Get step-by-step advice on how to keep everything in your home clean and tidy

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Coffee machine maintenance is more than just good hygiene and proper housekeeping. It also affects the flavor, depending on your morning situation, which may be more motivating than anything else to keep your beer clean.
With quick wiping every day and deep cleaning that does not need to be done manually most of the time, your machine will last longer, work more efficiently, and brew more delicious coffee. We will tell you how.
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Daily cleaning takes less than five minutes. Descale your coffee machine (it only needs to be done a few times a year), which takes about half an hour to an hour, depending on the machine. However, most of the time is not active time. You can perform other tasks or relax while the clean brewing cycle is running.
For different manufacturers and models, the agreement may be slightly different, but for any coffee machine, the goal is the same:
Remove the used filter and coffee grounds from the brewing basket and discard. Wipe the water droplets in the water tank with a damp cloth; keep the latch open to allow it to air dry. Remove all coffee residues in and around the basket and on the body of the machine.
Disassemble the detachable components and wash them thoroughly with warm water and mild detergent. Pay attention to corners and grooves, where bacteria and mold can hide, and where coffee oil and coffee grounds accumulate. Rinse off the foam and place the components on the tableware rack to air dry. If you happen to be running a dishwasher, put the dishwasher safe components in the dishwasher; these parts usually include a basket, coffee spoon, and glass (non-insulated) water bottle, but please check your manual to make sure.
Wipe the body of the machine to remove any splashes that may appear throughout the day.
Note on cleaning the hot water bottle: Although you can usually put the glass water bottle in the dishwasher, the hot water bottle needs to be hand-washed with warm water and detergent, because the dishwasher will damage the double-walled vacuum insulation. The bottle brush can easily reach those deep and dark recesses where residues and bacteria like to hide. If the opening of the glass bottle is too narrow to reach in, you may need a brush. Rinse the glass jug thoroughly and air dry.
Over time, stainless steel vacuum flasks will also get stubborn coffee stains. To break down these stains, please dissolve a bottle of cleaning tablets in a container and leave it for a while as suggested by the instructions-if you are dealing with very stubborn stains, you can leave it overnight. (A popular Internet hack: Denture tablets often contain the same active ingredients as bottle cleaning tablets, citric acid and baking soda. But be forewarned-denture tablets may also contain flavor and color ingredients that may damage your container or coffee. ) All these cleaning strategies also apply to thermos.
Over time, minerals will accumulate in your beer machine-especially if you live in hard water areas. You can reduce this by brewing with filtered water, but even so, you should descale (or demineralize) the machine several times a year. Different coffee machines have different recommendations for the method and frequency of descaling, so please refer to your manual. In addition, “descale whenever you find that the brewing time of the coffee machine is too long or the water is left in the water tank” is also a good practice, OXO (the manufacturer of our preferred manufacturer OXO Claire Ashley, Director of Coffee and Tea at) said. Coffee maker with 9 cups).
Some models are equipped with indicator lights to remind you that it is time to descale. Please note that these machines do not actually sense the minerals in your machine-they just track how many brewing cycles you have run, and turn on the indicator light after a certain number of brews. (For our OXO picks, it requires 90 cycles, so if you brew once a day, it is once every three months.) When the indicator light is on, the machine should not stop working. To reset it, simply run the machine’s descaling program.
Fill the water chamber with one part water and one part white vinegar. Run a cycle, empty the pot, and then do a vinegar cycle. “Vinegar not only breaks down mineral deposits, but also removes bacteria at a safe level,” said Jason Marshall, laboratory director of the Toxic Substance Reduction Institute (TURI) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, who has tested various brands Of cleaning products.
Then empty the pot again and finish with tap water. Repeat several times until the smell of vinegar dissipates.
To avoid doubting whether you have really removed every drop of vinegar, you can run the brewing cycle with a descaling solution, which is exactly what OXO recommends in this video.
Cleaning the Keurig is similar to cleaning a regular coffee machine. You just need to remember some extra parts.
After using Keurig, immediately take out the empty pod and throw it away. At the end of the day, wipe the body of the coffee machine with a damp soap cloth and then dry it. Do not immerse your Keurig in water.
Slide out the drip tray and drip tray plate. Wipe them with a damp cloth or sponge and dish soap. Rinse and air dry. You can clean these in the dishwasher.
Pop out the K-Cup pod holder and funnel, and then also clean it with sponge and dish soap. These can also be washed in the dishwasher and placed on the top shelf.
Clean the exit needle located at the bottom of the inside of the pod holder. Insert a straightened paperclip into it, move the paperclip to loosen the coffee grounds, and then push the coffee grounds out. Do the same for the two holes on the entry needle located on the underside of the lid; hold the lid with one hand and push the ground with a straightened paper clip with the other hand. Run two pure water brewing cycles without pods. (This is a useful video.)
Alternatively, you can also use a special Keurig 2.0 needle cleaning tool to clear the blockage. This plastic gadget filled with water is fixed on the pod holder. Once in place, lift and close the handle five times to loosen the ground; then run the pure water brewing cycle and use the cup to catch the water. Clean the tools by rinsing under warm water and air drying.
Use a soft sponge or cloth and detergent to wipe the water tank and its lid-remember that they are not suitable for dishwashers. Rinse off any foam. (Don’t dry it with a towel, because it may leave lint.) Clean the filter by running it under a large amount of water in the sink; then air dry it.
It’s time to descale! As we mentioned before, this is essential to prevent the accumulation of minerals inside the machine, especially if you live in hard water areas.
For models with removable water tanks (such as Keurig K-Classic, we prefer other Keurig options), first press the power button to turn off the machine. Drain all the water in the water tank and make sure that the pod tray is also empty.
As shown in this video, pour a full bottle of Keurig descaling solution into a container. If you have a K-Mini, you should use it sparingly, as other videos suggest.
Fill the now empty solution bottle with fresh water and pour it into the machine. Turn on the machine again.
Place the cup on the drip tray, select the largest brew size, and run a clean brew. When finished, pour the hot liquid into the sink and put the cup back on the tray. Repeat this process until the “add water” indicator lights up. When this happens, let the machine stand for 30 minutes with the power on.
Next, rinse the water tank thoroughly to make sure that the solution disappears completely. Then inject more fresh water to the maximum brewing line. Repeat the washing and brewing process at least 12 times. (You may have to refill the water tank at least once.)
You can also descale with white vinegar, as shown in Keurig’s instructional video. The difference is that you fill the water tank completely with vinegar instead of diluting it with water, and let the machine sit for at least 4 hours instead of 30 minutes. You still need to rinse the water tank afterwards. Run a clean brewing cycle until the water tank is empty or until the water no longer smells like vinegar.
Depending on the type of machine you have, the cleaning method is slightly different, so be sure to check the manual for specific information and dishwasher safety guidelines. However, the overall strategy is the same: throw away empty Pods immediately. At the end of the day, empty the drip tray and disassemble the detachable components. Then wash everything with soap and water, rinse thoroughly and air dry. Follow the instructions for descaling. Many companies (such as our choice of Nespresso Essenza Mini, the manufacturer of Nespresso) offer their own descaling solutions. But you can usually also use general solutions.
If your espresso machine contains milk froth components, clean the steam wand after each use, and then wipe the exterior with a damp cloth and detergent.
Joanne Chen is a senior writer at Wirecutter, covering sleep and other lifestyle topics. Previously, she reported on health and wellness as a magazine editor. After a task forced her to sleep 8 hours a day for a month, she realized that when she was not sleep deprived, she was actually a smarter and friendlier person.
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