A clean coffee carafe makes an excellent statement about your cleanliness is makes a nice addition to your kitchen. Coffee carafes of drip coffee makers though are notoriously fickle and get stained easily. Coffee stains and tea can leave the carafe looking dirty. Therefore, it is important that you regularly remove the stains. To keep your coffee pot and the carafe in the best working condition, you have to clean it as soon as possible, escpecially if you have a 4-cup, 8-cup coffee maker or more, which is used quite often. By cleaning “on the spot” you will save yourself hours of cleaning and can even save some money. In this post, we will see how you can clean a coffee carafe. This works for a French press as well.
The coffee carafe can be hard to clean, not just because of the toughness of coffee stains, but also due to the design. Many coffee carafes come with a broad base and small head. Therefore, you might likely find it difficult to get your hand through the opening. Even if you get your hands inside, it can be hard to move it around. So, let’s see some of the ways you can effectively clean a coffee carafe despite the limitations you might face.
Your coffee beverage is almost entirely made of water, and the remaining part is made from soluble plant matter. The plant matter, or the coffee grounds are what cause the stains in your coffee carafe.
What do you need to clean effectively? Well, there are several agents that can cleanse the carafe. These include:
Coffee carafes are made from different materials, but the most popular materials are glass and stainless steel. We will provide you with tips on how to clean either of these materials.
To clean your stainless-steel carafe, you will need:
First, boil some water in the kettle. As the water boils, add a dishwashing detergent pod in the carafe. Placing the carafe in the ink, add the boiling water to the carafe until it is full. Next, wait for 30 minutes. This will give the pod enough time to soak through any stains. After 30 minutes, swirl the water in the pot. Pour out the now dirty water and rinse the pot.
What you need:
Pour a cup of baking soda into the stainless coffee carafe and fill it with warm water. Next, use the brush to scrub the insides of the pot. Pour out the dirty water and rinse.
If after this, you still have stains, then add ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide and two tablespoons of baking soda. Swirl it in the carafe for up to a minute and leave it for 30 minutes. Next, pour out the water and fill the pot with hot water to rinse it.
What you need:
Fill up the carafe halfway with water and fill the other half with vinegar. Boil the mixture for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the mixture to cool to room temperature. Once cool, thoroughly scrub the pot with the dish brush and pour out the mixture. Check for stains and rinse out the carafe.
If the stains persist, you can go a step further using vinegar, salt, and ice. Put 6 cubes of ice into the carafe. Add ½ cup of vinegar and 1/8 cup of table salt. Swirl the mixture as the ice defrosts and stains disappear. Once attains are out, rinse the pot.
Well, as often as you can. You can engage in simple cleaning frequently. A simple cleaning can be done in the evenings as you do the dishes. To do it, just rinse out the carafe with warm water and use some detergent. After adding the detergent, use a soft cloth to thoroughly clean the insides, bottom, and the lid of the carafe. Once done, rinse the carafe with warm water to dispel the smell of soap. You can leave the carafe out to air-dry.
Deep cleaning should be done on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. You can use any of the cleaning methods we have provided above to thoroughly clean the carafe and remove any oils and other coffee residues.
Cleaning your coffee carafe is not rocket science. If you are armed with all the ‘ingredients’ you need, then you can get your carafe looking as good as new. There are many options that we have provided and you can choose any of the cleaning methods listed and described above. We hope that this guide on how to clean a coffee carafe comes in handy the next time you clean your carafe.
