How to Clean and Descale a Keurig Mini

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Keep your coffee tasting great with our cleaning and descaling guide

Co-authored by Raymond Chiu and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: July 1, 2024 Fact Checked

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Exterior and Drip Tray

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Cup Area and Water Reservoir

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Descaling the Keurig Mini

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Video

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Expert Q&A

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A Keurig Mini is a wonderfully small and efficient coffee maker. But if your morning cup of joe starts tasting a little funny, it’s probably time to give your machine a scrub down. To keep your Keurig in great shape, it's important to clean it and descale it on a regular basis. For an in-depth guide on deep cleaning, spot-cleaning, and descaling, keep reading!

Things You Should Know

Wipe down the exterior and the drip tray with a soapy rag once a week.
Clean the cup holder and the water reservoir with soap and water every 1 to 2 weeks.
Descale your machine with a descaling solution or white vinegar every 3 to 4 months. Run a brew cycle with clean water afterwards to flush out any mineral deposits.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Exterior and Drip Tray

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When cleaning your Keurig, minimize the risk of electrical shock by unplugging it. This will allow you to take it apart, move it around, and not worry about getting water or cleaner in areas that could present a shock hazard.^{[1]
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Remove the drip tray. The drip tray is located below the spout on the front of the machine (it’s the tray that you set your cup on when brewing a cup of coffee). To remove it, simply slide it towards you while keeping it level and holding the rest of the machine in place.^{[2]
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- The drip tray may have liquid in it because it holds overflows and spills. Keep this in mind while handling it.
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3
Wipe down the drip tray over a sink with a damp rag or sponge. Pour out any liquids that are in the tray. Then wipe all of the surfaces, including the inside that holds excess liquid. In most cases, if you wipe this part down often, it won't be hard to clean with a damp rag or sponge.^{[3]
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- If your drip tray is especially dirty, use dish soap to clean it. Just apply soap to your rag or sponge, wipe down the drip tray, and rinse it off with warm water.
Once the drip tray is clean, reinsert it by pushing it back into the machine. Keep it level and push it firmly to pop it right into place. Once the drip tray is back in place, use your damp rag or sponge and wipe down the whole exterior.^{[4]
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Try to do this cleaning at least weekly if you use your Keurig Mini on a daily basis. This will ensure that the drip tray doesn't overflow and that the machine stays nice and clean.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cup Area and Water Reservoir

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The cup area is where you insert your K-cups for brewing. Lift the handle that is at the top of the front of the machine. When you lift the handle, the top area opens up, exposing the cup holder. Once open, just pull the plastic cup holder straight out of the machine.^{[6]
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The cup holder is actually 2 parts that can be pulled apart once they are removed from the machine. The funnel is at the bottom and the cup piece is at the top. Use gentle pressure to pull the 2 parts off of each other.^{[7]
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Clean out the drip area with a paperclip. There is a small hole that the coffee drips through on the bottom of the cup holder that is called the needle. This needs to be cleaned out so that it doesn't clog and cause the machine to malfunction. Simply open up a paper clip and poke the end of it through the hole to remove any buildup.^{[8]
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- If you don’t like using a paperclip, use a needle cleaning tool instead.
4
Rinse and reassemble the cup holder. Once you clean out the needle, give the 2 parts of the cup holder a rinse in warm, clean water. Once cleaned, put the 2 parts of the cup holder back together. Then reinsert the cup holder into the machine by popping it back into place.^{[9]
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- Close and open the cup holder area a few times to make sure the cup holder was inserted correctly.
5
Clean the water reservoir, if your Keurig has a removable one. Some Keurig Minis, such as the Mini Plus, have a removable water reservoir. To clean it, pull it straight up and off the machine. Then wash it inside and out over a sink with a bit of soap and your rag or sponge. Rinse it out thoroughly to get rid of any soap residue once it has been wiped down.^{[10]
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- If you have a Keurig that doesn't have a removable water reservoir, the descaling cleaning you do to the inside of the machine will clean the reservoir area as well.
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Clean the cup holder and the water reservoir every week or 2. These parts don't have to be cleaned as often as the drip tray. If you use your Keurig Mini every day, clean the cup holder and water reservoir every 2 to 3 weeks. If you use it less often, clean these parts just once a month.^{[11]
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- If you have a hard time remembering to clean out the cup area and the reservoir, just do it when you clean out the drip tray and you wipe down the exterior. Cleaning it more often will only improve the taste of your coffee.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Descaling the Keurig Mini

