Make Your Keurig Last Longer with These Easy Cleaning Tips

I never thought the day would come that I would spend $100 on a coffee maker. I used to be the girl who loved free gas station coffee or would use the coffee filter twice to get more brew for my buck!

But as my tastes matured, I found myself intrigued by the convenience and cache of the Keurig coffee maker. I tried to rationalize it, telling myself that spending $100 on this magic machine would be a much better investment than spending $5 a pop on drive-through coffee drinks. And so here I am several years later, still enjoying life with my fancy coffee maker!

About four months into my new investment I noticed a burning smell  from my machine and a bizarre toasty taste in my coffee. I called the company and talked to a representative who asked me if I had ever cleaned my Keurig. Well, of course I had! I wiped it down when it was splattered with coffee! Apparently this was not what the representative had in mind.

I quickly learned that by not cleaning my Keurig appropriately, I was compromising its life span. Knowing how to properly clean your Keurig is the best way to extend its life and get the most brew for your buck. After all, this is a big investment!

1. Always unplug the coffee maker before cleaning. Then fill the water reservoir tank with white distilled vinegar (distilled vinegar is a powerful yet natural cleaner that is safe to use).
2. Plug in the coffee maker and turn it on.
3. Run through the brewing process without any K Cups in the coffee maker.
4. Continue running until the water goes all of the way down and the blue light starts flashing to indicate low water.
5. Let the vinegar residue sit in the coffee maker for four hours.
6. After soaking for four hours, rinse out the water reservoir completely with clean, warm water and then refill with fresh water.
7. Run through the brewing process without any K-Cups again and then repeat.
8. Tired yet? Almost done! Fill the reservoir with clean water one more time.

Pro tip: For homes with hard water or well water, it might be necessary to clean the Keurig once a month (it can’t hurt the machine and will keep it in top functioning condition).

With proper care a Keurig should last a very long time. Invest a little time and vinegar into your Keurig on a regular basis and see how much better it performs!