How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

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How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

by Selena
(Granbury, Texas)

QUESTION:

I have a Keurig B60 coffee maker and the display is telling me to descale the brewer. But it doesn't tell me how! What do I do?

ANSWER:

Selena, hi

We have a Keurig B60 Special Edition ourselves and were stumped when we first saw that message on the brewer.

There are a number of ways to descale a brewer, the least expensive being to run some vinegar through the machine a couple of times, and then run cold water through a few more times to rinse it.

If, like us, you worry about a lingering vinegar taste, the easiest way is to use a product recommended by Keurig, called Dezcal Cleaner.

Good luck!

Comments for
How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

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Mar 21, 2010

half cups
by: Annika

Thank you so much for the information on clogged needles! I used floral wire, then ran two cycles with plain water and voila! Regular size cups again!

Mar 18, 2010

Easy fix!
by: Anonymous

Thank you for suggesting the paper clip! I had just recently run vinegar/water through my Keurig b/c it was coming up on a year that I had had it. Then a few days later, the Descale button lit up. I took the paper clip and poked it through the needle holes and also underneath where the spout is. Then I ran a full cycle of just water. The descale button went off immediately. Thank you!!!

Mar 16, 2010

Fixed It!
by: Anonymous

I was having the same problem, low flow output, half cups, etc.

You need to take a tooth pick or wire and clean the small hole in the metal piece that pierces the top of the K-cup.

Once I got the tip of the tooth pick in there and pull it back, old coffee grounds came out.

Use a flashlight to see where the opening is, mine was toward the front.

Clean the hole a few times then run a couple of cycles without the coffee K-cups and watch the gunk run out!

I'm drinking my first cup after a week of puzzling over this.

Mar 15, 2010

1/2 cup again
by: Anonymous

With the list of complaints for the same issue, it's time for a different brand. I finally woke up, even with a 1/2 cup of mud.

Mar 14, 2010

Pumps
by: Donna

I would be curious to know just how long your new pump does last as mine went as well and I returned the brewer. All of the ideas with the paper clip , vinegar , filter are all great but when the water will not pump ...there is ZILTCH you can do !!

Mar 13, 2010

keurig cleaning
by: Anonymous

I have had to clean the needle on my B66 Ultimate and run Vinegar through it and I got it working again. It took a bit of doing but it finally started working like new. Now my son started having the same problem, half cups and back flowing to the resevoir. I told him i would try and fix it because i had been lucky on two other machines. This one is a bear however. I have tried vinegar and clearing the pin and it still backs up into the resevoir. i even tried dezcal still won't make a full cup. I keep pokin' and hopin'!!!

Mar 12, 2010

six machines later...
by: Kevin

ok, after returning five machines back to them with pump problems(it would stop working)in the last two years...they finally told us there was a problem with the pump in the old machines and would send us a new version or model with a bigger pump in it..we have had it two weeks and it is working great....It sounds much louder when brewing, must be the bigger pump..Ill let you know if it quits working also...

Mar 11, 2010

PAPER CLIP
by: Anonymous

i kept getting the descale message even after cleaning it with the dezcal as they recommend. My machine is 3 years old , was about to replace it and tried the paperclip trick to clean out both pins where the water flows and sure enough the descale light went away.... the first cup of water had a lot of coffee grounds in it that must have been clogging it! THANKS for the tip!

Mar 11, 2010

descaling and cleaning the pin
by: Anonymous

I tried cleaning the pin with a toothpick as well as scrubbing the K-Cup filter. The super fine screen also is key to having the water flow out of the pot. I was coffee dripping from the outer edge as well as through the K -cup and now it is fine.

Mar 06, 2010

Keurig Cleaner
by: Anonymous

use white vinegar not just vinegar

Feb 27, 2010

De-scaling
by: Anonymous

Have had my B60 for 3 years, going on 4. Awesome product!

I always use Brita filtered water to fill the reservoir, and have NEVER had a de-scale message.

I am sure that by using filtered water I have prevented any mineral buildup in the unit.

Once a year, I perform the de-scale procedure with vinegar as preventative maintenance.

