The use of hard water on your coffee maker might lead to the build-up of calcium and lime deposits. If this is the case, it might prevent the correct and proper functioning of the machine. In order to prolong the life of your brewer and to prevent its sudden breaking down, you need to know how to get rid of the accumulated gunk.
Here are some of the steps that can help you out:
1. Let your coffee maker cool down first. While waiting for it to cool down a bit, you can prepare the vinegar solution. This is just a mixture of one part white vinegar and one part water. Pour it on the water receptacle of your brewer. White vinegar is effective in dissolving hard minerals and even eliminating unwanted gunk such as molds.
2. After doing so, prepare the necessary parts of the brewer. Even if you are only running the vinegar solution, you still need to place paper filters if the machine does not have a built-in one. Also, put the carafe close to the drip spout. If it is only a one cup brewer, use a tall mug or cup to catch the dispensed gunk.
3. Now set the programming settings to the normal way you will operate your machine. Allow it to brew the vinegar solution. It will pass the inside of the coffee maker and remove hard minerals that have accumulated. After that, it will drip onto the carafe or the mug.
4. Allow it to finish completely. If your machine is starting to work perfectly fine again, you can go to the next step. If not, you should try running another batch of vinegar solution again as the inside might be full of hard minerals.
5. Remove the contents of the carafe and rinse it carefully with soapy water. Also rinse the detachable parts. If they can be cleaned using dishwasher, just stick it in your dishwasher and allow it to dry completely before reattaching them.
Some brewers have calcium indicator which clues you up when there is a build-up of hard minerals inside your brewer. This way, you won't have to second-guess yourself when the best time to clean your brewer is.
The next time you are having trouble operating your machine faultlessly, check if there is a mineral build-up in it. After that, try the above-mentioned steps to get rid of this problem.
