How To Easily Clean A Coffee Maker Without Using Any Vinegar

Coffee is nothing short of a daily necessity for many people. If you're brewing yours at home instead of spending five or more dollars a day at Starbucks, then you'll need to be regularly cleaning your coffee maker as well. Thankfully, the process is quite simple, so it won't be so much of a chore when it comes time to do it every few months. Many people use vinegar to clean their brewer, but if you don't have a homemade coffee descaling cleaner with that white vinegar on hand (or can't stand the strong smell) you may want to look into other options.

Another household item that people use clean their coffee maker is baking soda. This product has its purpose for cleaning, but it really won't get the job done when it comes to the appliance you use for brewing coffee. Baking soda works great as an abrasive to scrub away tough grime or as a deodorizer, but it's not able to get rid of bacteria, which is people suggest vinegar as a cleaner. 

So, if not vinegar and not baking soda, what should you use to clean your coffee maker? Turns out, another common household item can work just as effectively: hydrogen peroxide. And the good news is that hydrogen peroxide is probably already in your house, so you won't need to run out and buy another cleaning product.

Consistent use of your machine can lead to a slow coffee pot. Most importantly, it also leads to a buildup of germs and mold which can not only get you sick, but can also affect the taste of your coffee. (Let's be honest about which one of those would be worse.) So, when it comes time to deep clean your favorite machine — do once a month if you're using it daily, and up to six months for less frequent usage — grab the hydrogen peroxide out of the medicine cabinet along with a measuring cup.

To use hydrogen peroxide to clean your coffee maker first combine two parts water to one part hydrogen peroxide — try 2 cups of water to 1 cup of peroxide. Then put the solution in your coffee maker's water reservoir and run a brewing cycle. This will heat the hydrogen peroxide solution (making it more effective against killing germs) as it flushes it through the coffee maker. After the cleaning cycle, empty the reservoir and run a few cycles of plain, hot water to wash away any remnants of hydrogen peroxide.

This hydrogen peroxide cleaning solution works for both Keurig-style and drip-style coffee makers. For both, you simply run a brewing cycle with the solution followed by a few cycles of just water. Not only will hydrogen peroxide work as a simple and effective cleaner (including cleaning hard water stains in your coffee pot) but it's also a less toxic option, meaning you can rest easy as you brew your next perfect cup of joe!