Woman shares tip for cleaning out gunk built up inside coffee maker: 'I thought this was widely known'

To beat the hectic mornings, most people enjoy a hot cup of coffee to start their day. Usually, this comes from a coffee machine that has made many brews, resulting in tough coffee stain buildup and a very bitter cup of joe.

One TikTok creator found a fantastic solution to quickly and effectively clean your coffee machine so that your morning coffee can taste just right before you head out the door. The solution: white vinegar.

@bruceygirl6 Cleaning hack? Anyone else use white vinegar for the coffee pot?#grandmasadvice ♬ original sound - BruceyGirl6

The scoop

"Does anyone else clean their coffee pot using white vinegar?" the creator asked on their TikTok platform (@bruceygirl6). "My grandma always taught me to do this and it's how I've always cleaned my coffee pot out."

The OP later goes on to explain in the comment section that they usually fill the coffee pot up with a half-pot of white vinegar. If there's a lot of build-up, they then empty and do another quarter to half. Finally, they "run three or more full pots of water through to rinse the vinegar out."

How it's helping

One commenter wrote that when this build-up happens in their coffee machine they "throw it away and buy a new one."

This perceived solution is exactly why the OP's hack is so useful: The first solution to a dirty coffee maker should not be to buy a new one, but to make the current one last longer.

According to researcher Gunter Pauli in 2018, global coffee production creates more than 23 million tons of waste per year. Today's coffee production waste is likely significantly higher. Coffee waste comes in many different forms. About 2 million takeaway coffee cups end up in landfills, per Huskee. According to GreenMatch, 56 billion coffee pods and capsules end up in landfills each year.

Buying a new coffee maker frequently also contributes to the expansive amount of waste from coffee production. Consumer overconsumption has been linked to severe environmental degradation, so elongating the lifespan of household items is vital to helping slow the overheating of the planet.

This hack is a useful way to do exactly that. It takes less than an hour and can expand the life of your coffee maker for many more years.

What do you usually do with your coffee grounds? Throw them in the trash Compost them Something else really cool I don't drink coffee Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What everyone's saying

"I thought this was widely known, but quite a few of my friends have never heard of it," wrote the creator in the comment section.

Indeed, it seems this hack is one typically passed down within families, but not widely talked about in online spaces.

"My mom and dad do," wrote one.

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