The Secret To A Cleaner Coffee Maker Is Already In Your Pantry

There's no doubt about it: Americans love their coffee, with almost two-thirds of adults reaching for at least one cup per day. Since most people can stomach up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day (and you're likely okay drinking coffee on an empty stomach), feel free to rev up that coffee maker and enjoy a hot, fresh cup of joe before you head to work. Just don't forget to give the most hard-working machine in your kitchen a good clean every now and then. You don't need fancy cleaning supplies. In fact, you've likely got a powerhouse in your pantry already: Baking soda.

That secret ingredient that helps crisp up chicken wings is also a pretty handy all-natural cleaning supply. It can be used to flush out your coffee maker, whether it's a simple Amazon Basics model or a fancier kind from brands like Cuisinart. To clean your coffee maker with baking soda, combine about ½ cup of baking soda with water in your coffee maker's reservoir, and then let it "brew."

If you don't regularly clean your coffee maker, the water will likely come out brown, but that just means the baking soda is doing its job. Follow up the baking soda cycle with two more cycles of just water to get rid of any residue that might remain.

If you have any stains in your coffee pot, baking soda can help take care of that, too. You can choose one of two methods. First, sprinkle baking soda into the bottom of the pot, fill the tank with a mixture of water and vinegar, and then let the coffee maker run. The fizz of the chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda is so satisfying. Let it sit for a bit and then dump out the mixture in the sink, and give your coffee pot a good clean in warm soapy water. You'll also want to run a few water cycles through your coffee maker to get rid of the vinegar smell and taste.

The second thing you can try is to combine baking soda and water so that it forms an abrasive goo and use that to scrub out any stains from the pot. While both of these methods are effective, ultimately it's best not to let your coffee pot get to the point where it has significant staining in the first place. You can reduce staining by doing regular deep cleans on both the pot and coffee maker at least once a month. Not only will it keep your appliance looking great but your coffee will taste great too.