Feb 24, 2010

new basket
by: Anonymous

people, wise up. If descaling doesn't produce the desired results snd you use the k-cup coffee filter, just replace the filter. But first run your coffee maker without anything in the holder, and see how fast it fills your cup up. If the cup fills up fast , apparently the problem is the filter. Don't buy a new coffeemaker, just replace the filter. I did it and it works like new now.

Feb 23, 2010

water not refilling machine from reservoir
by: Anonymous

this is my third machine...and again, after about 3 weeks, after an initial brew, the water does not pump from the reservoir to the machine. I have to take out the water reservoir, put it back in, then it starts to pull in the water. B60 machine. I took the first back to Macy's for a replacement, then the after that one failed I called Keurig. They sent me a replacement. She said they had "issues" with them. and she assured me that it wouldn't happen with this one...but apparently they did not fix it. REally a bummer.

Feb 20, 2010

Keurig B60 replacement
by: Anonymous

Ours never gave a descale message, but stopped making full cups. We descaled anyways. Still no full cups. Called Keurig and they told us that there were some defective models sold around the holiday and they are sending us a new one. Told to keep the old one for parts which I may need because I have heard about others with problems with the water tank.

May be worth it to get the top of the line model next time, because the one at work is bulletproof and gets used heavily.

Feb 14, 2010

Warrantied Platinum
by: Christine

After messing around w/low/no-flow & Descale message for days (vinegar & Dezcal), finally spent about three days on the ph w/Keurig. After initial run-around (they claimed that my 11 month old machine has a 2006 build date serial #), they said they'd replace. Took two more weeks & another half-dozen calls, but got a replacement. Hate to send old, perfect-looking machine to the landfill so kept it for "spare parts," which seems nearly useless. I'll be doing Dezcal monthly. I recommend that if you're having problems to call Keurig immediately & stay on them. Ph time was more productive than the descaling.

Feb 14, 2010

Paper Clip works
by: Gene

I kept getting a 1/2 cup. Unit is 3 months old. I kept cleaning the bottom piece with a paper clip forgetting about the top piece. Once I cleaned the top with the paper clip (small), she works like new again. Thanks to the others who mentioned that!

Feb 14, 2010

fixed
by: JDR

loads of troubles all fixed by cleaning the pin with a paper clip. thanks for the heads up.

Feb 09, 2010

Stop Working
by: Donna

I was lucky enough to be able to bring back my Keurig to the store where I purchased it and they replaced the machine for me ..the pumps are not the best on these machines . Do not expect more than 3 years out of them if used on a daily basis. The store is not out of anything as the company in turn replaces the machine for them, I was lucky.

Feb 09, 2010

One for the landfill
by: Anonymous

Our Keurig Platinum is a few months past warranty so I've been 'Googling' for help. Our machine would not brew. Finally I did everything I found re: cleaning & de-scaling. Got the de-scaling light to come on & kept pushing the 'brewing' button every 3 minutes to get a full container of vinegar through the system. Let it sit overnight with regular water and its still not pushing anything thru except maybe a 1/2 tsp every 3 minutes.

I'm going through the 'cleaning & de-scaling' process again this morning and going to order a new one by end of day if no improvements. Sad that Keurig hasn't figured out this problem because our machine still looks perfect and its going to the dump, along with a zillion others sounds like. The next Keurig will be our last if this problem happens again.

Jan 31, 2010

Descale
by: Donna

Like all of you I love my Keurig so this morning when the descale sigh appeared I followed through with a cleaning , etc ..but I find I cannot DESCALE as my water will not pump through to let me .
Can anyone help?

