Anyone who has experienced running a household knows that keeping the kitchen clean and orderly is an essential and sometimes difficult task.
Each appliance needs to be cleaned in a particular way, and every nook and cranny requires attention, too.
If you’re like many others, you’re probably wondering how to clean Cuisinart coffee makers.
Cleaning a coffee machine often gets overlooked, but that shouldn’t be the case.
After all, you use it daily—sometimes even several times in a day—so it needs to be cleaned frequently.
Here’s what you need to know when cleaning a Cuisinart coffee maker.
How to Clean Cuisinart Coffee Makers
Cleaning a Cuisinart coffee maker on the outside and the inside is an integral part of your appliance upkeep.
Do you know how to properly clean this type of machine? Let’s walk through the process.
Cleaning the Outside
Cleaning the outside of a coffee maker is easy to do, but it often gets neglected because it isn’t the same as just washing something in the sink.
The base of most Cuisinart coffee makers cannot be submerged in water due to the electricals, so you have to clean them differently.
Depending on what material your coffee maker is and what you have at home, use one of the following solutions of cleaning liquid:
- Warm, soapy water
- Glass cleaner
- All-purpose surface cleaning product
- A mixture of white vinegar and warm water
All of these solutions can be used to clean the surface of your Cuisinart coffee maker.
In most cases, soapy water or the water-vinegar mixture is going to be your best bet. A stronger all-purpose cleaning can be a good choice when there are stains or buildup.
To clean the outside of the brewing base, follow these steps:
Step 1: Unplug the brewer.
Step 2: Take all removable and submersible pieces (carafe, filter basket, etc.) and put them in the sink to be washed later.
Step 3: Dip a soft washcloth in your cleaning liquid; ring it out thoroughly so that it is not dripping.
Step 4: Wipe down the outside of the brewer, paying attention to areas where there is buildup.
Step 5: Be careful not to let any excess liquid get into the electronics of the brewer.
Step 6: Use a towel to gently dry the outside of the brewer.
Step 7: Do not plug the brewer back in until it is completely dry.
Cleaning the Removable Pieces
All of the removable pieces of the brewer should be washed with warm, soapy water.
Many of these pieces may be dishwasher-safe, but it is usually safer and easier to wash them by hand.
With just a few minutes of handwashing, the carafe and filter basket will look brand new.
Towel dry them or wait for them to dry completely before putting them back into the brewing base.
Make sure not to put anything on the brewer wet, as this could cause electrical damage to you or the coffee maker.
Decalcifying the Brewer
The final part of cleaning the brewer is to clean the inside.
Not only is this important to get rid of the buildup of any coffee oils, but it is also important to decalcify the brewer.
Water can cause calcium to build up inside the brewer, causing it to fail over time.
Have you ever felt like your coffee maker is taking longer to brew than usual? This could be due to calcification in the brewer.
You can get rid of some buildup using a vinegar brewing treatment.
Basic Decalcifying Process
Step 1: Fill the water reservoir with a mixture of ⅓ white vinegar and ⅔ water.
Step 2: Run a brew cycle.
Step 3: Rinse out the carafe and filter basket.
Step 4: Fill the water reservoir with filtered water.
Step 5: Run another brew cycle.
After you’ve done that last brew cycle, your brewer is now decalcified.
Cleaning Cuisinart Coffee Makers Regularly
Whether you use a single-serve coffee maker or a larger Cuisinart that makes a 10-cup carafe at a time, you need to clean it regularly.
Cleaning Cuisinart coffee makers regularly is important because it ensures that the machine does not break or fail due to buildup.
The buildup of oils, calcium, and other grime inside of the coffee maker can cause it to malfunction.
Additionally, this buildup will eventually affect the flavor of the coffee you are making with the brewer.
Do you want your coffee to taste like the weeks of coffee that haven’t been rinsed out of the carafe?
Most people would say no, and that is why it is so crucial that you regularly clean your brewer.
Make sure to thoroughly wash everything at least every week; do a more in-depth cleaning every two months.
Cuisinart Coffee Maker Cleaning FAQs
1. How do I use the Clean button on my Cuisinart coffee maker?
If you own a Cuisinart model that has a Clean button on it, you may be wondering what you need to do to use that button.
The instruction manual can give you the full details, but you will know it is time to clean your coffee maker when the Clean light begins flashing.
When it is flashing, this is what you need to do:
Step 1: Fill the water reservoir with a mixture of ⅓ white vinegar and ⅔ water until it is at capacity.
Step 2: Press the Clean button.
Step 3: When the self-clean light lights up, you will want to turn the coffee maker on by pushing the on/off button.
Once you do this, the Clean light will be on.
The coffee maker is now running in clean mode, and one cycle should be sufficient to get the machine clean.
The machine will automatically turn off when it is done with the cleaning cycle.
Step 4: If the clean light is flashing when you turn the machine back on, you should run another cycle.
Step 5: Before you start brewing with the machine normally, run one brewing cycle with just plain water.
Remember to check the manual to be sure that you are following the right procedure. It may differ slightly from model to model.
2. How often should you clean a Cuisinart coffee maker?
To ensure that you prevent buildup and infections, it is recommended that you rinse the brew basket and carafe between uses.
From there, you should give all removable pieces a thorough cleaning in soapy water at least once a week.
The decalcification process, which is done with the Clean button as described above, should be done once every few months.
3. How do you turn off the Clean light on a Cuisinart coffee maker?
If the light keeps flashing after you run the Clean cycle, you need to run another Clean cycle or make sure it finished.
Usually, you just need to press brew to ensure that all of the vinegar-water mixture in the reservoir has been removed.
From there, turn the machine on and off. If the light is still flashing at that time, call Cuisinart’s customer service line for additional assistance.
Coffee Tastes Better With a Clean Cuisinart
Cleaning is not always a fun task to do, but it doesn’t have to be a tough job either.
Instead, you can work through the cleaning process efficiently as long as you have the right tools and methods in mind.
Mastering how to clean Cuisinart coffee makers is actually quite simple once you know how!
Remember, however, that it is crucial to follow the maintenance instructions provided with your coffee maker before trying alternative cleaning methods.
The manufacturers create these cleaning methods for a reason; give them a try before exploring beyond those methods.