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1
Plug the machine in and place a cup on the drip tray. To descale the machine you will need to run vinegar through it, so turn the power on. Pick a large cup that will hold more than 1 c (240 mL) of liquid to catch the vinegar as it comes out of the machine.^{[12]
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- Once the machine is plugged in, hit the power button to turn your Keurig on.
2
Fill the water reservoir with vinegar. Use plain white, distilled vinegar. Pour it into the reservoir until it reaches the fill line. Then, close the top of the reservoir area.^{[13]
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- The amount of vinegar you should use does vary depending on your specific Keurig Mini machine. In most cases, it will take about 1 cup (240 mL) of liquid to fill the machine to the fill line.
- You can also use a commercial product called the Keurig Descaling Solution. However, using plain, white vinegar is more cost effective and it generally works just as well.
Opening and closing the cup area will trick the machine into thinking that you have inserted a K-cup into the cup holder. Wait about 5 seconds between opening and closing the cup area. This gives the machine time to register that you are inserting a K-cup, even though you're not.^{[14]
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Start the brew cycle on the machine. Press the button that says "Brew." Once you hit "Brew," the machine will begin heating and pushing the vinegar through the machine.^{[15]
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- The vinegar will go through the machine, cleaning as it goes, and then will deposit into the cup you put on the drip tray.
5
Pour the vinegar back into the reservoir. Reopen the reservoir area when the brew cycle is over and put the same vinegar back into it. The vinegar will be hot, so be careful when pouring it. Then, place the cup back on the drip tray.
- If you don't want to deal with the hot vinegar, simply pour down your sink and put new, cool vinegar into the water reservoir.^{[16]
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Start the machine again, but stop the brew right after it starts. Open the cup holder area and then push "Brew." Wait until the vinegar starts draining into the cup, then turn the power button off.^{[17]
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- This will ensure that there is vinegar sitting in all of the internal areas of the machine.
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Start the machine again after 30 minutes to empty out the vinegar. Simply turn on the machine, open and close the cup holder, and then hit "Brew." Wait for the Keurig to push the rest of the vinegar out into the cup.^{[18]
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- Once the machine is done, pour the vinegar down your sink.
- During the time that the vinegar is sitting, it will eat away at any buildup that has accumulated in the machine, including water scale.
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Run clean, fresh water through the machine. In order to get rid of any residual vinegar, fill the water reservoir with clean water and run the Keurig Mini through a normal brew cycle. Put an empty cup on the drip tray, open and close the cup holder, and then push "Brew."^{[19]
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- To get the vinegar taste out of your machine, you may need to run several rounds of fresh water through it.
9
Descale your machine every 3 to 4 months. How often you descale your machine will depend on how often you use it. If you use your Keurig Mini on a daily basis, it's a good idea to descale the inside of it every 3 months. If you use it less often, clean it less often.^{[20]
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- If the coffee you make in your machine starts to taste bad, try descaling the machine. It may take less than 3 months to have buildup inside the machine affect the taste of your coffee.
- Some Keurig models also have a descaling button that will light up when you need to descale your machine.
- If your descaling button is still lit up after you’ve descaled your machine, run a new brew cycle with fresh water. Then, turn off the Keurig and unplug it from the wall. Use a soft brush to scrub out the inside of the machine and remove any mineral deposits. Then, rinse the machine and plug it back in.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you clean a Keurig Mini with white vinegar?

James Sears
House Cleaning Professional
James Sears leads the customer happiness team at Neatly, a group of cleaning gurus based in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. James and the team have nine years of experience and offer green cleaning, interior and exterior window washing, and general apartment cleaning services. He provides transformative cleaning experiences by reducing clutter and renewing your home environment. James is a Trustee Scholar at the University of Southern California.

James Sears

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

Clean your Keurig Mini with vinegar every 6 months. Simply fill the reservoir with white vinegar, then place a mug beneath the drip spout and run a 10oz brew cycle. Discard the contents of the mug and continue running the vinegar through the machine until the 'Add Water' light comes on. Then, let the brewer sit for 30 minutes with the power on. Rinse the reservoir thoroughly, then fill it with water and run at least 12 cups through the machine.

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Question

How often should a Keurig be cleaned?

James Sears
House Cleaning Professional
James Sears leads the customer happiness team at Neatly, a group of cleaning gurus based in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. James and the team have nine years of experience and offer green cleaning, interior and exterior window washing, and general apartment cleaning services. He provides transformative cleaning experiences by reducing clutter and renewing your home environment. James is a Trustee Scholar at the University of Southern California.

James Sears

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

The harder your water, the more often you'll need to descale your Keurig. However, you can cut down on the cleaning time by using distilled or bottled water with low mineral content in the Keurig reservoir. That will lead to less scale build-up than tap water, and less cleaning maintenance. Also, avoid using toxic or synthetic chemicals to clean your Keurig so you don't accidentally consume them. Instead, use a microfiber cloth and an all-natural, plant-based cleanser such as Better Life.

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Question

Are you not supposed use distilled water in a Keurig?

Torpi

Top Answerer

It's fine to use distilled water in a Keurig. If you have hard tap water, this will cut down on the need to descale the reservoir.

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