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How to Remove Hard Water Stains From a Coffee Pot

Ann Johnson

Periodically, your coffee pot needs to be clean to remove the hard water buildup, which can adversely affect the taste of the coffee as well as the appearance of the decanter. Some coffee pot manufacturers sell cleaning products for their appliances, yet ordinary distilled white vinegar is effective at dissolving hard water deposits and stains.

Freshen the coffee pot with vinegar.
  1. Prepare your coffee pot as you would when making a pot of coffee, but do not add coffee. Instead of water, add equal amounts of water and distilled white vinegar.

  2. Turn on the coffee maker, so the water and vinegar solution runs through the coffee pot.

  3. Turn off the coffee pot, and allow the water and vinegar solution to sit in the pot for about 20 minutes.

  4. Discard the vinegar and water, and rinse the decanter to remove all traces of the vinegar.

  5. Repeat Steps 1 and 2, but use water instead of vinegar, to remove traces of the vinegar. You may need to do this several times to remove the vinegar residue.