How to descale a Keurig with vinegar – and why this 40-cent trick works

Descaling your Keurig coffee maker might not be high on your list of priorities but a regular schedule to remove mineral deposits will help keep your morning cup of joe tasting great and prolong the life of your machine.

You don't need a pricey specialist product either. Cleaning pros we spoke to swear by using pantry staple vinegar to descale Keurig coffee makers.

If you already know how to clean a Keurig coffee maker, you'll be familiar with the process and probably looking for a cheaper alternative to the recommended branded product, which uses up a whole better every time and this is it!

How often to descale a Keurig with vinegar 

Kayla Stavridis, a former Starbucks barista and now head of marketing at baristahq.com says, 'If you live in an area with hard water, descaling your Keurig coffee maker is essential to keeping it running smoothly. Over time, minerals like calcium and magnesium from hard water can build up as limescale inside your machine, affecting the taste of your coffee and slowing down the brewing process.'

She says it takes about two months for the tell-tale signs your Keurig coffee maker is dealing with a build-up of limescale to show. She explains, 'After a couple of months, the water flow slows down and the coffee starts tasting off. I’ve found that descaling with vinegar is an effective and budget-friendly solution to restore my machine’s performance.'

What you'll need

• White vinegar (such as this great value all-purpose cleaning vinegar from Walmart)
• Distilled water (either bottled or freshly boiled and cooled down)
• A cup to catch the used solution
• A clean cloth (microfiber cloths, available at Walmart, are super absorbent, durable, and machine washable.
• Warm, soapy water made up with Dawn Dish Soap, from Walmart

1. Empty the machine's reservoir

To maintain your best single-serve coffee makers, start by emptying out the reservoir of water and taking out old coffee pods.

If you are descaling a Keurig machine with a removable filter, it is best to remove this part to prevent the solution from saturating the filter and leaving residue behind. This residue may affect the taste of your coffee, so washing it by hand with water is the better approach.

Professional cleaner Karina Toner of Spekless also advises turning off the auto-shut-off feature to prevent any interruptions in the process.

2. Combine equal parts water and vinegar

To descale a Keurig, pour equal parts water and white vinegar into the empty reservoir and turn the machine on to a cycle. Remember to place a large mug underneath the spout to collect the water – the larger the better to prevent overflow.

Former Starbucks barista Kayla explains that 'Cleaning with vinegar is a natural, economical alternative to commercial descalers. It's highly acidic, making it effective at dissolving mineral deposits without leaving chemical residues. White distilled vinegar is my go-to for this task because it’s non-toxic, inexpensive, and readily available in most households.'

Cleaning pro Karina Toner adds you can either mix up the solution beforehand or pour straight in, explaining, 'Fill your Keurig's reservoir halfway with white vinegar, then top it up with water until full.'

Bear in mind if your reservoir is larger, you'll need more vinegar to be able to keep to the 1:1 ratio.

3. Run the brewing cycle

Former Starbucks barista Kayla says, 'Run the machine without a K-Cup. Begin brewing, allowing the vinegar solution to run through the machine. Collect the dispensed liquid in a mug and discard it. This process breaks down mineral deposits inside the machine [similarly to how it removes limescale from shower glass or removes limescale from taps]. Continue until the reservoir is empty.'

This ensures the vinegar descales the pipes fully and reaches all areas it needs to and the water runs clear. You can also let the solution sit in the machine for 30 minutes before flushing out to give the vinegar more time to work on stubborn mineral deposits Kayla adds.

Some Keurig machines have a self-descale function built in. If this is the case for your appliance, simply set the machine to run and leave until the cycle is complete. Otherwise, you might have to run several regular cycles back to back to thoroughly clean the machine.

4. Flush the vinegar out with regular water

In order to flush the vinegar residue out of your machine and prevent that lingering vinegar taste, empty the Keurig's reservoir of vinegar solution, and wash it by hand using a soft cloth and soapy water before drying and refilling it with plain water. Then, run a regular cycle to flush the vinegar out of the system and make coffee taste better.

Coffee blogger Johnny Morrison warns that you might find more cycles are needed to clear the taste. He says, 'The one drawback of using vinegar to clean your Keurig is the persistent odor and taste it can leave behind.

'In my experience, with descaling solutions, you typically only need two to three cleaning cycles to fully rinse the machine. However, with vinegar, you might need anywhere from five to 10 cycles to ensure there's no lingering taste in your coffee.'

However, Johnny adds using vinegar is 'much cheaper than specialized descaling solutions' and he is correct.

The Keurig three-month maintenance kit from Amazon, which includes one descaling solution for an 8oz rinse, two filters, and rinse pods, usually retails at $22. To make the same volume of descaling solution yourself, you'll need 4oz of white distilled vinegar, which will typically cost around 40 cents.

It is a great way to incorporate green cleaning into your routine and reduce your reliance on chemicals, especially if you want to use more non-toxic home essentials.

5. Clean components and air dry

A good cleaning tip is to finish the descaling process by cleaning down the rest of the machine for a fresh coffee experience.

Use a cloth dampened with warm soapy water and wrung out to wipe down the exterior of your machine, the area where your coffee pod sits, and the mug tray before drying off with a clean towel. If your Keurig is in a high-traffic spot in your kitchen, you can also clean with Dawn Powerwash to clean kitchen grease.

Karina Toner suggests, 'Use a clean, lint-free cloth to wipe down the outside of your Keurig, including the water reservoir.' This will stop fluff from sticking to your Keurig's control panel or screen to make a kitchen look organized and clean.

FAQs

How often should you descale a Keurig?

If you do not have a Keurig model with a descaling alert light on it such as on the Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker available on Amazon, it can be difficult to know when to descale your Keurig as the calcium deposits form inside of the machine.

As a rule of thumb, you should descale your appliance at least once every six months. Alternatively, if your coffee is taking longer to brew, the water appears to come out more violently with more splutters, or if the machine appears to be getting increasingly louder as the water flow has to work harder through the machine, it might be time to clean.

Barista Kayla adds, 'If you live in a hard water area, you should descale your Keurig every three months. If you use filtered water, descaling every six months should suffice.'

How do you replae Keurig filters?

Ensuring a great-tasting coffee and keeping your machine functional takes more than descaling. You also need to periodically replace your coffee machine's filters to keep your brew fresh and avoid making yourself ill.

1. Remove the old filter using your appliance's dedicated manual and dispose
2. Soak the new filter in water for at least five minutes, then rinse it under running water for a minute to saturate it and rinse away any factory dust
3. Insert the new filter into place and clip the filter holder back into place
4. Repeat every two to three months

Why is the descaling light still flashing after I have descaled my Keurig? 

If the descaling indicator remains lit, this suggests that the machine hasn't been adequately rinsed following the descaling process.

You should thoroughly rinse the Keurig again with clean water. Take out the water tank, refill it to the 'max' line using tap water, and initiate the water rinse cycle in your machine's settings.

You might need to try descaling a Keurig with dedicated descaling solutions if vinegar doesn't seem to be cutting it for your machine.

Having an inexpensive coffee maker doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the quality of your coffee. Stock up on coffee bar essentials and carve out your own little coffeeshop style nook to take your morning brew to the next level.