How To Descale My Krups Coffeemaker

In addition to regular Krups coffee maker cleaning by washing the carafe and filter, there's another type of cleaning that helps extend the life of your appliance and consistently brew quality coffee. This additional cleaning, which is designed to descale Krups coffee makers, is a quick and easy process that uses a kitchen staple you probably have on hand.

The Water Quality Association notes that scale deposits are by-products of hard water. "Hardness" is the term describing water that's hard to bring to a soapy lather. Hard water contains dissolved salts, primarily from calcium and magnesium, which become deposited in pipes, water heaters and even coffee makers.

To descale a Krups coffee maker means removing the buildup of these salts, which Krups notes has the potential to affect the performance of its coffee makers. Removing these deposits also removes the bad taste associated with coffee that's brewed with hard water.

The "CLEAN" light will come on when your Krups coffee maker needs descaling. As a rule of thumb, descale Krups coffee makers once a month or after every 20 to 40 brewing cycles. This rule has leeway, though, depending on the hardness of your water and the frequency at which you brew coffee.

You'll have a heads up that it's time for descaling when your coffee maker takes longer than usual to brew, produces a lot of steam, stops before completing a cycle or makes noise toward the end of a brewing cycle.

Remove the filter cartridge first, according to the user manual instructions for your particular Krups model, before following these descaling steps:

• Use the Krups descaling solution or make your own by
  mixing 17 ounces of white vinegar in 17 ounces of water.
• Pour the descaling solution into the water reservoir.
• Press the "CLEAN" button and then the "BREW" button, which
  will start the descaling cycle.
• Wait for 30 minutes, which is when the cycle ends.
• After 30 minutes, if the water reservoir isn't empty, press
  the "CLEAN" button to start another descaling cycle.
• When the water reservoir is empty, rinse the machine by running two full 12-cup cycles with water only (no coffee).
• Replace the filter cartridge.

Consult your user manual to determine if you can use a Krups Duo Filter in your coffee maker model. This double-action filter not only reduces chlorine but also reduces scale deposits. The Duo Filter doesn't eliminate the need to descale your Krups coffee maker, but it does reduce the frequency at which you'll have to descale your machine.

The user manual for each Krups coffee maker will have regular cleaning instructions for each specific model. Generally, you can wash the glass coffee carafe in the dishwasher, but Krups notes that it's safe only on the upper rack of the dishwasher.

Hand-wash the removable filter holder and the permanent filter in warm, soapy water. If you hand-wash the glass carafe, use a soft cloth or sponge and clean it in warm, soapy water. Avoid using abrasive cleansers or scrubbers, both of which can scratch the glass.