Your coffee maker could be killing you. Well it is if your morning cup of coffee is a matter of life and death and you have a filthy coffee maker. When was the last time you cleaned your coffee maker?

Washing the pot is important but getting the internal components of a coffee maker clean is a task that shouldn't be skipped. Did you even know that you were supposed to clean it? A clean coffee maker can be the difference between a good cup of coffee and a nasty cup of sludge.

A clean coffee maker really makes a big difference in how your coffee tastes. Left over coffee oils can accumulate inside your coffee maker and become rancid. And mineral deposits can form too, especially in areas with hard water. These deposits are called "scale". There are two kinds of scale, lime scale and mineral scale and you don't want either one. Scale can affect the heating unit and the water flow of your coffee maker and reduce it's efficiency. How quickly scale forms depends on the quality of your drinking water. If you use bottled water to make your coffee, scale probably won't form as fast but you still have to worry about accumulated coffee oils. Better to play it safe and clean your coffee maker regularly.

Cleaning your coffee maker is not a hard task to accomplice. At least once a month pour a mixture of half vinegar and half water into your coffee maker. It goes without saying that white vinegar should be used. Steer clear of the red wine or apple cider vinegar varieties. Run through the full brew process. You're kitchen will probably have a nice salad smell while it's brewing which you may even like. If you're not a salad fan though, just remember that it's a small price to pay for a good cup of coffee.

Repeat the process again using only water this time to rinse it out. Do this one more time if a vinegar smell is still present.

Another easy way to keep the coffee maker clean is to put a glass marble in the water chamber. All the mineral deposits that would usually accumulate inside the coffee maker will instead accumulate on the marble. Every once in a while just remove the marble, wash it and then place it back in the chamber. How much easier could that be?

The best solution would be to clean your coffee maker with vinegar monthly while also using the marble method. Change the marble once a week and you're coffee maker will be in great shape.

If you have an old coffee maker and you aren't happy with the taste of it's brew, why not try cleaning it. A clean coffee maker will brew better tasting coffee.

Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of EndlessCoffeeBreak.com - The Guide To Coffee. For more information about How To Clean A Coffee Maker and other coffee making tips, visit http://www.endlesscoffeebreak.com
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