How To Clean Coffee Maker Without Vinegar? 6 Ways That Work

White vinegar can be an effective cleaning agent, but getting its odor out of your coffee machine and the multiple rinsing sessions afterward can be tiring. Luckily, we will teach you how to clean a coffee maker without vinegar so that you can save yourself from all the work later.

You can clean your coffee maker without vinegar by using bleach, baking soda, cream of tartar, lemon juice, mixture of salt and ice, and Hydrogen Peroxide . All these items are super effective and will remove grease as well as coffee residue from your coffee maker without the use of vinegar.

How to Clean Coffee Maker Without Vinegar?

If you don’t want to use vinegar for cleaning your coffee maker, you can follow the below-mentioned 6 easy ways to clean the coffee maker.

Method 1: Cleaning A Coffee Maker Without Vinegar Using Lemon Juice

Since lemon juice is acidic, it is a great way to remove grease and dirt from coffee makers. Lemon does not have a strong odor either. In fact, the fragrance is rather refreshing.

Requirements

• ½ cup lemon juice
• 3 cups water.

Instructions

Mix the lemon juice with ½ cup of water and add them to the water reservoir. Start the cycle. Now fill the reservoir with the remaining water and rerun a cycle to remove the lemon juice. If you feel like there is still lemon in the coffee maker, run another cycle.

Method 2: Using Baking Soda To Clean Coffee Maker

People have been using baking soda to fix their cleaning problems for ages. Try using baking soda to clean coffee maker without vinegar and see the astonishing results! This method is rapid because you do not have to squeeze lemon juice for it, and also it only requires one or two washing cycles since baking soda is not harmful to ingest.

Requirements

• ¼ of a cup of baking soda
• 3 cups of water

Instructions

Mix the baking soda with the water to create a moderately thick solution. If it is too watery, add more baking soda.

Put the mixture into the coffee maker’s reservoir and start the cycle. Then, run two cycles with plain water (1 cup of water per cycle) to wash away the baking soda in the machine.

Method 3: Cleaning The Coffee Maker Carafe Without Vinegar Using Salt And Ice

If you only need to clean the carafe of your coffee maker, then you can use salt and crushed ice. Both are readily available in any household and can get rid of the stubborn scale and coffee remenants.

Requirements

• 2 cups crushed ice
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Put the salt and crushed ice in your coffee carafe and mix them with a spoon.

Using a cloth, rub the interior of the carafe to scrub away the stains. The roughness of salt and ice will eliminate any dirt on the inside.

When all the stains have been removed, wash the carafe with soap and water and let it air dry. Then put it back into the machine.

Method 4: Clean Coffee Maker Using Cream Of Tartar

One can also clean a coffee maker without vinegar using cream of tartar. Tartar is an excellent acidic cleaner for all kinds of metallic surfaces and works similarly to vinegar. While it does not frizz as baking soda and vinegar do, it can clean the coffee residue on your coffee maker in a jiffy. 

Requirements

• 3 tablespoons cream of tartar
• 3 cups of water

Instructions

Pour one cup of water into your carafe and add the tartar. Mix thoroughly and then add it to the water reservoir. Start the cycle.

Run a cycle with the remaining 2 cups of water now. You can only run one cycle since tartar is edible and not harmful if eaten.

Method 5: Clean Coffee Maker Without Vinegar Using Cream Of Tartar And Baking Soda

You can even combine the cleaning actions of cream of tartar and baking soda to clean your coffee machine without vinegar. Combining the efforts of two excellent cleaning agents will leave your coffee maker spotless and squeaky clean!

Requirements

• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• 2 ½ tablespoons cream of tartar
• 3 cups of water

Instructions

Pour the baking soda and cream of tartar into the water (in the carafe) and mix with a spoon. Wipe the inside of the carafe/coffee pot with the soda and tartar.

Pour the mixture into the reservoir and run one cycle.

Run another cycle with water. Rinse the carafe with soap and water.

Method 6: Using Hydrogen Peroxide To Clean A Coffee Maker Without Vinegar

Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent cleaner and disinfectant. You can run it through your coffee machine but will have to run 6-7 cycles to get it out of the coffee machine as it can be toxic if ingested. Therefore, this method is a little time-consuming, but the results are astonishing.

Requirements

• ½ cup hydrogen peroxide solution
• Water for about 6-7 cycles

Instructions

Pour the hydrogen peroxide into the coffee machine. Fill the remainder of the reservoir with water to the brim. Run one cycle.

Now run 5-6 or more cycles of only water to remove all the hydrogen peroxide from the coffee maker.

Is Vinegar Bad For Cleaning a Coffee Maker?

No, vinegar is an excellent cleaning substance for a coffee maker. It is perfect for descaling as well. However, after a cycle of vinegar, you will have to run multiple cycles of water through your machine to get rid of the vinegar odor and taste, or else you will have a sour touch to your coffee.

Also, if you have a lot of grease in your coffee maker, vinegar is not the right choice as it can not eradicate grease. Luckily, we gave you several other alternatives to vinegar, and you will find them all very effective.

Can You Run Bleach Through A Keurig?

You should not run bleach through a Keurig because if any of the bleach remains in your coffee machine, you could get very sick. According to Healthline, ingesting even small amounts of bleach can cause vomiting, respiratory problems, difficulties in swallowing, low blood pressure, irritation, and much more.

Also, bleach is corrosive and can corrode your machine’s internal components. Do not run bleach through your machine if you want to keep your Keurig safe from harm. However, you can clean the carafe of your coffee maker with bleach. If you own a Keurig espresso machine or cappuccino machine, then you can also clean its removable components with bleach using our method discussed above.

Safety Tips For Cleaning Coffee Maker Without Vinegar

Some of the chemicals used for cleaning coffee makers can be detrimental to health if not washed away properly. Hence, follow the following safety tips for safer cleaning.

1. When running hydrogen peroxide through your coffee maker, make sure you follow the process with 6-7 water rinsing cycles to remove any traces of the hydrogen peroxide inside the machine.
2. When cleaning the carafe/coffee pot and other removable components with bleach, make sure you wash them thoroughly with water and soap afterward.
3. Ensure that the machine is turned off and cooled down before removing the components to clean it.
4. When cleaning, be careful not to spill any chemicals or water on the wires or cables.

Conclusion

There are so many better alternatives to vinegar when it comes to cleaning coffee machines. You can use hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, cream of tartar, and many other items to make your coffee maker spotlessly clean!

Even though we do not recommend running bleach through your coffee machine, you can still use bleach to clean the carafe of the coffee machine. All these methods are super effective and will allow you to brew coffee free of bacteria.