigs are a helpful way to get single-serve coffee ASAP in the morning. But if you notice yours is starting to slow down or telling you to descale, it’s likely time to clean your coffee maker. And vinegar is an affordable, all-natural way to clean and descale your Keurig—no need to buy expensive descaling solutions.

Here’s everything you need to know on how to clean a Keurig with vinegar.

How to Clean and Descale a Keurig With Vinegar

Keurigs are easy to clean with vinegar. Before you get started, make sure you have dish soap, a dish rack, vinegar, fresh water, a large bowl, a sponge or scrub brush, household cleaner, and a microfiber cloth nearby.

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Clean Removable Parts

First things first: take out any removable parts, like the drip tray, pod holder, and water reservoir, and place them in a clean sink full of soapy water—dish soap works best for this.

Use a sponge or brush to scrub each piece, then rinse them clean until no soap residue remains. Let them air-dry on a dish rack.

Descale With Vinegar

Once the removable parts have dried, place them back into the machine. Fill up the reservoir halfway with vinegar and halfway with water.

Turn the coffee maker on and place a large mug underneath its spout. Run the biggest brew cycle possible, then dump the mug out and put it back. Repeat until the reservoir is empty.

Rinse The Machine

Fill up the empty reservoir with fresh water, then run the Keurig over and over again, emptying a mug as needed, until there’s no more water left.

This will rinse out the coffee machine and remove any left-behind vinegar taste or smell.

Clean Reusable K-Cups

If you use reusable K-Cups in your Keurig, now’s the time to clean them. Place them in a large bowl full of soapy water and let them sit for five to 10 minutes.

Use a bottle brush or narrow sponge to scrub bubbles into tight corners and edges where gunk likes to hide, then rinse them clean. Let them air-dry before use.

Clean Off the Keurig

You’re almost done! But there’s one last step before finishing up: actually cleaning the outside of the Keurig.

Grab a microfiber cloth and your favorite household cleaner, and spray the cleaner directly onto the cloth. Run the cloth over the coffeemaker to wipe away dust and dirt.

How Often to Clean Keurig Coffee Makers

Most Keurigs will let you know when it’s time to descale and clean them by flashing “Time to descale the brewer” after a certain amount of brew cycles.

This is typically every three to six months, depending on how often you use it. However, you can descale your Keurig more often if you feel like there are too many minerals in the coffee it’s brewing.

Tips to Keep Your Keurig Clean Longer

Want to descale your coffeemaker less often? Follow these tips to keep it in great shape for longer.

• Consider using bottled or filtered water if your tap water is hard. A Keurig that’s run with hard water will need to be descaled more often.
• You can give your Keurig a mini-rinse by running a brew cycle without a K-cup after it hasn’t been used for a while.
• Remove used pods from the Keurig once they’ve cooled. This keeps them from molding or leaving gunk behind in the coffeemaker.