2 Simple (and Natural) Ways to Descale Your Keurig Coffee Machine

K-Cup brewing is a wonderful thing - no grinding beans, no filters, and no mess. Simply pop in an Angelino’s pod of your choosing, press brew, and 60 seconds later, you’re enjoying a cup of your favorite brew. But, with coffee making made so simple, it can be equally as easy to forget about maintenance. That’s right, coffee friends, if you want to continue brewing delicious coffee, you need to perform regular upkeep on your machine - including descaling.

So, what is descaling exactly? The water you use is full of minerals and other elements that, over time, can build up a layer of limescale on the inside of your Keurig. When this happens, not only is the taste of your coffee affected, but it can severely impact the functionality of your machine. The solution? Descaling - the process of removing pesky mineral build-up in your Keurig.

You should descale your Keurig once every three to six months, depending on the type of water you use regularly. Unfiltered tap water, for instance, will require descaling more often than that of filtered water. Keurig sells its own descaling solution, but luckily you also have 2 simple (and natural) ways to descale your Keurig coffee machine to choose from. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry! Take a look below.

Get Ready to Descale

Before you can begin the descaling process, you need to do a small amount of prep work.

• Remove any k-cups from the machine.
• Deactivate the auto shut-off.
• Empty the water reservoir.

Now, you’re all ready to begin descaling!

Vinegar

Cleaning with vinegar is the go-to choice for many American households, and it works amazingly well for descaling purposes! Just follow these steps:

1. Take your water reservoir and fill it half-way with distilled white vinegar, and half-way with filtered water.
2. Place a large coffee mug under the spout.
3. Begin a brew for a cup of hot water. When complete, pour down the drain and brew another cup of hot water/vinegar. Repeat this step until your Keurig asks for more water. Note: Smaller Keurig brewers that don’t have a removable reservoir should be turned off as brew begins so that water will remain inside the machine.
4. Allow the remaining water and vinegar to sit for 4 hours inside the reservoir.
5. When the 4 hours is up, pour the remaining solution down the drain and clean your reservoir with soap and water.
6. Fill the reservoir with clean water and run hot water brew cycles until your tank is empty again. This is to clear the remaining vinegar from your machine. Note: For smaller machines, run a hot water brew through about 6 times to flush the remaining solution out.
7. Enjoy your clean Keurig!

Citric Acid

The use of citric acid to descale your brewer is another extremely effective method. Citric acid is naturally derived from certain fruits, and you can purchase it easily from your local grocery store. Here’s how to use it to clean your machine:

1. To prepare your citric acid solution, take 1 tbsp of citric acid and combine it with 4 cups of water. Note: Smaller Keurigs, like the K10 Mini, are suited better for 1 cup of citric acid solution.
2. Pour your citric acid and water solution into the machine’s reservoir.
3. Place a large coffee mug under the spout.
4. Begin a brew for a cup of hot water. When complete, pour down the drain and brew another cup of hot water/citric acid. Repeat this step until your Keurig asks for more water. Note: Smaller Keurig brewers that don’t have a removable reservoir should be turned off as brew begins so that water will remain inside the machine.
5. Allow the remaining water and citric acid to sit for 4 hours inside the reservoir.
6. When the 4 hours is up, pour the remaining solution down the drain and clean your reservoir with soap and water.
7. Fill the reservoir with clean water and run hot water brew cycles until your reservoir is empty again. This is to clear the remaining citric acid from your machine. Note: For smaller machines, run a hot water brew through about 6 times to flush the remaining solution out.
8. Enjoy your clean Keurig!

What are your descaling tips? We’d love to hear! Share with us @AngelinosCoffee