Cleaning the inside of your coffeemaker

My beloved coffeemaker gets a lot of use in my household.  2 pots a day is the standard for me, even during the summer.  Winter time sometimes means 3 pots! Now, my hubby does drink coffee too- probably a pots worth for him. Even if you only make a pot a day, or a week... you still need to care for your coffeemaker. Deposits from your water can build up inside your coffeemaker, giving your wake up juice a slightly bitter or off taste to it.  Most manufacturers recommend cleaning your coffeemaker every 3 months, however with my household's usage I prefer to clean mine once a month. I own a Bunn now, in which the manufacturer also recommends de-liming occasionally. (De-liming means taking a special metal tool and shoving it in the spray head tube) That's something I do every 3 months. But today, I just did a basic cleaning.

For basic cleaning all you need is vinegar, measuring cup and water.  Vinegar does a fantastic job at loosening and removing minerals that have accumulated inside your coffeemaker.

My Bunn has a water reservoir that always has hot water inside. When I pour a decanter of cold water in, the water that brews out is the hot water inside the reservoir.  If  your coffeemaker doesn't have a reservoir like that, it'll be much easier and faster to clean!

To clean a coffeemaker without a hot water reservoir:
1. Pour 4 C of vinegar into coffeemaker
2. Let that sit for 1-2 hours
3. Turn your coffeemaker on to brew
4. empty the vinegar out of the decanter
5. Brew 4-5 pots (or more if needed) of plain water to remove any excess vinegar
Clean your decanter (pot), coffee filter funnel and sprayhead with soap and water

clearing out the vinegar

To clean a coffeemaker with a hot water reservoir: (Bunn styles)
1. Pour 4 C vinegar into coffeemaker; close lid to brew. Empty decanter.
2. Let sit plugged in for 2 hours
3. Unplug coffeemaker, remove the coffee filter funnel and sprayhead, clean with soap and water
4. Cool the coffeemaker  by pouring a full pot of cold water into it. When water has stopped flowing into decanter, empty decanter and repeat the process again. Set decanter aside.
5. Turn coffeemaker upside down over the sink to drain all the water out of the reservoir.
6. Pour a pot of fresh water into the coffeemaker; close the lid and wait 3 minutes. Repeat with a second pot of water. Water will flow out of the funnel now. When it stops, empty the decanter and pour one more full pot of water into the coffeemaker.
7. Replace the sprayhead and funnel. Pour more pots of fresh water into the coffeemaker until the water is clear of the vinegar (2-3 times is enough for me)
8. Plug coffeemaker back in and wait at least 15 minutes before using. (water needs to heat back up)

These two methods are how I've always cleaned my coffeemakers but if you have your use and care manual handy, go by that! Also, if you want to be water wise and not wasteful- DON'T just pour your used vinegar water down the drain! I empty my decanter into a bucket, then use that water (plus maybe a little more vinegar or a dash a dish soap) to mop my floors.

How do you clean your coffeemaker and how often???? Do you recycle your coffee cleaner water?

P.S. If you own a Bunn, here's a link to their site showing the de-liming and basic cleaning instructions (better written than mine... sorry!)
http://www.bunnathome.com/maintenance/velocity-brew/velocity-brew-cleaning-maintenance