Jan 25, 2010

2nd Keurig has stopped working
by: Vici

My second Keurig in 2 years has stopped working. Both machines has the same issue. When the first machine stopped brewing without any reason I called the customer service line they said that it was my fault because I didn't run vinegar through the machine and that it shouldn't be used with well water. Yes, we have well water but as a special note we also have a water softner system that removes all of the issues of hard water. Because I love this machine I decided to purchase another new machine but, this time I wasn't going to make the same mistake. I ran vinegar through it about once a month. So, you can imagine my shock when in less than a year it stopped brewing exactly the same way my first machine did.
Any ideas on getting them to work again? I miss my Keurig coffee in the morning but, refuse to buy another one that will only last one year or less.
Looking forward to getting help

Jan 24, 2010

now brewing full cups
by: Jim

I wrote a post a few days ago about our brewer not making full cups. I read the book over and over and I read that the brewer should be left on at all times. We've started doing this and now we're getting full cups again. I cleaned everything but nothing appeared to be clogged since the machine is still new. Not sure if this is what solved our problem but I'll go with it and see what happens. So for those having problems, try leaving the machine on all the time.

Jan 23, 2010

Only brewing half-cuts
by: Jim

We've had our Keurig brewer for only 3 months and we're only getting half-cups. I've cleaned everything several times with no improvement. I have noticed that when the coffee is brewing, there's a steady stream of water running back into the water reservoir via the little rubber hose. The pins are free of clogs and everything has been thoroughly cleaned. Yesterday I reported our problem to customer service. I was on hold for a while and since they were so busy (not a good sign) they said they'd have to call me back and that may take up to 48 hours.

Jan 16, 2010

Where is the pin?
by: Elizabeth

Where is the "pin" everyone is writing below about??
Thank you!
Elizabeth

Jan 11, 2010

de-scale message
by: Anonymous

After running two tanks of vinegar through my B70 and using a paper clip, I was still receiving a flashing de-scale message. I unplugged the machine for about 30 seconds and after plugging it back in, the de-scale message disappeared.

Jan 10, 2010

fourth machine just stopped working this morning
by: Kevin

we have the plantinum model and have gone thru four machines in a year..they always end up with the same problem. It stops sucking water and the descale light never comes on. sure it gets stopped up all the time and we do the toothpick thing and clear the needle..that usually works but eventually it stops all together with early signs of a short squirt of water and nothing. YOu can hear the machine running and it says brewing but nothing... the only thing good about the whole thing is that their customer service is Excellent. I wouldnt buy another machine after all these problems. I believe their problem stems from too narrow a water line making it ez to stop up not that im an expert on coffee makers..waiting now for tech support to call us back and let us know if we need to send this forth machine back

Jan 09, 2010

De-Scale
by: C.Taylor

I found if you catch it early enough you can just run hot filtered water through with no attachments.

Jan 08, 2010

www.kuerig.com
by: JD

go to www.kuerig.com

"help" section has a pdf that explains the descaling process

it's due to calcium deposits in your water.

descale every 6 months....

Jan 06, 2010

Still no luck
by: Christine

Without warning got the Descale & then no flow. Tried cleaning w/vinegar, ran a gallon through it (took about six hours of small pours) & then bought the Dezcal but now only maybe 1/2 t. flows through each "Brew." Tried toothpick, then two increasingly larger sizes of paperclips in poker thingy. Still no luck. Any other suggestions?

Jan 01, 2010

Flashing Descale and delayed fill
by: Anonymous

I followed the instructions on Keurig. (It does tell about cleaning with paperclip) and did everything suggested there and below. Still flashes descale, but also, it doesn't finish the brew cycle till a delayed filling of the tank when the balance of the water comes out. A good 30 seconds between the first part of the brew cycle and then the balance.

Dec 12, 2009

Tried with a paper clip and toothpick, no luck?
by: Anonymous

Platinum Brewer one year old gives de-scale warning and does nothing when Brew cycle is started, just sits there. Tried vinegar, no luck, tried poking the needle, no luck...any ideas?
I live in Phoenix which has very hard water, but this is frustrating. Suggestions appreciated!

Dec 10, 2009

not brewing???
by: Anonymous

My coffee maker said brewing and nothing happened...I followed the suggestions above and cleaned the top pin that pokes the K-cup 2x with a toothpick and VIOLA!! Coffee!!1 thanks1

Dec 09, 2009

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by: Terry

Cleaning the pin worked! Thankyou! Thank you!

