From your traditional carafe coffee maker to fancier pod-style coffee makers, all electric coffee makers experience mineral build up. The calcium and magnesium in your water builds up a cloudy or white "limescale" on the interior surfaces of your coffee maker. This scale not only affects the taste of your coffee, but can actually clog your machine and prevent it from brewing.

Regularly cleaning and descaling your coffee maker can help keep your coffee brewing correctly every time. These hints and tips are quick, easy, and use products you already have around your home to keep your coffee maker working like new!

1. Descale your Tassimo coffee maker (h/t How to Descale)
Regularly wiping down the outside of your Tassimo coffee maker isn't all you need to do - you should also descale on a regular basis. The Tassimo website warns you to not use vinegar in your Tassimo or you will void your warranty. Suitable descaler solutions are recommended in your service manual. However, many owners use 1 packet of powdered lemon drink mix to 1 pint of water to create homemade Tassimo descaler solution. Run through your Tassimo on the descaling setting with the service pod in place. Then run a rinse cycle 5 times to complete the cleaning. The entire process takes approximately 30 minutes, but you can easily walk away and return only to refill.

2. Wash your Keurig reservoir (h/t The Happier Homemaker)
The first step to giving your Keurig a thorough cleaning is to wash the reservoir. Don't try to save time by throwing it in the dishwasher, instead give it a gentle hand wash with warm, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and allow to air dry. Drying with a cloth could introduce lint to your Keurig reservoir and to your coffee.

3. Unclog your Keurig needle (h/t Smart Mom Smart Ideas)
Mineral deposits can build up throughout your entire Keurig machine, including the needle. If your Keurig isn't brewing you a full cup anymore, you may need to clear the needle. This is an easy task with one little tool - a paperclip. Simply straighten out the paperclip and gently poke into the needle to dislodge any build up and debris.

4. Descale your Keurig with vinegar (h/t The Shabby Creek Cottage)
Don't waste money on commercial descaling products when you have the perfect descaler in your pantry. White vinegar is an ideal acid for removing mineral deposits and limescale. Simply fill your Keurig reservoir with white vinegar and brew cup after cup of hot vinegar until the vinegar runs clean. Then dump the remaining vinegar in the reservoir and run a clean water cycle through to remove the vinegar odor and taste.

5. Loosen debris in your Keurig (h/t Housewife How To's)
Before descaling your Keurig, get a start on loosening the deposits and debris by turning it completely upside down and lightly smacking it a few times on the bottom. Then place a drinking straw over the reservoir spout and gently blow on the straw to clear the water line. When you descale, you'll see a lot more debris come out of your coffee maker.

6. Use baking soda to clean a drip coffee maker (h/t Home Ever After)
Baking soda is the basis for an excellent descaling solution for your drip coffee maker. Mix 1/4 cup baking soda into a full carafe of warm water until well dissolved. Pour the mixture into your coffee maker reservoir and brew as normal. Repeat several times, leaving the final brew liquid in the carafe for an hour to descale the carafe. Brew two cycles of clean water to rinse the coffee maker.

7. Clean a burnt heating plate (h/t Creek Line House)
Along with removing scale from the inside of your coffee maker, baking soda is a great scrubbing agent for removing burned on coffee from your machine's heating plate. After unplugging the unit, make a paste of water and baking soda to gently scrub the plate clean. Wipe with a clean damp cloth until the baking soda residue is removed. You can also use this cleaning paste to remove coffee stains from your glass carafe.

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