CoffeeForums Coffee Facts

Q: This is the kind I am talking about: http://www.gwdoling.co.uk/img/ih/kcraft/... The bottom section, where you put water, is all crusty with white mineral deposits, even though I use filtered water, not tap water. How can I scrape or dissolve those off? I can't really reach in there with steel wool, and dish brushes don't provide enough friction to be effective. Does anyone have experience with this? Please don't advise anything that you (or someone you know) haven't tried and found effective.

A: My son had a thermos that was stained brown from tea. I put some hot water in it, and a couple of denture cleaning tablets. It was amazing how clean it came. I may have done it twice, but the dissolved denture tabs did the trick! I use them for other things too....drop a couple in the toilet bowl or soak your glass teapot....they all come out shining! To clean the inside of any coffee pot use 'White Winger' about 1/2 cup and the rest plain water poor into pot. Turn it on, then rinse it 2 or 3 times in plain water the same way. This will clean all of the tubing inside of the unit, you can get brew rite coffee maker cleaner at 'Wal-Mart'. It can also be used on Espresso makers. Find it by the coffee makers edit. If the vinegar doesn't work on the serious buildup, you can soak it in a product like Lime Away or CLR. Be sure you very thoroughly clean the machine after using though, as neither is something you want in your coffee! Dimpelmum is completely right, DON'T use vinegar or other products with a strong smell, otherwise your coffee will never taste the same again. Use only hot water EVERYTIME after you've used it. More details tomorrow on how to clean it safely now that it's so dirty ;-) I inquired a bit, and found out that it is safe to use a good descaler. Wash well the percolator and then make a couple of coffees without putting the coffee in it (just let the water boil inside and, when it's "ready", throw it away). The first "real" coffee after that won't be great, but after two or three coffees the normal flavour will be restored. Good luck! You really shouldn´t wash with any kind of detergent. The coffee will not taste the same. What you should do is: When you finish with the pot rinse with warm water, and leave it to dry in natural air, Or fill with water and leave over night till you use it next day. When you have finished with the pot, wipe with kitchen roll and leave the kitchen roll inside until the pot is completely dry. You can also use a baby´s bottle brush to give a wash inside .