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How To Clean Keurig Mini?
How to clean and descale a Keurig Mini coffee machine.
Published March 10, 2022
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Erik Hedlund
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
A Keurig Mini coffee maker can be a great appliance to have in your kitchen. It is portable, small, and quite cost-effective, making it a decent choice for offices, small spaces like dorm rooms, or just for anybody who would rather not have a giant coffee machine on their kitchen counter.
To keep your Keurig Mini in the best shape and make sure that it is working well and lasts a long time, regular cleaning of a Keurig Mini is essential. The right cleaning routine of both the inside and outside of your coffee maker will help to keep it well-maintained and able to brew delicious cups of coffee for longer. Keep reading to find out more about how to clean your Keurig Mini.
How Often Should I Clean the Keurig Mini?
How often should I clean my Keurig? How often your Keurig Mini will need cleaning will depend on how often you use the coffee maker. If you are a regular user of the Keurig Mini, then you will usually need to clean the exterior a couple of times per week, clean the interior every two to three weeks, and put it through the descaling process once every three to six months. Of course, if you prefer, you can also clean it more often. The cleaner it is, the better condition your coffee machine will be running in and the nicer and fresher your cups of coffee are going to be. This is why it’s always a good idea to have a regular schedule to deep clean Keurig Mini coffee machine.
Step By Step Guide to Cleaning the Keurig Mini
How do you clean a Keurig coffee pot? How do you clean a one cup Keurig coffee maker? How do you clean a single serve Keurig? The good news is that whether you are cleaning a single cup Keurig or cleaning Keurig K compact, it is usually a simple and fairly easy process. For the best way to clean a Keurig Mini, here are the steps involved.
1. Clean the Exterior
To start off, clean the exterior of your machine. First unplug the machine, and then remove the drip tray that is located at the bottom. The drip tray is the part that is designed to catch any overflows or spills during the process of brewing coffee. Simply slide it out towards you to remove it. Pour any leftover liquid out and use a sponge or damp cloth to wipe it down. If it has accumulated a lot of dirt over time, use dish soap and warm water to give it a thorough cleaning. Then put it back into the Keurig Mini and use a damp cloth to wipe down the entire exterior of the machine.
2. Clean the Interior
The interior of the machine includes the removable water tank and the cup area. How do I clean my Keurig water reservoir and other interior parts? You can open up the cup area and remove the cup holder, which is where you place the K-cups for brewing. To remove it, use firm but gentle force. Once you have taken the cup holder out, you will notice a small hole where the coffee will drip through on the bottom. This part is the needle. It should be thoroughly cleaned to avoid it clogging up your machine, which can lead to malfunctioning. Open up a paperclip and poke the end of the hole to remove any build-up.
Then, rinse out your cup holder and put it back in place. It should be fairly easy to pop back in. Then, close the lid to check that the cupholder is properly inserted.
Most Keurig Mini machines have a removable water tank. Cleaning the Keurig reservoir is fairly easy. The final step is to clean this. To clean Keurig tank, remove the tank from the machine and use some warm water and soap to clean it out. Then, get any soap residue off by rinsing it thoroughly before replacing it.
3. Descaling the Machine
How to descale Keurig Mini? The final step in a thorough cleaning of the Keurig Mini is to descale the machine and give it a deep cleaning. Do Keurigs have mold inside? Eventually, mold can build up in the machine, which is why it’s important to deep clean your Keurig with a descaling mini Kuerig process. To do this, you will need to plug the machine back in and place a mug or other container on the drip tray. The best way to descale a Keurig Mini is to run white vinegar through it, although you can get specially designed descaling solution too. How often should I descale my Keurig? This will depend on how often you use it but it is recommended around once every three to six months.
How to Descale Your Keurig Mini
After a thorough cleaning of the interior and exterior, your Keurig might look brand new again at first glance – but a quick look into the water tank might reveal that there are more dirty mineral deposits than you expected. And, when you open the brewer handle, you might find coffee grinds scattered along the edges. Even if you clean up the surface of the drip tray when you wipe your countertops and give your machine a quick cleaning, it can very quickly get dirty.
To descale and clean Keurig mini with vinegar, follow these steps:
- Remove the water level guide to allow the vinegar to penetrate the various crevices and holes in the water reservoir.
- Remove the drip tray from the base of the coffee machine.
- Remove the K-cup holder, taking care to avoid the sharp needle within the funnel and on the brewer’s handle.
- Brush any coffee grounds from all the brewer handle’s components with a clean brush that has been immersed in a white vinegar and water solution.
- Cover a toothbrush in a vinegar-soaked towel and gently insert it into the funnel opening to clean away any loose coffee grinds.
- Put 10oz of white vinegar in the water reservoir.
- Place a ceramic cup on the base or drip tray and remove the brewer handle. After five seconds, drop the brewer handle and press the blue flashing ‘brew’ button. It will flash red and then show a solid red light.
- Place the funnel back into the machine to prevent the vinegar from spilling out.
- Once the vinegar has gone all the way through the coffee maker, throw the hot content into the sink.
- Repeat the process, but turn off the coffee machine as soon as the light shows solid red. Let it sit for thirty minutes, then restart the coffee machine, lift and lower the brewer handle, then push the ‘brew’ button. Throw the hot vinegar into the sink and let the ceramic mug cool before rinsing it.
- As the vinegar is absorbing in the machine, you can clean all of the leftover parts.
- Once the second wash is complete, use the toothbrush to thoroughly clean any remaining parts. Use a damp cloth to clean the sides of the water tank and any other parts that have been loosely brushed before descaling.
- Put 10oz of water into the tank to get rid of the smell of vinegar. Place your ceramic cup back on the front, raise and drop the brewer handle, and push the ‘brew’ button. Pour the water into the sink once it has passed through. Repeat this process two or three times until the vinegar has been completely rinsed from the Keurig Mini.
- Put the water level guide back in the reservoir, and place the funnel and drip dray back in their positions
- Clean the outside of the machine with a damp cloth.
To descale your Keurig Mini with a descaling solution, follow these steps.
- Fill the water reservoir with 10oz water and one-third of the Keurig descaling solution. Place a ceramic cup on the drip tray.
- Lift and drop the handle, but don’t put a K-cup pod in.
- Press the ‘brew’ button.
- Once the solution has been dispensed through the machine, discard the contents in the sink.
- Repeat the process but turn the brewer off as soon as the brew indicator light is solid, before it begins dispensing.
- Wait for at least thirty minutes for the descaling solution to be absorbed and for the brewer to cool.
- Hold the brew button down until the solution begins to dispense again. Then, press and hold down the button until all of the solution has been dispensed.
- Pour the contents of your mug or container into the sink.
- Using 12oz water, perform a cleansing brew without any descaling solution added to rinse any leftover descaling solution from the machine.
- Repeat this procedure two more times. Your Keurig Mini should now be descaled and thoroughly cleaned inside.
Whether you want to know how to clean a Keurig compact, how to clean a single cup Keurig machine or how do you use the Keurig brewer care kit, follow these steps to keep your Keurig Mini well-maintained, clean and in good condition for longer.
About the author
Erik Hedlund
With Era of We and The Coffee Lab, I hope to share knowledge, increase the value of coffee – and secure the future of coffee.
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