Your Keurig is secretly full of mold. Here's how to clean it

Keurigs have long been a quick and easy way to make coffee at home without having to go to a coffee shop and spend $7 on your caffeine fix. After a while, though, that fresh cup of coffee may not taste as good as it did when you first purchased your machine. If you go too long without cleaning your Keurig, mold will start to form, which can make you sick and drastically affect the taste of your coffee. Fortunately, properly cleaning your machine is simple and easy to do.

By cleaning your Keurig, you will benefit in several ways. The most immediate change is that your coffee will taste the way it should, but you will also reduce the risk of mold and mechanical problems in your machine due to dirt and residue buildup.

To keep your personal caffeine dealer in tip-top shape, you must clean it once a week and perform a deep cleaning descaling process to keep your internals functioning as they should every few months. After the first deep cleaning, following this schedule should prevent any unsightly mold from accumulating inside the coffee maker.

Below, we'll walk you through everything you need to clean your Keurig and keep your coffee tasting great. To learn more, don't miss the seven foods you should cook in the air fryer and the best water filter pitchers for 2024.

Before Cleaning Your Keurig

Before starting the process of cleaning your Keurig, make sure there is no used capsule left in the machine's sachet holder. Leaving your K-Cups out for days on end before taking them out can promote mold growth, and where do you think that mold might end up? That's right, your favorite coffee mug. Remove your K-Cups after they have cooled some of the drink.

Also be sure to unplug the Keurig before cleaning it. This will make it easier to rotate and move if necessary while you clean it.

Wash the outside of your machine

We're not talking about a water hose, but give your Keurig a good cleaning on any of its exterior surfaces to get rid of any dried coffee residue. Keurig itself suggests cleaning your machine every day.

Clean the drip tray

Spilled coffee is likely to collect in the drip tray, so empty and clean it regularly. Otherwise, expect mold and smells to appear after weeks of not taking care of it. Washing the drip tray is quick and easy – washing powder and warm water will do the trick.

Clean the reservoir

While its main purpose is just to hold water, be sure to give the water reservoir and lid some love. You can wash it by hand with warm soapy water or throw it in the dishwasher. Before cleaning them, be sure to first remove the water filter at the bottom of the tank; otherwise, you just created a new problem for yourself.

Clean the K-Cup Holder

This part of your Keurig sees most of the action and, in turn, can be one of the roughest parts to clean. While it's best to clean every part of your machine, if you choose to only do one of these steps, it should be this one, for the most part.

Check the user manual that came with your machine or online to learn how to properly remove the bracket and clean underneath it. You can run the holder under hot water to remove any coffee grounds, residue, or oils, but wiping it down a bit will also be helpful. Also, don't forget that there is a sharp needle in this area to pierce the K-Cups, so be careful with that.

Descale your machine with vinegar or descaling solution

This one you probably expected to see appear on this list at some point. But if you didn't know, descaling your machine is a necessary task to ensure it works properly and keeps working long term.

Given the large number of different models, activating the descaling mode on your specific coffee machine may be a little different, but Keurig's descaling support page should help you find the right combination of buttons to press.

In general, descaling involves filling the Keurig's water reservoir with a combination of vinegar and hot water (or Keurig's own, pre-made solution) and running the entire solution through the machine without the capsule inside until you need to add more water. Of course, make sure you have a container large enough to catch the vinegar and water solution as it flows. Let the Keurig sit for a few minutes and then fill the reservoir with water and repeat the brewing process. You would probably benefit from repeating this a few times to avoid any possible vinegar aftertaste.

Fortunately, descaling your machine is not a weekly requirement. However, Keurig encourages you to descale every few months.

Time to upgrade your machine? Check out the best Keurig coffee makers.

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