Although salt might seem like the unlikeliest of ingredients to use for cleaning a coffee pot, it’s very effective in this role. If this will be your first time working with this unconventional cleaning agent, you probably have a lot of questions. Namely, how do use salt to clean?
Here’s how to clean a coffee pot with salt:
- Pour a thorough amount of salt into the bottom of the coffee pot
- Toss four ice cubes in the pot
- Stir the two ingredients
- When the ice melts, stop stirring
- Dump the pot, rinse, and repeat if necessary
Yes, it’s that easy! We’re sure you’re looking for even more details, such as how salt rids your coffee pot of stains. We’ve got that information and more ahead, so make sure you keep reading!
What Does Salt Do When Added to a Coffee Pot?
Good, ol’ table salt: everyone has some in their kitchen pantries, but did you know this mineral is adept at more than seasoning dinner? Indeed, salt is an awesome cleaner for your coffee maker. Here are two duties salt is especially good for.
Makes Stains Disappear
It’s one thing if your coffee mug is stained. You can replace that for a small expense. Your coffee pot though was more expensive, and so when it becomes browned or otherwise discolored from regular use, it’s upsetting stuff.
It doesn’t have to be anymore. Salt can make your coffee pot look as good as new as it clears away coffee stains. How does table salt do that, you ask?
It’s all due to the texture of salt. The hard grains, when used in large quantities, act almost like sandpaper. The salt begins to scrape away at all that unwanted residue left inside your coffee pot, including stains.
Once again, you’ll be able to see through your glass coffee pot.
Removes Rust
Is your coffee pot made of metal? If not, then surely it has metal components, right? More than likely, yes. When combining salt with white vinegar to make a paste, rubbing that paste over your coffee pot’s most offensive patches of rust can make them a thing of the past.
You can even polish your metal coffee pot with salt. This time, you’ll need to mix it with lemon juice (the juice of half of a squeezed lemon) and rub it over the newly de-rusted parts to make them shine like new.
How to Clean a Coffee Pot with Salt and Ice
You had never realized table salt could be so valuable. You’re ready to begin cleaning your coffee pot with salt. Per the intro, here are the steps to follow.
Step 1: Let Your Coffee Pot Cool Down
If you just enjoyed a steaming mug of coffee this morning, you can’t clean it with salt and ice until it’s cooled down. The heat of the pot will cause the ice to melt too quickly, which will make this cleaning method ineffective.
Step 2: Pour in the Salt
When your coffee pot is at least room temperature or cooler, grab some table salt and pour it on in. You want enough salt that the entire bottom of the coffee pot is generously coated.
Step 3: Add the Ice
Go to your freezer and pop out a few ice cubes. You’ll need at least three, but if your coffee pot is large enough, you can go for four or more. Use your discretion.
Step 4: Stir, Stir, Stir
With a wooden spoon or a similar instrument, begin stirring the ice and salt together in your coffee pot. They should be able to swirl with relative ease around the pot.
Once you get into a rhythm with your stirring, moderately increase your speed. All along, be careful, especially if your coffee pot is glass. A chunk of ice hitting the side of the glass pot could cause it to crack.
Step 5: Wait Until the Ice Melts
You’ll know you’re done stirring when the ice is nothing but water. This can take a couple of minutes, so be ready to put some time into stirring.
Step 6: Dump the Contents
You don’t want salty water left in your coffee pot, so dump everything into the sink little by little. Run the tap so the salt begins dissolving in the sink. When the first bit of salt is gone, dump more, and then more.
Step 7: Assess and Repeat
How is your coffee pot looking now? It’s probably far less stained than it was. If you’re not quite pleased with it, you can always rinse away all the salt residue and then repeat steps 1 through 6 again.
There should be no need to follow the steps for a third time unless your coffee pot is seriously stained.
Once your coffee pot is clean, why not give some other household surfaces a pass-through with salt? Salt can treat wine stains, restore the luster of silk flowers, remove egg stains, and beautify vases.
What Else Can You Use to Clean Your Coffee Pot?
You had been meaning to pick up salt at the grocery store, but you keep forgetting. Your saltshaker is empty too. Does that mean you can’t clean your coffee pot?
Not at all! You can always use water and vinegar, which is the tried-and-true method for getting your coffee pot and your coffee machine sparkling clean. Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Pour Vinegar and Water into the Coffee Pot
Before you turn on your coffeemaker, measure out enough vinegar to fill the coffee pot. Some people combine clean water with vinegar into a half-and-half mixture and others use more vinegar than water. It all depends on just how gnarly your coffee pot is and your water hardness. Does it have mold, coffee residue, or mineral deposits?
We recommend white distilled vinegar, which starts as a grain alcohol sort of like vodka. As oxygen gets added to the alcohol, acetic acid and bacteria develop, increasing the acidity of the product. That’s where the sour flavor of vinegar comes from.
Step 2: Run the Coffeemaker
With your preferred quantities of vinegar and water in the coffee pot or reservoir, turn on the coffeemaker and run it through its typical brewing cycle. As the vinegar warms up, it will get right to work scouring your coffeemaker (and the coffee pot) of stains and other mineral buildup.
Step 3: Repeat
Your coffee machine will beep when it’s finished. Don’t dump the vinegar and water mixture into the sink yet though. Instead, feed it through your coffeemaker again and then run the brewing cycle.
Step 4: Dump the Vinegar and Rinse
After that second cycle wraps up, let the coffee machine cool down a little. Then remove the water and vinegar mixture from the reservoir, pouring it down the sink. Clean the coffee pot and the coffeemaker using water and dish soap.
Step 5: Rinse and Run
Rinse away the soap residue from all components of your coffeemaker. You can run yet a third brewing cycle with only fresh water to ensure there’s no vinegar left in the internal components you can’t clean by hand. After all, vinegar will taste most unappealing in your coffee cup!
Final Thoughts
Cleaning a coffee pot doesn’t require harsh chemicals. Instead, you can use common household products such as table salt.
Salt will clean your coffee pot and rid it of stains and rust. White distilled vinegar is just as useful!
Other creative ways to clean your coffee maker include hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, borax, and descaling solution. To read exactly how to use these products and more, click the link.
If you’re using a Keurig coffee maker, click the link to read how to clean the water reservoir, drip tray, pod holder, and the inside of the device.