Forget Vinegar: Descale Your Coffee Maker With This Common Cleaning Ingredient

Every morning, like clockwork, you stumble to the coffee machine and brew yourself a fresh pot. You remember to toss the filter and grounds each time, and rinse out the pot itself, but you hardly ever think to clean the entire machine. When you do clean, however, what do you use? Sure, specific coffee maker cleaning solution is great, but it can be expensive. Luckily, there are household ingredients you can use instead. Vinegar is a common one, and an easy way to clean your machine, but another quick solution is hydrogen peroxide.

That's right: Hydrogen peroxide is typically used as a household cleaning agent. But it can also be used to sanitize and make your coffee maker good as new. Simply combine 1 cup hydrogen peroxide with 2 cups of water. Pour the mixture into the reservoir of the machine and run a regular brew cycle. Then discard the solution and run it two more times with regular water. Wipe down the interior and exterior of the machine and pot, and voilà! Nice and clean.

Why does this coffee-cleaning tip work? Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer, which means it can remove stains and residue from leftover coffee. While this can work on a regular machine, it could also work for Keurigs and single-serve coffee makers. Just pour it into the water holder, run the machine, and you'll have a fresh appliance — no expensive solution necessary.

Cleaning your coffee maker helps your morning Joe taste nice and fresh. But there are a few tricks to make the most of this cleaning process. For instance, if you have a machine with a "pause" or "freeze" button, press it in the middle of the cycle to let the solution sit in the machine for about one hour to thoroughly clean it. Also, combine the hydrogen peroxide with enough water so you don't ruin your machine. Make sure you run the machine several times with regular water afterward so your cuppa doesn't smell or taste like chemicals, either.

After you're done, try out the most effective way to finish descaling your coffee maker — with citric acid. Pour a couple tablespoons of citric acid into the reservoir, fill it with water, and then run the cycle. This will help remove any buildup leftover in the machine that the hydrogen peroxide couldn't get. Do this every one to three months and your machine will be up to snuff.