Dec 05, 2009

Thanks for the helpful hints! IT WORKS!!!
by: Kathleen

Thank you to all who took the time to post your suggestions! I had the same problem, flashing descaling light, resivoir backflush etc. Used the paperchip and voila! Works fine!

Thanks again!

Dec 05, 2009

Clogged Pin...Nice Solution...
by: Frank R.

Just clean the pin that pokes the k-cup. I have one of those cups that you put your own grinds in. I think this might be even worse at clogging the pin than your standard k-cup.

Anyways, once the pin was clean and the water could flow freely, I let it continue to flow until it stopped. Once the flow stopped, all was good to go.

Thanks for the pin cleaning advice.

Dec 02, 2009

descaling the keurig
by: Anonymous

I just tried the toothpick trick and it worked beautifully. Descale light is out and I got a whole cup of coffee.

Nov 29, 2009

choosing cup size does not work anymore.
by: Jean

We have had Keurig not quite a year. It has always done very well until today. I picked the center cup size. When I made a cup of coffee about an hour ago, all of a sudden, it only gives a small amount of water. I have tried resetting the cup size and no matter even if I put the larger size cup I still get a small amount of wanter into the cup. I can't find help anywhere in the book. Can someone help me. I know this section is for descaling, but I can't find help anywhere.
Thank you.

Nov 23, 2009

Just clean the pin
by: Anonymous

Follow the instructions of person that suggested the toothpick cleaning around the pin. I actually used a paper clip. After running a tank of vinegar through the machine with no help, I used the paper clip around the pin (be careful since the pin is hot and sharp). The Descale light immediately went out and the machine works like a charm.

Nov 08, 2009

fixed!
by: Emily

Before you try vinegar try just water with no k cup first. It fixed mine. What does "de-scale" actually mean?

Nov 08, 2009

fix de-scale issue
by: Anonymous

if you run vinegar through your machine and still having problems it is the pin that actually penetrates the k-cup through the top is clogged with grinds.this backs up the pressure causing the water to be rerouted back to the tank causing half cups.the fix is very easy take a toothepick and just clean out the pin that penetrates the k-cup through the top run a cup then reclean untill you see no more grinds in cup.this should be disclosed by keurig as i have purchased 3 machines that all are now fix and good to go.

Oct 09, 2009

De-scaling
by: Anonymous

I too got the message to de-scale and at the same time the amount of coffee dispensed reduced to half a full cup. On the advice of a friend, I ran the vinegar through the machine (mixed with water) and had to run at least 3 tanks of water afterwards to get rid of the vinegar taste. After about 4 days I'm having the same problem again. What to do?

Editor's Note:

If the vinegar doesn't seem to work, try this:
http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/Accessories/Descal_Descaling_Cleaner

Aug 23, 2009

Vinegar taste stays
by: Kathy

I've used the vinegar to clean mine several times but unfortunately i have to run 2 or 3 times of water to full capacity to get rid of vinegar taste and then it says to descale again....I've had a lot of trouble getting rid of that vinegar taste!

Jun 20, 2009

Descaling a Keurig
by: KC

This takes a bit of time (most of it inactive) but works like a charm.

1: Drain your Keurig coffee machine over a sink.
2: Fill the machine with undiluted white vinegar.
3: Run the brew process at least four times, pouring the cups of vinegar back into the coffee maker.
4: Let your Keurig coffee maker sit for four hours, then run the brew cycles again. Pour the vinegar into the sink and drain any remaining vinegar.
5: Fill your coffee maker with fresh water. Run multiple brew cycles to rinse out the machine before returning to normal use.

Apr 26, 2009

descaled twice
by: Anonymous

I did exactly what it said to do...twice...and less than a week later it's showing de-scale again. I'm thinking vinegar doesn't work in this machine or my machine is on it's way out.

Editor: I would call Keurig or GMCR, if that's where you bought it, and ask them for help or a replacement.

Feb 04, 2009

cleaning a Keurig
by: Anonymous

my Keurig is doing the same thing, won't run at all. what do we do now?

Jan 25, 2009

how to start descaling?
by: Anonymous

What if it won't run water (or vineger through) and just shuts down?

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How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

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How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?