How to Tell if Your Coffee Maker is Dirty & Reasons to Clean It
Do you know how to tell if your coffee maker is dirty? Why would you want to clean your coffee maker anyway? Below I tell you the reasons to clean a coffee maker and how to tell if it’s time to give yours a thorough cleaning.
If you’re a serious coffee drinker like I am, it’s time you learn how to take care of your coffee maker! Part of that coffee-lover duty is to find out what the reasons are to keep your coffee maker cleaned out on a regular basis. Skip to How to Clean a Coffee Maker if you’re anxious to get started!
If you think cleaning the coffee maker really isn’t that important and it’s okay if you skip the monthly cleaning, think again! To learn how to clean a coffee maker the right way, we first have to talk about what makes it get dirty in the first place.
What makes a coffee maker get dirty? Coffee has oils in it that can build up an oily residue in coffee pots, the brew basket, and the shower head.
Also, water contains minerals that will adhere to the machine’s parts and build up water deposits over time, causing scaling. The brown color of coffee can cause stains on the glass of your coffee pot or the outside of the machine.
Reasons to Clean a Coffee Maker
Here are some of the reasons to clean a drip coffee maker, including the effects when these coffee maker parts get dirty.
1. So that your coffee tastes good. A dirty coffee maker can cause the internal thermometer not to work properly. If the water temperature isn’t high enough (200 degrees), all the flavor won’t be extracted from the coffee. That leaves you with coffee that tastes less than the best, even if you spend more on premium coffee beans.
2. So that the coffee maker works right. The water constantly passing through your coffee maker to brew your java can cause buildup on the internal components. This scaling of minerals, calcium and lime, will prevent your machine’s parts from working properly.
3. So that the coffee maker brews faster. Remember when we talked about scaling and buildup? That keeps the full amount of water from flowing, so your coffee maker will take longer and longer to brew the same pot of coffee.
Overlooking this kitchen chore may seem like it saves you time now, but a dirty coffee maker actually takes longer to brew the same pot of coffee! If a 4 minute brew has become a 7 minute brew, it probably means your coffee maker has buildup that needs to be descaled.
How to Tell if Your Coffee Maker is Dirty
You need to clean your coffee maker if any of the following are true:
- Your coffee tastes bad
- You can see brown coffee stains on the glass of the coffee pot
- Your coffee takes a long time to brew
- The water sputters a lot instead of flowing when brewing into the carafe
Now you’re ready to clean your coffee maker and make it like new! Next, read How to Clean a Coffee Maker for complete instructions on how to clean your coffee maker, glass coffee pot, stainless steel coffee pot or carafe, and brew basket. Happy cleaning!
