Clean Your Keurig for a Fresher Cup: A Vinegar Descaling Guide
Does your Keurig make a less powerful cup than it usually does, and does it take longer to brew? These can be early signs of mineral buildup, commonly called scaling. Luckily, descaling your Keurig with vinegar is an easy and highly effective way to restore its original performance level and keep your coffee tasting great. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process.
Vinegar is a natural descaler because it breaks mineral deposits that might have been collected in your Keurig. The buildup will hinder internal functions, such as brewing temperature and flow. One can prolong the performance and longevity of the machine with regular descaling using vinegar.
Things You'll Need
White vinegar
Freshwater
A mug (large enough to fit under the Keurig spout)
Keurig Descaling Solution (optional)
How to Descale
Check in your Keurig manual. While the steps would roughly be the same for most models, specific details may vary. Reference the manual for any model-specific instructions.
Empty the reservoir and dispose of any remaining water.
Fill up the reservoir with white vinegar. For descaling, most Keurigs use a 1:1 solution. Or, use the Keurig descaling solution following the manufacturer's instructions.
Put a cup on the drip tray.
Turn the Keurig on and brew the most significant size cup. Some models might have a designated "cleaning" or "descaling" cycle. If not, just brew the largest cup size.
Run the vinegar solution through the brewer several times. Continue multiple brewing cycles of large cups until the reservoir is totally depleted of vinegar solution.
Let your Keurig sit for 30 minutes so that the vinegar solution can go to work in breaking down the mineral deposits.
Empty the water from the reservoir and rinse it well.
Fill the reservoir with fresh water, then run another rinse cycle. Repeat 2-3 times to remove all vinegar flavor.
Pro-Tip: After descaling brew a cup of hot water with no K-Cup to flush out any remaining vinegar solution.
Additional Housekeeping Tips
Clean the K-Cup holder. Remove the K-Cup holder and wash it using warm, soapy water, then rinse and dry thoroughly before putting it back in place.
Descale regularly. The frequency depends on your water hardness and how often you use your Keurig. Descaling every 3-4 months is generally preferable.
From these few simple steps, you can bake delicious coffee in your Keurig for years to come by adding cleaning each week into your routine.
by Gemma 
