Descaling a Coffee Machine

How do you know when its time to Descale your coffee machine? That depends if you have a nice coffee machine or something like a Keurig it will have an alarming red light or an error code. Or the coffee can taste-off, either way, its time to descale!

Why do we need to do this? We have to descale our coffee makers because the water we put in them is "hard" water. Meaning that it has minerals in it, that attach to the inside of the coffee maker where water is heated. This causes a build-up that can make the coffee maker not to work at all and can also distort the taste of your delicious brew. How to descale.

There are two main ways to descale your coffee machine.

• Distilled white vinegar
• Descaling solution

Distilled White Vinegar

This is a simple yet effective way to descale. I recommend this for route maintenance, as in my experience it won't tackle the big build-up. Simply fill up half capacity with distilled white vinegar, and brew a cup of coffee. Repeat this process several times, there is no need to change out the vinegar each time, as its strength will remain the same. When done be sure to brew about 3 pots of coffee with fresh water each time so that your next batch of coffee doesn't taste like vinegar! I must say, the other way to descale your coffee pot is more common.

Descaling Solution

Many companies make their own descaling solutions. And they all work pretty much the same, they are safe for your machine and work very well. For these though, the process will vary with each product so read the instructions carefully. Be sure to rinse the machine out by brewing several pots of coffee with new water each time.

Conclusion

In conclusion in this article, we talked about some signs of when its time to descale your coffee machine. We also discussed two ways for you to do it at home. One way is the distilled white vinegar which is a great way to get it done in a pinch! And we talked about a dedicated descaling solution, which is a stronger more effective way to descale your coffee machine. Let me know how you keep your coffee tasting great!