Is your Keurig coffee starting to taste a little bit off? Or is the brewing time taking a little bit too long for your liking? This happens if mineral deposits have built up in your coffee maker.
It is also a sign that you need to descale your Keurig.
Keurig has its own descaling solution which they recommend you use, of course. However, if you don’t have a Keurig descaling solution on hand, you can use vinegar instead.
Vinegar can be effective in removing any mineral deposits caused by hard water because of regularly using your Keurig.
In this article, I will be talking about how you can descale a Keurig with vinegar. I will also talk about why vinegar is okay to use to descale a Keurig.
In this article:
- Why Descale Your Keurig
- How to Descale a Keurig With Vinegar
- Is It Safe to Descale Keurig With Vinegar?
Why Descale Your Keurig
If you’ve owned Keurig for a long time you probably know why descaling is important. However, if you are new to using a Keurig and have no idea what descaling means, it’s a very simple concept but very important for you to know.
Keurig machines are very convenient since they can brew single-serve coffee using coffee pods. You don’t have to grind, measure, and do all the preparations necessary to brew coffee if you use other brewing devices.
As you use your Keurig regularly, calcium and mineral deposits build up over time. This can cause your Keurig coffee maker to clog, have slower brewing times, and even affect the taste and quality of your coffee.
Descaling your Keurig can remove the mineral deposits and keep your machine performing at its best. It is recommended to descale your Keurig once every 3 to 6 months to prevent the mineral deposits from building up over time.
How to Descale a Keurig With Vinegar
Now that you know why descaling your Keurig is important, let’s get on to the fun stuff!
Descaling a Keurig is a simple process and can be done in less than an hour. To descale a Keurig, you typically need to use a descaling solution. But, if you don’t have one right now, descaling a Keurig with vinegar is also possible.
You will need a couple of things before you start the descaling process:
- White Vinegar. This is already diluted with water and is typically used for cleaning.
- Water. While white vinegar is already diluted, you still need to combine it with water. You will also need water to run a water-only cycle after you’ve descaled your Keurig with vinegar
- Mug or cup
Prepare your machine
Before you start to descale your Keurig, make sure that the water reservoir and K-Cup holder are empty. Remove any old water and K-Cup pods so you can effectively descale your Keurig.
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water
Place equal parts white vinegar and water into the water reservoir up to the MAX line. Place a mug on the removable drip tray to catch mixed solutions.
Descale Your Keurig
Depending on your Keurig model, you may have to press the “descale” button to enter it into descale mode.
Some Keurig models only have a descale light and you will need to power the Keurig off and press the 8 oz and 12 oz at the same time for about 3 seconds to enter descale mode. You will have to then press the 12 oz button to begin the descaling process.
For other models, you just need to fill the water reservoir with equal parts white vinegar and water, lift and lower the brewer handle, and then press the brew or the largest cup size button to start the descaling process.
The descaling process is just like the process of brewing your coffee. So, you are essentially “brewing” the white vinegar and water. As the mixture passes through the internal passage of your machine, it descales the mineral deposits.
Related: How to Descale a Keurig K Slim With Vinegar
Discard the vinegar and water mixture
Once the water and vinegar mixture has been dispensed into the mug, carefully pour the contents of the mug into the sink. Place the mug back on the drip tray.
Repeat the process if needed
If your Keurig has not been descaled in a long time, you might need to run a vinegar and water cycle a few more times until you see the dispensed liquid run clear. If your first cycle is already good, you can proceed to the next step.
Run a water-only cycle
Add fresh water to the water reservoir and press the brew or largest cup size button to run a water-only cycle. This will clean any remaining vinegar residue that may have lingered in your machine.
Once the water has been dispensed into the mug, carefully empty its contents into the sink. Place the mug back on the drip tray and run a water-only cycle about 2 more times to make sure that no vinegar residue will be left.
Clean the removable parts of your Keurig
You can also opt to clean any removable parts such as the drip tray, water reservoir, and K-Cup holder. If you are going to clean these parts, turn off and unplug your Keurig.
Clean the removable parts with soapy water and make sure to let them completely dry before placing the parts back into your Keurig. You can also wipe the exterior of the machine with a clean, non-abrasive cloth to remove any dust.
Is It Safe to Descale Keurig With Vinegar?
Yes, white vinegar is safe to use when descaling a Keurig. However, if your Keurig is new and is still under warranty, I would recommend using Keurig’s descaling solution first.
You can run into some issues when descaling a Keurig whether you use a descaling solution or not. Keurig may not honor your warranty if you use vinegar to descale your machine and something happens.
But, generally, white vinegar is a good cleaning solution. Vinegar has an acidic nature that can dissolve mineral deposits, which is great if your Keurig is clogged because of these buildups.
It is a less expensive solution and that is probably something that is in your home. If you need to descale your Keurig ASAP, you can use white vinegar if you are in a pinch and can’t buy a descaling solution.
Related: Why Your Keurig Is Not Working After Cleaning With Vinegar
Wrapping Up
Descaling a Keurig is a very important thing to do if you want your coffee to taste good all the time. It does not take long to descale a Keurig and it is a simple process so you won’t have to spend so much time learning how to descale a Keurig.
However, not all Keurigs have the same descaling process in the beginning. You might need to push a few buttons here and there but it is easy enough to do. Make sure to check your user manual for any specific descaling instructions.
