Homemade Descaling Solution Recipes: 5 DIY Tips to Descale Your... (2024)

I love keeping my coffee maker in top shape with easy cleaning solutions.

• I mix white vinegar and water to create a quick descaling solution.
• I use citric acid and water for a scent-free option.
• I opt for water-softening pellets if I’m using a water-softening system.
• Baking soda and water make for an efficient cleaning duo.
• Lemon juice and water are great for a fresh-smelling descale.

To make a homemade descaling solution using vinegar, I combine 1/3 cup of vinegar with 2/3 cup of water. I pour this mixture into my coffee maker and run a brewing cycle. Then, I rinse thoroughly by running a cycle with just water. This method is very effective and also cost-efficient.

For a scent-free clean, I choose citric acid pellets. I mix one tablespoon of pellets with 1 gallon of water, then pour it into my coffee maker and let it run a cycle. After that, I’ll rinse it out with fresh water, repeating the process if needed for better results. This option is straightforward and budget-friendly.

When I have a water-softening system, I follow its instructions, ensuring I use the right amount of water-softening pellets. This method is the most time-efficient choice and is surprisingly simple to do.

To use baking soda, I dissolve ¼ cup of it into 1 cup of lukewarm water and run it through my coffee machine just like brewing coffee. I then clean it out with a cycle of fresh water. This easy solution helps me maintain a clean and fully functional coffee appliance.

Lastly, I sometimes use lemon juice for descaling. I mix equal parts of lemon juice with water and run that through my machine. Afterward, I’ll go through a few cycles of plain water to remove any lemon taste. This method brings a great combination of affordability and ease. Alice Gilbert, a seasoned authority in home improvement, suggests, “I always tell people that using simple kitchen ingredients like vinegar and lemon juice can work wonders for descaling.”

Have you ever wondered how your coffee machine works to prepare the best, most delicious cup of coffee for you every morning? Do you ever think about how your coffee maker gets its job done day in and day out? Well, if you think about how it produces excellent coffee and how it does it every day, you’ve probably also had thoughts regarding its well-being.

So, let us ask you two more questions: have you ever taken time out of your everyday life to clean the excess build-up inside of your coffee appliance? Have you considered using a homemade descaling solution?

We know that making a DIY descaling solution or a DIY descale Keurig solution may not be something you’re good at, but you can get over that hump. Here, you’ll find some options to create the best cleaning agent for your coffee maker.

My DIY Ways to Descale at Home

You’ll learn here to use ingredients like white vinegar, lemon juice, hot water, baking soda, citric acid, and white wine vinegar for descaling. Get ready, because the taste of your coffee will get you tingling while you sip it!

Using Vinegar as My Natural Homemade Descaling Solution

If you’re into creating your DIY descaling solutions, and DIY homemade recipes in general, you probably already know that vinegar is an essential ingredient in almost all recipes. It also helps that vinegar is very acidic, therefore making it one of the best substances to use in combating the limescale of your coffee appliances.

Mix ingredients and place the cleaning solution into the machine you are trying to clean. Let it sit and rinse well. This solution can be used on the outside of the device, too. Once finished, check the areas you are cleaning and repeat the cycle if necessary.

Keep in mind; vinegar will get the job done. Use this solution as a home remedy on any Keurig coffee machine or espresso maker. It’s ideal to use vinegar as the best coffee stain remover for your coffee pot and for coffee spills on your clothing, too.

My DIY Descaling Solution: Citric Acid

As stated above, vinegar is an excellent limescale build-up remover to clean a drip coffee maker. However, if you don’t want to smell the scent of vinegar for hours, we suggest you go with citric acid as your cleaning agent. Also, using citric acid will ensure you taste that coffee flavor next time you put your cup of joe through its brew cycle.

Remember, citric acid has a lower pH level than vinegar does, meaning you may have to put your espresso machine or Keurig machine through a few rinse cycles to get the best results.

For the best way to clean a Keurig coffee pot and descale it at the same time, mix the ingredients and pour it into the reservoir. Run one cycle and let it sit.

Rinse clean and run a cycle with fresh water only to ensure that all debris is gone from the machine. If you’d like the solution to be stronger, mix the citric acid pellets with half a gallon of water.

Descaling My Keurig: I Use Water Softening Pellets

For the best homemade descaling solution for Keurig, try using water softening pellets. Though you may need a water softening system to get this job done, we can assure you that it is the most time efficient Keurig descaling solution you’ll find.

What’s more, is that this simple solution is the most cost-effective method and it’s easy to do. Follow the instructions that come with your water softening system. Do not miss an important step and be sure to fill up to the line with water softening pellets as directed.

My Homemade Remedy to Descale Coffee Pot: Use Baking Soda

Baking soda can help with the interior and the exterior of your coffee machine; in fact, baking soda can clean your k-cup machine, your water reservoir, your pod holder, and your water filter all in one shot!

Grab the coffee carafe from the coffee pot and fill it with water. Add the baking soda and swirl the powder around in the water until dissolved into equal parts. Pour the solution into the reserve tank and continue to make “coffee” as you usually would.

Allow the solution to run through one cycle. For the second cycle, fill the reserve with clean water and let it run through a cycle before you start coffee drinking again.

My All-Natural Descaling Option: Lemon Juice

Instead of going to health food stores or grocery stores to find an over-the-counter solution to clean your coffee pot, start using lemon juice. Not only is lemon juice very time efficient, but it’s also extremely affordable, and the scent left behind is bearable.

To get the best results, mix equal parts water with equal parts lemon juice. You can use freshly squeezed lemon juice or lemon juice from the bottle. However, keep in mind that once you’re done, you’ll be left with an intense lemon taste; be sure to let the coffee machine go through several cycles before brewing some coffee.

Using lemon juice is also a natural way to clean grout with ugly mold or hard water stains and many other household items. Spritz some lemon juice and water on the grout and gently scrub away to leave your light-colored grout gleaming again. If you have colored grout, take care, as lemon juice may cause discoloration. You may want to use another method for grout cleaning.

You’ve discovered how to clean and descale your coffee appliances with the help of ingredients found around the house. You’ve learned how to make your cup of coffee taste great every day by regularly using safe, non-chemically related cleaning products.

You’ll be able to keep on being that coffee lover that you’ve always been using these DIY descaling solutions!

My Recipe for Homemade Descaling Solution

Homemade Descaling Solution

Yield: 2 cups

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Make those faucets gleam again!

Materials

• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2/3 cup vinegar

Tools

• Glass or plastic jar
• Measuring cup
• Sponge

Instructions

1. Add the water and vinegar to the jar and stir or swirl to mix.
2. Apply the solution to calcium deposits with the sponge.
3. Wait about 15 minutes before rinsing with clean water.

Notes

This mixture is perfect for descaling a coffee pot. Be sure to rinse very well afterward.

We hope you enjoyed these recipes for a homemade descaling solution. If you did, please share these DIY descaling solution options on Facebook and Pinterest with your friends.