Cleaning a coffee maker or thermos can be tricky and regular dish wash soaps don’t do a good job with the. This is because the content of the thermos – usually coffee or tea – can badly stain it over a period of time. Moreover, many thermos have smaller openings where brushes won’t really work and they aren’t dishwasher safe either. Even worse is the situation with those thermos or vacuum flasks that have very fragile glass containers inside.
How to Clean a Coffee Maker?
Since cleaning of the Coffee maker, thermos or flask involve pretty much the same process and cleaning agents, let me explain it in the context of the thermos.
You may use one of the following methodologies to keep your coffee maker or thermos sparking clean.
1. Clean Thermos with Vinegar & Baking Soda
Sprinkle a tablespoon of regular baking soda into the thermos and add two ounces of vinegar. This will suddenly form up and hence you should not close the thermos at this point. When the form settles, close the thermos and shake it a little more to form it up further. Top up this form with more water (warm water will be more effective) and let it stay overnight. In the morning, just empty the mess and wash the thermos.
You need to do this kind of cleaning only three or four times a year for sparkling clean thermos.
2. Cleaning Coffee Maker with Denture Cleaning Tabs
Thermoses, tea kettles and thermal bottles can be easily cleaned with denture cleaning tablets such as Efferdent or Polident. Fill the thermos with water and put two to three denture cleaning tablets into it. Keep it overnight and clean the thermos with a bottle cleaning brush in the morning. Your thermos or tea kettle will be cleaner than ever before.
3. Clean with Hydrogen Peroxide
In the first method explained here, replacing Vinegar with hydrogen peroxide will produce much quicker results. Pour four ounces of hydrogen peroxide into the thermos and add a three or four teaspoons of baking soda. Close the thermos, shake it and keep for 15-20 minutes. Shake it again, pour out the dirt and clean the bottle with warm or hot water. Your stainless steel thermos is literally stainless now.
4. Clean Coffee Maker Thermos with Antacids
Effervescent antacids such as Alka-Zelter or similar over-the-counter tablets do wonders with dirty coffee pots, kettles and thermos. Fill the thermos with water and add three to four antacid tablets into it. Keep it overnight and wash thoroughly the next day.
5. Cleaning Thermos with Lime juice, Salt and Ice
This works ONLY with thermoses made of stainless steel. Fill one fourth of the thermos with some crushed ice, a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of lime juice. Close the thermos and shake it vigorously. Pour out the content and wash thoroughly and you have a clean thermos!
The first four methods work with glass vacuum flasks and coffee maker container parts as well. If you have any other method of cleaning the thermos easily, please add them as comment here.
Hope you got yourself answered on how to clean a coffee maker or cleaning a thermos!
