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Your coffee maker should be made part of your regular kitchen cleaning routine. Dried coffee oils, hard water buildup, and mildew will ruin the taste of even the best blend. Not to mention that mildew buildup inside the maker is hazardous to your health.

The good news is that cleaning your coffee maker is a simple, painless task, that takes no more effect than brewing a pot of coffee. Although there is no exact method that is the best, I have determined that this is a very effective method and one that is highly recommend.

First clean all components of your coffee maker including the carafe and filter basket. Personally I put these in the dishwasher, but the choice is yours. You can hand wash them in warm soapy water as well.

Second, fill your coffee maker with 1/4 regular white vinegar and 3/4 water. Place an empty filter in the basket (no coffee) and run the coffee maker. After finished brewing the vinegar / water mixture, turn off the coffee maker and let cool. Personally I let the coffee maker cool for about 10-15 minutes before continuing. Depending on when you last cleaned the maker, you may need to run the vinegar / water mixture through the maker a second time.

Third, discard the mixture and filter and fill the coffee maker again with just water. Turn on the maker. Once this is finished, turn off the maker and let everything cool again for another 10-15 minutes.

Finally, check to see if there's still any vinegar odor coming from the maker. If so, repeat the third step until the smell of vinegar is gone. Your coffee maker should now be clean to brew a delicious pot of coffee. You should clean your coffee maker at least once a month if you're a regular coffee drinker.