Easy Steps to Clean a Keurig

Just using a Keurig to brew a cup o’ mornin’ joe screams simplicity, so it follows that there also needs to be easy steps to clean a Keurig.  Or what’s the point, right?

From a French press to a Thermos coffee maker, I’ve had many different coffee pots.  And through it all?  The Keurig has outlasted all the others for convenience and consistency.

Does it make the greatest drink?  Probably not.  But since I’m a little heavy handed with the cream and I like my coffee on the milder side (read:  weak!), it works fine for me.

A mild Dunkin’ Donuts or Yuban grind is what I like and all pre-made pods I’ve tried are way too strong for my taste.  So the reusable pod and a can of coffee are what I use.  No fancy pod storage solutions for me.

And here’s what I did to thoroughly clean my machine!

Disassemble and Wash Removable Pieces

Every other week or so I take all the removable pieces – the water reservoir and lid, the reusable pod and filter and the drip pan – and run them through a normal dishwasher load.

I am NOT stating this is what the owner’s manual would suggest and I don’t use the heated dry setting on my dishwasher.  But.  This is what I do.  I always feel better about the things I run though the dishwasher.

If hand washing all that stuff works for you, by all means.  And of course, I do have to spot clean here and there for my little messes.   😉

Water Filter

The Keurig comes with a water filter but I don’t use it.  I fill the reservoir with water treated by our reverse osmosis (RO) system and further filtration isn’t needed in my opinion.

Run a Full Cycle of Vinegar Water

Filling the water holder with half water and half white vinegar I ran three large cups through the Keurig with the clean reusable pod in place.  I then ran the rest of the water through without the pod.

Fun a Full Cycle of Clean Water

Not wishing for a shocking vinegar-tasting cup of coffee, I ran an entire reservoir of clean water.

Can I just say here, I got a little surprise?  The water was still coming through with a ton of grounds and brown water.  By almost the end of the clean water cycle, the water finally came through clear.

You can see I didn’t use any fancy descaling products or complicated steps.  Now I’m sitting here with a delicious cup of coffee and chatting with you!

What I’m Eating

Well.  Kind of a side story here.  We are packing up for another road trip.  We are headed to Colorado and a bit of cooler weather.  When I got up this morning (let’s just say before 5 a.m.) it was already 90 ⁰.  So Big Red is getting loaded with all of our must-have junk and taking us up the road a bit to some cooler weather.

So Saturday morning I spent in the kitchen baking up some stuff in preparation.  I did this instead of attending my usual exercise classes.  Hmmm.  All things considered, I think I’d rather exercise than destroy the kitchen.

I baked one-bowl banana bread I told you about here and from the recipe I got from Simply Recipes.  I used all-purpose gluten-free flour for hub.  After an initial test slice which he approved, I sliced the rest of the loaf and we separated the individual slices with waxed paper and froze in a Ziploc. 

This recipe works well with gluten-free flour, but after about 24 hours, we find all gluten-free recipes tend to get grainy and not so tasty.  Freezing really helps. 

And the theory was we’d have some banana bread to take on our road trip.  I just checked the freezer and there are two slices left.  Yep, that won’t make it to Colorado.

The Quick Oatmeal Cookies I adapt from the old Joy of Cooking are to be his treat for the trip.  Those are half gone now.  Well, they were to be his treat.

While I was at it I whipped up a batch of biscuits and used my new cast iron skillet we got from Costco.  It worked so well and gave me the crispiest bottoms. 

Biscuits are probably not really on anybody’s diet, but they freeze up great and a batch lasts me a long, long time.  I’m also hoping Ryan will dig into them while he’s here holding down the fort for us.

What I’m Reading

Okay, okay this post is getting long.  I have a print book and an audio book to share my thoughts on, but I’ll include them next time.

Wrap Up

Next post will hopefully include some beautiful mountain photos and not quite so much desert.  My sweats are packed because it’s cold there now.  We are taking books and puzzles because we won’t always have internet (I know!).

If you don’t have a Keurig and you got this far reading my post, I thank you much.

As I look forward to the next week or so, I’m sending prayers and blessings your way too.

Have a wonderful week.