Sep
Why Descaling a Keurig Machine is an Important Process of Producing Great Coffee Taste
Morning coffee has always been our best friend, it motivates us, and gives us the energy to get through our day without almost murdering somebody. If you love your Keurig machine more than life itself, along with that beautiful morning coffee taste, you should know how important descaling a Keurig is.
If you use your Keurig machine on a daily basis without cleaning it regularly, you can probably imagine how much scale builds up, and if you can’t; then just go ahead and take a look in your Keurig! Descaling a Keurig machine is an important step in every coffee drinker’s journey. The scale that builds up inside the machine makes the coffee taste bitter, prevents the water from heating up properly, and might impact the look of your machine.
Some people tend to get confused about when they should descale their machine. The honest answer is that it always depends on the water source you’re using. The heavier the water is, the more limescale builds up inside the machine.
Usually, descaling a Keurig machine happens every 1-3 months, to ensure that soothing coffee taste, and an efficient coffee making machine. The process of descaling a Keurig coffee machine requires the presence of descaling agents or using white vinegar.
A lot of people prefer not to use any descaling agents, due to the fact that it may leave a taste inside the machine, and you’ll struggle in removing it. To avoid these issues, you should always give the machine a couple of runs without the use of pods, just water, and the descaling agent.
Check out PureHQ’s step by step guide in descaling a Keurig:
Get Ready! – Descaling a Keurig Machine
Before you get started, give your Keurig machine’s components a quick bath with a clean water source and soap, keep in mind that you should soak them for a reasonable amount of time in order to make sure you clean every part of the component. Once the components are dry and reassembled together, the real party starts!
Using an Essential Household Ingredient – Descaling a Keurig
If you’ve been using your Keurig machine for a long period of time, you might have noticed that if you go without cleaning it, limescale, bacteria, and other harmful things eventually gather up inside; which will affect the coffee taste and state of your machine, but most importantly your health. Descaling a Keurig machine can be done with one of a household essential that we’re sure everyone must have lying around their kitchen – white vinegar!
The process of descaling a Keurig machine using white vinegar is very simple if you follow them step by step:
- Turn off the glory that is your Keurig machine to start the descaling process
- Locate the water reservoir and lid, then remove them. Make sure also remove the mug stand and the K-Cup holder, if your machine has a removable drip tray, take that off too
- As we initially mentioned, soak all of the compartments you have removed in dish soap and warm water, then dry the pieces with a clean, dry cloth.
- Soak a clean cloth with warm water, then wipe the machine’s surfaces. Keep in mind that you should clean the area around the pod holder as spilled grounds can accumulate and cause nasty smells
- Once you have finished cleaning the pieces and drying them, you can now reinsert them and plug in the machine
- Find your halfway point on the reservoir and fill with white vinegar, to top it off add clean water and fill to the line
- Don’t insert your K-Cup just yet! Place your mug in position and begin your brew cycle. Repeat this process until the reservoir is empty, and make sure to throw contents away after each cycle
- When circulating vinegar through your Keurig machine, it will remove build up of accumulated limescale and mineral deposits (build up can be avoided by using a clean water source)
- Repeat the process again but don’t use any vinegar, instead use clean water in the reservoir. It should get rid of any remaining vinegary taste
- Your Keurig machine is now super clean and ready to brew you that perfect cup of coffee
Using Keurig’s Descaling Solution – Descaling a Keurig
Now that we’ve covered the step by step process of descaling a Keurig machine by using white vinegar, we thought we would also give you some tips on how to descale your machine using Keurig’s Descaling Solution, straight from the coffee gods themselves!
*Keurig advises using descaling solution every 3 months to maintain your Keurig brewer*
What you’ll need:
- 1 bottle Keurig’s Descaling Solution
- A large ceramic mug (do not use paper)
- Freshwater and access to a sink
Instructions:
Step 1: Power Off & Empty Reservoir (remove water filter)
Step 2: Pour Keurig Descaling Solution into the reservoir
Step 3: Fill the empty bottle with water and add to the reservoir
Step 4: Power on, place the mug, perform a cleansing brew using 10oz. brew size
Step 5: Pour contents of the mug into the sink
Step 6: Repeat until “add water” light comes on
Step 7: Let brewer sit for 30 minutes (with power on)
Step 8: Rinse the reservoir thoroughly
Step 9: Fill the reservoir with fresh water and perform at least 12 cleansing brews
Voila! Now you know how to descale a Keurig using white vinegar and Keurig’s own descaling solution. Next up, we discuss water source to achieve the best coffee taste!
