It’s long past time to clean your moldy Keurig. Here’s how

Keurigs are a no-brainer for hassle-free use coffeeBut all that convenience is worthless if the coffee is bad. Worse yet, a dirty Keurig can grow mold, which can make you or a loved one sick if you drink it. Mold and bad coffee are no laughing matter, but cleaning your Keurig only takes a few minutes.

A clean Keurig will also last longer, as dirt and buildup can cause mechanical problems in addition to health issues. To keep yours humming, clean your Keurig once a week and deep clean or descale the pod machine every few months to clean the inside of your coffee maker.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to cleaning a Keurig. For more cleaning tips, learn how to quickly clean your kitchen in 15 minutes and tricks to keep your air conditioner clean and running like new.

Before you clean your Keurig

Before you start cleaning your Keurig, make sure there are no used pods left in the pod holder of the machine. Leaving your K-Cups out for days before removing them can encourage mold growth. And where do you think that mold ends up? That’s right, your favorite coffee mug. Remove your K-Cups after they’ve cooled slightly from your brew.

Also, make sure to unplug your Keurig before cleaning. This will make it easier to turn it around and move it if necessary while you’re cleaning it.

Clean the outside of your machine

We’re not talking about a hose here, but give your Keurig a good cleaning on all exterior surfaces to remove any dried coffee residue. Keurig itself suggests clean your machine every day.

Clean the drip tray

Spilled coffee will likely build up in the drip tray, so make sure you empty and clean it regularly. Otherwise, expect mold and odors to build up after weeks of sitting idle. Cleaning the drip tray is quick and easy—dish soap and warm water will do the trick.

Clean the reservoir

While the primary purpose is to hold water, don’t forget about the water reservoir and lid. You can either hand wash it with warm water and dish soap or throw it in the dishwasher. Before you clean them, make sure to remove the water filter at the bottom of the reservoir first; otherwise, you’ve created a new problem for yourself.

Clean the K-Cup holder

This part of your Keurig sees the most action and can be one of the more challenging parts to clean. While it’s best to clean every part of your machine, if you choose to only do one of these steps, it should be this one, by far.

Check the user manual that came with your machine or online to see how to properly remove the holder and how to clean underneath. You can run the holder under hot water to rinse away any coffee grounds, residue, or oil, but it’s also helpful to give it a little wipe down. Also, remember that there’s a sharp needle in this area to pierce the K-Cups, so be careful.

Descale your machine

You probably expected to see this one on this list at some point. Descaling your machine is a necessary task to ensure that your machine works well and continues to do so in the long run.

Given the wide variety of models, activating the descaling mode on your particular coffee maker may be slightly different, but Keurig’s descaling support page should help you find the right combination of buttons.

In general, descaling involves filling your Keurig’s water reservoir with a combination of vinegar and hot water (or Keurig’s own water reservoir). ready-made solution) and let the entire solution run through the machine without a pod in it until you need to add more water. Of course, make sure you have a container large enough to catch the vinegar and water solution as it drains. Let the Keurig sit for a few minutes, then fill the reservoir with water and repeat the brewing process. You would probably benefit from repeating this a few times to avoid a potential vinegar aftertaste.

Fortunately, descaling your machine isn’t a weekly requirement. However, Keurig encourages you to do it every few months.

Time to upgrade your machine? Check out the best Keurig coffee makers.