How to clean a coffee maker and descale it with vinegar

3 min read · 8 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Two things build up inside a coffee maker. Coffee oils go rancid in the basket and the carafe and make the next pot taste bitter. Minerals from tap water form scale in the tank and the tubes, which slows the machine down and can stop it completely. The warm, damp water tank is also a place where mould and yeast grow. Cleaning deals with the first and the third; descaling deals with the second.

Check the manual for your model first: it tells you which parts may go in the dishwasher and which cleaning products the maker allows.

Step by step

1. Rinse the brew basket after every pot

   Throw away the grounds and the filter and rinse the basket. Every few days wash it properly in warm soapy water, because the oily film is what makes coffee taste bitter.

   Done

2. Wash the carafe

   Warm water and washing-up liquid after each use. For brown stains, fill the carafe with a mix of one part bicarbonate of soda to two parts hot water, leave it overnight and rinse well. A bottle brush reaches into a thermal carafe with a narrow neck.

   Done

3. Wipe the hotplate

   When it is cold, wipe off spilt coffee. Burnt-on rings come off with a damp sponge and a little bicarbonate of soda.

   Done

4. Mix the descaling solution

   For a drip machine, fill the water tank with equal parts white vinegar and water. Check the manual first: some makers give a different ratio or tell you to use their own descaler, and vinegar that is too strong can attack metal and plastic parts.

   Done

5. Brew half, then wait 30 minutes

   Put an empty paper filter in the basket and start a brew cycle. When about half the solution has run through, switch the machine off and let it stand for 30 minutes so that the vinegar can dissolve the scale. Then switch it on again and let the rest run through.

   Done

6. Rinse with two cycles of fresh water

   Pour the vinegar away, fill the tank with clean water and run a full cycle with a new paper filter. Do it a second time. If you can still smell vinegar, run a third.

   Done

7. Pod and capsule machines

   Wash the removable water tank with soap and water, and empty and wash the drip tray often: standing coffee and water there grow bacteria. To descale, Keurig and Nespresso recommend their own descaling solution and a set cleaning programme, so follow the manual. Afterwards run several cycles of plain water.

   Done

8. Let it dry open

   Leave the lid of the water tank open after cleaning, and after normal use if you can, so that the inside dries. A dry tank grows far less mould.

   Done

Good to know

How often to descale depends on your water. With hard water and daily use, once a month; with soft water, every three to six months is enough. If the machine becomes slow, noisy or the coffee is not as hot as it was, it is time.

Many machines have a cleaning light or a dedicated descale programme. Use it: it runs the pump in the right pattern.

Filtered water slows scale down and makes descaling less frequent.

Do not use bleach inside a coffee maker, and do not put electrical parts in water.

The same chemistry works for the kettle: how to descale a kettle with vinegar, citric acid or lemon. For the rest of the kitchen: how to clean a dishwasher.

In short: Basket and carafe: warm soapy water after use. Descale a drip machine with half vinegar, half water: brew half, wait 30 minutes, finish, then two cycles of fresh water. Pod machines: maker's descaler. Monthly with hard water, otherwise every three to six months.