Choosing the Best Water Source for the Best Coffee Taste
In general, there are two ingredients that create that soothing cup of coffee and wonderful coffee taste – water source and well, coffee. We spend a lot of time discussing the best type of coffee beans and where they come from, what the best roast is, different variations of coffee flavours etc. but unfortunately spend no time in thinking about the water source we’re using to prepare our glorious cups of joe.
As the water we use in our brews makes up 98% of our delicious cups of java, we thought we’d discuss what the best type of water is to use not only for that amazing coffee taste but, also for the longevity of your Keurig brewer.
At the beginning of this article, when we spoke about descaling a Keurig, we also mentioned coffee being ‘hard’. We don’t mean this in a literal sense of being solid, but aiming more towards the point of your water source containing a high amount of natural minerals such as magnesium, sodium, calcium, potassium, sulfate, and chloride. As you may already know, these minerals can wreak havoc on your plumbing and other household appliances due to the fact that they deposit scales, and as already stated can have daunting effects on your Keurig.
So to make sure you that you keep your health top-notch, your Keurig marvelous, and your coffee taste superb; we recommend to start using distilled water as your new water source for your coffee. Distilled water is the best and most recommended choice out there. It’s purified, containing less than 1 PPM of minerals. This lack of minerals means that your water source will leave your Keurig brewer happily serving up your delicious morning coffee for many, many years.
Alternatively, instead of going through the trouble of purifying your water, you can purchase an extremely high-quality charcoal filter directly from us at PureHQ and just slot it into your machine. Check out a few of our best sellers for your Keurig:
- Keurig Compatible Activated Charcoal Water Purification Filter Replacement by PureHQ – Universal Fit for Keurig
- Keurig Starter Kit Replacement for Keurig 2.0 K200, K250, K35, K-Compact, and K-Duo Essentials Coffee Makers – Includes Filter Holder and 3 Pack of Keurig Compatible Water
- Keurig Starter Kit Replacement for Keurig 2.0 Coffee Maker – Keurig Parts Includes Side Reservoir Filter Holder and 3 Pack of Compatible Keurig Water Filter Cartridges Filters
What Happens When You Don’t Descale Your Keurig?
When you forget to descale your Keurig coffee maker, it can have a negative impact on your machine’s boiler, which can affect your daily brew in a few ways. If the water is unable to reach its optimal brewing temperature, it becomes impossible to extract the full flavor from your coffee beans. Mineral scale build up can clog water flow, and if not removed, can cause your machine to stop working.
Once the boiler of your Keurig machine’s heating capacity becomes compromised, your machine is forced to work harder, resulting in increased electricity consumption. A malfunctioning machine will inevitably start to rattle, and brewing times begin to become prolonged as limescale build up causes disrupted water flow.
We urge you to never overlook descaling a Keurig as it performs the removal of this mineral build up and prevents you from a broken heart!
Looking For a Coffee Taste That Changes the Game? – Check Out Our High-Quality Accessories!
If you really love your coffee, you’ll always be on the lookout for ways to enhance and improve your coffee taste. PureHQ has got you covered with some of the best coffee machine accessories out there, ideal for the well-known coffee connoisseur! We provide high-quality accessories for Keurig, Cuisinart, and Breville Coffee Machines.
Complete your home barista kit with our range of coffee tools and accessories in styles that compliment your precious machines:
- Keurig Compatible Activated Charcoal Water Purification Filter Replacement by PureHQ
- Coffee Paper Water Filters
- Reusable K-Cups for Keurig K-Mini and K Mini Plus Coffee Maker with Adapter (3 Pack) – Refillable Coffee Pods
- Reusable Mesh Basket for Keurig K-Duo Essentials and K Duo Brewers Machine, With 100 Disposable Paper Filters
- Reusable K-Cups Coffee Filter Pod with Coffee Scoop Funnel – Universal Refillable KCups – Fits Keurig K-Duo, K-Classic, K-Elite, K-Select Coffee Makers – 3 Pack
We are now fully active on Instagram! By following our page you’ll be completely up to date on any new amazing accessories, discounts for when we feel like being a bit generous, and constant giveaways and prizes! PureHQ is taking over the coffee accessory world and we want you (our loyal customers) to be a part of our journey.
Follow us at @purehqcorp to keep up with all things coffee!
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