Being a hygiene freak and a caring mom, I want the best for my kid’s and husband’s health. And to ensure their safety, I can’t resist cleaning our cookwares the best way possible. My husband and I love to brew a fresh cup of coffee every morning before kick-starting our day with positive energy.

I know cleaning a coffee maker isn’t an easy task. Do you know how to clean a coffee maker with bleach? This popular cleansing method has impressive results.

In this blog post, I’ll share my 4-step procedure to clean a coffee maker with bleach. I’ve also tried some other methods that are pretty safe and better than bleaching.

Let’s learn how to clean a coffee maker with bleach in 4 easy steps

On a personal note, I don’t recommend exposing your cooking or brewing tools to any bleaching agent. It’s unsafe for your health as well as for your tools.

Step 1: Dilution

Bleach is a strong chemical, primarily used for disinfecting or washing purposes. Due to its highly cautious and alkaline nature, we don’t recommend pouring it directly into your coffee maker.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommends mixing a cup of bleach ( 240 milliliters) with a gallon of water (3.5 liters) for cleaning kitchen tools or countertops. This diluted solution is the heart of this cleansing procedure, so you need to be extra careful with its preparation.

Step 2: Cleansing Operation

Brew a fine cup of coffee before starting the bleaching operation because this cleansing operation is a bit lengthy. Wipe off dust or coffee residues manually to save time and extra effort.

Safely run the diluted bleach solution in the coffee maker. For thorough cleansing, the solution must cover the entire surface of the pot. You can use a stiff brush to scrub the adhered coffee residues from its rough surface.

Remove the solution from the pot and fill it again with the solution. Keep on repeating the process till the entire gallon of the solution ends.

Step 3: Draining

The next step is to thoroughly drain the used bleaching solution from the coffee maker.

Pour plenty of plain fresh water into the coffee maker while it’s running. The purpose is to remove the bleachy odor altogether and make it free from chemicals. Drain this water and continue pouring until it starts yielding smell-free fresh water.

Step 4: Final Rinse

Pour hot water (to save time and energy) into your coffee maker for the final rinse. I recommend pouring at least 5 gallons of hot water as the last step. The main objective of this step is to neutralize the pH of your coffee maker before subsequent use.

Smell the water to ensure it’s free from bleach now. Once it’s done, let it dry in fresh air for 5-6 hours.

Advantages of cleaning coffee maker with bleach

During the old days, bleaching was used to improve paper quality or remove stains from fabrics. Now it has paved its paths for your kitchen as a disinfecting agent.

Despite its toxic effects, the following reasons prove why bleaching is still an excellent option to clean a coffee maker.

• Bleach contains an active ingredient, i.e., sodium hypochlorite. This strong bleaching agent has powerful bacteriostatic properties and reduces the bacterial load by 9 logs.
• Bleached cookware or food cans are less prone to microbial contamination. It destroys the outermost covering of viral and bacterial cells that are responsible for causing deadly infections.
• Cleaning plays a vital role in combating pandemic diseases, and it begins right from your kitchen. The United States environmental Agency claims that bleach is a powerful disinfecting agent against SARS CoV.

Disadvantages of using bleach to clean your coffee maker

Bleach is oxidizing in nature, which means it requires extensive care while handling.

Careless use of this strong chemical reagent in cleansing operations can cause several illnesses of the skin and respiratory system [1].

Concentrated bleach releases fumes that contain irritant toxic compounds that increase environmental pollution. That’s why I always prefer following precautionary measures before diluting my bleaching solution.

Though bleaching is an affordable cleansing option, but it can damage your expensive coffee makers in the long run. Improperly washed coffee makers that contain residual bleach corrodes the interior of your machinery. A corroded coffee maker isn’t only hazardous for your health but also loses its ability to perform well.

Is there any safe method to clean a coffee maker?

Keeping the health risks in mind, I don’t feel exposing my coffee maker to bleach is a safe option. Several other ingredients in your kitchen can do the same job.

Let’s begin with the easier ones!

Soap or dishwasher

Soap is the most straightforward and convenient method to clean your coffee maker at home. Don’t forget to clean your coffee maker each time you brew an instant mug of coffee. It not only prevents the build-up of the microbial breed but also prevents the strengthening of stains.

The best part about dishwashing liquids or soaps is that they are safe and recommended by experts. All you need to do is:

• Separate removable parts of the coffee maker
• Clean them with soap
• Let it air dry
• Reassemble each part to its original place

You can use soap more frequently than bleach, vinegar, or baking soda.

Vinegar

The available moisture, mineral content in coffee beans, and heat of your coffee maker set the excellent ground for microbial growth.

Vinegar (diluted acetic acid) is a great alternative to clean your coffee maker the safest and easiest way.

Follow this most straightforward guide to clean your coffee with vinegar.

Dilution is optional for cleansing your coffee maker with vinegar. Some cleaning experts suggest diluting the vinegar before use. For dilution, mix equal amounts of water and vinegar( i.e., 1 cup each). Otherwise, pour 3-4 cups of undiluted white vinegar into the reservoir of your coffee maker (you can also use a paper filter for better extraction)

Brewing cycle

Let the vinegar circulate thoroughly across your coffee maker. Make sure it reaches every part that needs cleansing. Brew it for around 15-20 minutes. Give it a stay time of around half-hour before discarding and entering the final step.

Final rinse

Pour 2-3 gallons of plain fresh water until no vinegar residues are left behind.

Baking soda

Let’s bring abrasive properties of baking (caustic) soda into action to wipe dust and molds off your coffee maker.

Mix half a cup of water with ¼ cup of baking soda and pour it into the reservoir of your coffee maker. Let it cover the entire base of your coffee maker.

In the next step, fill the reservoir with a gallon of hot water and brew it for 10-15 minutes, just like morning coffee. Once done, discard the solution and repeat this brewing cycle 2-3 times.

Use 2-3 gallons of fresh plain fresh water for the final rinse. Let it air dry for 5-6 hours. Make sure no residues of baking soda leaves behind and spoil the taste of your coffee.

The takeaway

Bleach is an excellent disinfectant for your countertops, moldy coffee makers, and dirty floors. But we also can’t deny its dark side.

Bleaching your coffee maker can leave hazardous impacts on your health. Hence, we don’t recommend it using regularly. I’ve tried to overcome the complexity bound with how to clean a coffee maker with bleach.

Now the choice is absolutely yours, whether you want to adopt this method or not. Bring your creativity and logical mind in action and be an expert cleansing Ninja!

Also, give other cleansing methods a try for disinfecting your coffee maker the safest way.