Spring Cleaning Your Coffee Station
You can better enjoy your freshly roasted coffee when you prepare it in a clean coffeemaker. Here's how to clean your coffee station for a flawless cup of delicious joe.
No matter how elaborate or simple your coffee station is, keeping it clean is the best way to ensure your coffee tastes the best it can taste. Add a deep cleaning of this most important area of your home or office to your spring cleaning list, and you'll be enjoying delicious freshly roasted coffee with every pot you brew. (This applies to those delectable teas, too!)
Coffee (and tea) have a tendency to stain materials and, depending on how you prepare your coffee, can leave behind a sticky, sour, nasty mess. Between the dirty appliances and tools, along with the spills and sloshes, your coffee station could be ready for a good scrubbing.
Start by removing everything from your coffee station area. Put all of the mugs in the wash along with other vessels like your sugar dish, your cream pitcher, and any other dishes your might have in your coffee station area. While the dishes are washing in the dishwasher, wipe down and sanitize the countertop, backsplash, any cabinets and drawers, and any other surfaces. Sweep and mop the floor and clean the trashcan while you're at it.
Once the space is clean, take any linens you use when making coffee and launder them. While they are washing, get to work cleaning the appliances you use to brew your coffee and steep your tea. As you clean these items, you can replace them back in your coffee station space.
Cleaning your Coffeemaker
By far the most time-consuming activity of the entire cleaning process, and arguably the most important, is cleaning the coffeemaker. To learn how to clean your particular coffeemaker, check your owner's manual or look for an instructional video on YouTube. Tip: try not to use any soaps or harsh cleansers. Use natural products like distilled vinegar, lemon and salt, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide to clean your coffeemaker, no matter what kind you use.
Cleaning your Grinder
If you use a burr grinder, be advised not to use water to clean the grinding mechanism. If the hopper and the grounds holder can be removed, those items CAN be cleaned in water. A soft cloth can then be used to wipe the rest of the machine down. And the actual grinding mechanism can be cleaned first by running half of a cup of white rice through the finest setting on the machine. If you still see quite a bit of grounds and oils, use a product meant specifically for cleaning burr grinders like Urnex Grindz.
Cleansers
Though we've mentioned trying cleaning with natural cleansers, there will be instances when a professional cleaner will be necessary. If that is the case, check the manufacturer's instructions for proper usage. Additional cleansers you might need include a descaler, and biodegradable soap.
Use this springtime ritual to clean your favorite spot in the house. Once it's sparkling, enjoy brewing your favorite coffees with all the nuances of flavors you've come to expect in high-quality gourmet coffee beans.