JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Before you fire up your coffee maker for your morning pick me up, you might want to think back on the last time you cleaned it.
Coffee leaves a residue on surfaces, and that buildup can be a breeding ground for bacteria, yeast and mold.
Letting all that gunk build up can change your coffee’s taste, making it bitter and gross.
And if you let it build up long enough, the buildup will clog your machine, meaning you’ll have to buy a new one.
But cleaning your machine is pretty easy.
If it’s a traditional coffee machine that brews, you can clean it by running it with a solution of water and vinegar.
But you’ll want to flush it a few times after that with just water because the vinegar can change the first few cups and make your cup of joe smell bad.
Another option is to use denture cleaner tabs.
The fizz from the tablets scrubs the interior surfaces, including those hard to reach areas.
If you have one of those individual cup machines -- like a Keurig -- there are actually K-cups that will clean your machine. Those pods also recommend flushing with hot water at least once to get the cleaning agents out.