Stainless steel coffee pots are great, but over time, they can get really dirty. Learn the best ways to clean a stainless steel coffee pot here.
Coffee pot cleaning is one of those things that we hate to do, but we really should do it more often! Even though stainless steel is highly unreactive, coffee solids that build up over time can really ruin your next cups of coffee.
If you find that regular cleaning and scrubbing is not getting the stubborn stains out, you need to try one of the methods below.
All of the cleaning methods and tips below are really easy to follow and can be done with household materials.
How to clean a stainless steel coffee pot with a dishwasher pod
What you need
- Your dirty coffee pot
- Hot water
- A dishwasher pod
What to do
- Heat up 1 liter of water to a boil
- Add a dishwasher pod to the dirty coffee pot
- Carefully pour boiling water into the coffee pot
- Swirl the coffee pot around or use a spoon to give the water a good mix
- Let it sit for 30 minutes
- Pour out the water
- If you still see visible stains, use a bottle brush to scrub the stain. The stains should be very loose and will come off easily.
- and rinse the pot until the soap has been washed out
Why this method works
Dishwasher pods are very potent at removing food stains. Letting the water-pod mixture sit inside of the pot for at least 30 minutes lets the soap loosen the stains.
How to clean a stainless steel coffee pot with vinegar
What you need
- Your dirty coffee pot
- Hot water
- White vinegar
What to do
- Heat up 1 liter of water to a boil
- Fill the hot water in your carafe with two to three tablespoons of vinegar
- Let it sit for half an hour
- Pour the water out
- If you still see any stains, scrub with a bottle brush to remove them
- Rinse out the carafe at least 3 times with warm water
Why this method works
Vinegar is a decently potent acid. It can corrode any stubborn stains, sometimes more effectively than dishwashing detergent.
The only disadvantage of vinegar is that it is very pungent, and you’ll need to rinse out the coffee pot multiple times to get the smell out.
asSince you’re cleaning a stainless steel pot, the acid will not react with it.
Remember to only use white vinegar as flavored vinegars have a host of other compounds in them that can further ruin your coffee pot!
How to clean a stainless steel coffee pot with baking soda
What you need
- Your dirty coffee pot
- Hot water
- At least a quarter cup of baking soda
What to do
- Heat up one liter of water
- Add the water to your coffee pot
- Stir in baking soda
- Let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes
- Empty the pot
- Rinse 2 to 3 times with warm water
Why this method works
Baking soda is a strong base and it will also react with the plant-based matter that gives coffee its brown color. It’s not quite as potent as vinegar, but it will do the trick just fine. One advantage that baking soda has over vinegar is that it does not have as strong of a smell.
Remember, if the stains don’t dissolve away by themselves, just scrub with a brush.
How to clean a stainless steel coffee pot with a baby wipe
What you need
- Your dirty coffee pot
- A baby wipe
- Water
What to do
- Grab a baby wipe and give the stain(s) a good scrubbing
- Fill the pot with water and rinse it out 2 to 3 times
- That’s it!
Why this method works
Baby wipes are incredibly potent at removing oily stains, so if you’re in a pinch and need to clean your coffee pot stat and don’t have the time to wait for half an hour, use a wipe.
Just remember to use a fresh wipe and rinse the soap out properly.
Coffee pot maintenance 101
The best way to keep a stainless steel carafe clean and preventing stains from building up in the first place is to clean it after every use.
Simply rinsing out the coffee carafe right after using it will remove any coffee solids and prevent them from building.
Rinse the pot after every brew, and make it a point to clean the inside of the coffee pot every few days.
This will prevent coffee stains from forming at all. After all, prevention is better than cure!
What else can you use to clean a steel coffee pot?
Hydrogen peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide is a strong cleaning agent, so adding a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water inside of your coffee pot will loosen the stains much like vinegar and baking soda do.
Denture cleaning balls: Denture cleaning balls are also composed of various chemicals that are formulated to loosen and remove stains, coffee stains being no exception. Use them in the same way you would use baking soda.
Dishwasher detergent: Detergent works in the same way as a pod.
How to clean a percolator
Stainless steel percolators can be cleaned much in the same way as a regular carafe. The only tricky thing to clean in a percolator is the little pipe in the middle.
The best way to clean a percolator is to add a mix of water and vinegar to the bottom chamber and put it on the stove.
As the vinegar/water mixture vaporizes and rises up the tube, it will loosen any coffee solids.
If you want to avoid using vinegar, you can also submerge the entire upper chamber of the percolator in hot water and let it sit for some time to loosen the stains.
To clean very dirty percolators, add some vinegar or dish soap to the water before submerging the percolator.
How to clean the outside of a stainless steel coffee pot
Cleaning the outside of a steel coffee pot is very easy: just use a sponge and some dish soap to scrub the stains out!
Conclusion
Cleaning a coffee pot is quite straightforward, but remember: prevention is always better than cure! Regular cleaning and proper storage will ensure that you don’t need to deep clean your stainless steel coffee pots too often.
Last update on 2024-04-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
