Bunn coffee makers are some of the most used coffee makers in the world. You can find them in homes, diners, and cafes that have a reputation for making great coffee.
Making coffee can age your coffee maker, especially if you leave coffee ground remains and calcified deposits in it.
Your coffee maker can also breed bacteria if you do not clean it often. The germs in a coffee maker increase if you use it to brew coffee in a place with many people.
Everyone gets their hands around the handles, the lid, and other parts of the coffee machine. And considering that most people don’t wash their hands before pouring coffee, you can see that’s a lot of bacterial build-up.
Germs, mold, and yeast deposits are also likely to get into your coffee, especially if you leave it in the coffee pot.
Regularly cleaning your coffee maker will save you from having contaminated coffee.
Descaling a coffee maker is also important for proper coffee brewing. A coffee maker with mineral deposits will keep the water from flowing steadily during the brewing process, thereby extending the brewing time unnecessarily.
You can also damage the internal thermometer of your coffee maker if you don’t descale it. That will keep your coffee from heating up properly, which will interfere with its flavor and aroma.
You can tell if your coffee maker needs cleaning, if it has stains inside the pot, or sputters during coffee making. The same case applies if you notice chalky material deposits on the inside of your coffee machine.
Cleaning a Bunn coffee maker is easy. Here is some helpful information on how to do it.
What Do You Need to Clean a Bunn Coffee Maker?
You need very few items to clean a Bunn coffee maker. These are a mild dishwashing detergent, white vinegar, distilled water, a clean cloth, and a Bunn coffee maker spray head cleaning tool.
The vinegar helps to disinfect your coffee maker while getting rid of calcified deposits.
These are mineral deposits that stick to the coffee pot when you use hard water to brew coffee. They are mostly made up of calcium and magnesium and will clog your coffee machine if left to build up for too long.
If you use hard water to brew your coffee, descale your coffee maker once a week. However, if you use soft water to prepare your coffee, you may descale it less often.
You also need a detergent and soft cloth to eliminate coffee stains and the remains of coffee grounds outside the coffee machine.
A bun spray head is the handiest tool of all. It is specially made by Bunn for cleaning spray heads on their machines.
It will enable you to eliminate any coffee deposits in the spray nozzle that may prevent the coffee machine from brewing coffee efficiently.
You should clean Bunn coffee maker pots and machines between uses. You can give the carafe and reservoir a thorough clean at least once a week.
If cleaning your coffee pot by hand is too time-consuming, put it in the dishwasher along with the coffee pot filter. Bunn coffee maker pots are dishwasher friendly and can fit in the top rack of most dishwashers.
How to Clean A Bunn Coffee Maker
Once you have the items necessary to clean Bunn coffee makers, here is the process to follow.
Materials
- Mild dishwashing detergent
- White Vinegar
- Distilled water
- A soft clean cloth
- Bunn machine spray head cleaning tool
Instructions
- Put the coffee maker off before you start the cleaning process to avoid electrocution.
- Throw out any coffee grounds in your coffee filter and rinse out the filter basket.
- Mix a bit of dishwashing detergent in warm water. Soak the soft cloth in the warm soapy water and gently wash the coffee pot.
- If you notice any stubborn stains in your Bunn coffee pot, soak it with a vinegar and water solution for about three hours. You may then wash it once again with warm soapy water and rinse it thoroughly with clean water.
- Wipe the outside of the coffee maker with a damp soapy cloth to eliminate any coffee stains. Also, ensure you work on the area around the coffee maker spray head, as it often has coffee deposits.
- Disconnect the spray nozzle from your Bunn coffee maker. Use the long end of the nozzle head cleaner to clean the inside of the coffee machine’s spray head housing.
- Spray nozzle holes often have mineral deposits from hard water and coffee residue that can build up if left uncleaned. You may use a toothpick to eliminate any such mineral deposits stuck in the spray nozzle holes.
- Once you’ve satisfactorily cleaned the coffee machine spray head and its housing, re-attach the nozzle head mechanism back to the coffee maker.
- You also need vinegar and a distilled water solution to descale your Bunn coffee maker water reservoir.
Mix a solution of two parts distilled water with one part of white vinegar for the descaling process. That should be enough to fill your Bunn coffee maker. If it’s not enough, add a little more using the 1: 2 ratio.
- Once you have enough descaling solution in your coffee maker’s reservoir, put it on a brewing cycle. Wait for the coffee carafe to fill and throw out the vinegar solution.
Let the remaining vinegar in the reservoir sit for an hour to eliminate the stubborn limescale. You can then rinse the vinegar solution off by running a brewing cycle with clean water to keep your coffee from tasting like vinegar.
- Slide out the coffee maker’s brewing funnel and clean it with mild dishwashing soap and warm water. Rinse the soap off thoroughly and leave it out to dry.
- Reassemble the coffee maker parts, turn it on, and brew another cycle using clean water. That will let you see whether the nozzle is passing water through properly. It will also get rid of any lingering vinegar deposits and smells.
- If you notice any lingering odor in your coffee machine, pour a solution of bicarbonate and water in it and run it through another cycle. The bicarbonate will deodorize your coffee maker and leave it smelling fresh and clean.
How to Keep Your Bunn Coffee Maker Germ Free
Now that you know how to clean a Bunn coffee maker, you may benefit from a few tips that will help keep it germ-free.
- Always open the lid of your coffee maker after finishing your coffee and leave it open to air it out. That will ensure it dries out to prevent mold growth from a combination of moisture and warmth.
- You may also wash your carafe and filter basket at the end of every day using warm soapy water. That will prevent a build-up of coffee stains.
- Disinfect the handle of your coffee machine daily. It should get rid of any germ build – up from repeatedly handling the coffee machine.
Conclusion
That’s how to clean Bunn coffee makers. You can see it doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to keep your coffee maker clean each week. If you make a habit of cleaning your coffee maker as we’ve recommended, you will be surprised at how long it lasts.
It is also essential to refer back to your Bunn coffee maker manufacturing instructions when cleaning it. It will help you pull apart and reassemble the coffee maker machinery correctly. You may also find easier instructions on how to keep your coffee maker clean in it.
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