Drip Coffeemaker cleaning/flushing

[CharityCase]

Hi,

We use a Hamilton Beach Brewstation at work, and because we brew 3-4 pots a day with it the buildup of grinds and coffee residues demands cleaning it quite regularly.

there are numerous suggestions through a google search: vinegar and water at varying strengths, denture tablets, citric acid, the pre-packaged solutions (ex. Urnex)...as we use water from a filtered water device I think the problem is with coffee residue and less so with deposits and scaling.

Is there something tried and tested that you use to keep your drip coffeemaker fresh? A no-fail solution? Or are the commercially available mixes preferable to vinegar and water for some reason?

[Darren72]

I run white vinegar through the coffee maker and it seems to clean it fine.

The only other method I've tried is a mixture of water and vinegar, so I can't speak to other options.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

I find the vinegar and water method (about half and half) to be the most successful. Be sure to turn off the coffee maker halfway through the process and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. This really loosens any mineral build-up as well as caked on coffee residue. You'll be surprised at the crud that ends up in the carafe.

N.

[CharityCase]

I find the vinegar and water method (about half and half) to be the most successful. Be sure to turn off the coffee maker halfway through the process and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. This really loosens any mineral build-up as well as caked on coffee residue. You'll be surprised at the crud that ends up in the carafe.

N.

←

So by that you mean turn it off in the middle of the brew cycle, let it sit and fire it back up to finish brewing? I hadn't thought to do that but it sounds like a good idea.

[Anna N]

I run white vinegar through the coffee maker and it seems to clean it fine.

The only other method I've tried is a mixture of water and vinegar, so I can't speak to other options.

←

This is the method I use but it seems to take a lot of flushing to get out the taste of the vinegar. I "brew" pot after pot of water and the first coffee still tastes odd.