Step by Step Guide on How to Clean Your Coffee Maker with Baking Soda
You must routinely clean out your coffee maker to ensure it runs smoothly and to clear out any build-up from repeated use.
Cleaning your coffee machine with baking soda seems like a good idea because baking soda is good for getting smells and stains out of other surfaces. But is it best to use it on your coffee maker’s interior?
You can clean your coffee maker with baking soda, but you risk messing up your machine by using it.
This may not be a big deal to you if you have a lower-end machine. However, if you have a more expensive machine, you most likely won’t want to take the risk.
If you’re wondering whether or not baking soda will clean your coffee machine, how it cleans things in general, how to do it if you want to take the risk, additional care tips, and more, this is for you. We’re going to outline all of this and much more below.
Can You Clean Your Coffee Maker with Baking Soda?
Before cleaning your coffee machine with baking soda, stop and think for a minute.
Do you want to clean the exterior that needs a good cleaning, or is it the carafe? Do you need to clean the coffee pot’s entire system out?
If you want to clean stains around and on the exterior and the carafe, you can safely use baking soda to tackle this project and make these sparkling areas clean once again.
However, if you’ve never descaled your coffee machine or it’s been years, you shouldn’t consider dissolving baking soda in water, pouring it into the machine, and switching it on.
However, if you’re a gambler and don’t mind potentially destroying your machine, you can use baking soda and get fairly good results.
However, it won’t do a good job when it comes to getting rid of mineral deposits stuck inside the machine.
How Baking Soda Works
Cleaning appliances, your kitchen, and equipment won’t ever be an exceedingly hard chore because baking soda is a workhorse when it comes to these tasks.
You can use baking soda to clean in a huge range of ways, including:
Deodorizer – Since there are so many activities around your household, accumulating various odors is very easy. They can stick around in your curtains, surfaces, rags, and even in your coffee machine.
Sprinkling baking soda on your chairs, carpets, and linens before letting it sit for 15 minutes and vacuuming it can remove the odors. If you were to run baking soda through it, it would have similar effects on your coffee machine.
Stain Cleaner – You can easily shine and clean grout, tile, kitchen countertops, and your coffee machine’s water reservoir interior. Because this cleaning agent isn’t abrasive, you won’t have to worry about scratching your surfaces.
You must sprinkle baking soda on your surface, scrub it with a brush or rag, and watch the stains come off.
Even though the interior stains on your coffee machine aren’t usually a problem, they could help with a drip cone, water reservoir, or coffee stains.
Degreaser – Steam travels around your kitchen as you cook, carrying grease and odors that can stick to the surface of your cabinets and walls.
If your coffee maker is close to the stove, grease deposits can slowly build up, and vinegar can have difficulty breaking them down because of their acidity.
Baking soda is alkaline and can cut through the grease due to its makeup. You have to sprinkle it on a damp sponge and rub it over your coffee machine.
Deep cleaning your appliances in your kitchen can help maximize how well it works and how long it last.
Cleaning can take a few minutes to deliver big results, but you’ll notice that the main cleaning features don’t include descaling mineral build-up or hard water deposits.
This is because your baking soda is alkaline and doesn’t have the acidity required to break it up in your coffee pot.
Don’t Descale Your Coffee Machine with Baking Soda
Baking soda won’t work well on your coffee maker’s water cycle and can clog your coffee maker.
This is especially true if the coffee machine already has mineral deposits stuck in the water lines because the baking soda can stick to it and cause a bigger problem.
You need the acid content in vinegar or a dedicated descaler to ensure it can effectively break down the calcium deposits and limescale that can line the machine’s heating element and water tubing.
If you do use baking soda and you don’t end up with a clog in your machine’s water intake system, it’ll still leave behind mineral deposits that you’ll have to run another cleaning cycle with descaler or vinegar to get rid of and get your machine running at optimal levels.
How to Try to Clean Your Coffee Machine with Baking Soda
Baking soda is great for taking dirty kitchens and making them shine. You can try to thin out the baking soda in water and use it as you would vinegar for cleaning your coffee maker.
You’ll need ¼ cup of baking soda and lukewarm water to clean but not descale your machine.
- Remove the filter on your coffee maker and set it aside out of the way.
- Pour one cup of lukewarm water into your carafe.
- Dissolve your quarter cup of baking soda. Using lukewarm water will ensure that it dissolves and has no lumps left.
- Transfer your dissolved baking soda mixture into the water chamber.
- Return your carafe to the plate like you’re going to brew coffee.
- Hit the button and let it finish brewing.
- Discard your used water.
- Put fresh water into the chamber and start another brewing cycle. It takes two full brewing cycles at a minimum to fully wash your coffee machine.
Additional Coffee Machine Care Tips
Cleaning your coffee machine every few weeks will help it last longer. Here are a few tips to keep your coffee machine working in top shape.
- Always wash your machine’s removable parts after each use. Discard your coffee grounds after you finish brewing your coffee. Don’t allow them to sit on the filter for hours because it’s the perfect environment for mold growth.
- Remove any mineral build-up every month. The build-up will impact how fast your coffee drips and can turn it sour.
- Make the carafe shine by rinsing it with water after every use. You can fill the carafe with hot water, add some mild detergent, and add a little rice to deep clean it periodically.
Bottom Line
It is possible to clean your coffee machine with baking soda, but you are taking a large risk since it can cause clogs and do more harm than good.
Vinegar is a better choice because the higher acidity content will help you get rid of mineral deposits.
If you want to try using baking soda to clean your coffee machine, you’re better off trying it on the outside and not running it through the machine to avoid a mess later on.
