Keurig K Mini is one of the most sought-after coffee machines available on the market nowadays with over 69,000 reviews on amazon alone.
However, proper maintenance of this machine is essential to keep the functionality the same as it did the day you bought it. It also helps you increase the longevity of the device!
Descaling is a vital part of a proper maintenance schedule and is often overlooked by most Keurig owners as an unnecessary hassle (when the machine appears to be working fine.. right?)
Why Listen To Us? Well, because we KNOW coffee! In fact, we make our own coffee, coffee machine cleaners, and reusable capsules which we've sold to over 41 countries. Our team ouf experts include Tristan (an engineer), Claire (a food writer) and Richy (a barista). So, whether you're looking for a recipe or repair guide, we've got you covered 💚
In this guide, we’ll explain why descaling your K Mini regularly is so important, and how you can do it in a matter of minutes.
Not the right machine for you? Check out our other descaling guides for Keurig coffee machines below:
Water is the most dominant ingredient in a cup of coffee. But water isn’t just water. It contains minerals, such as magnesium and calcium. When you make coffee, these minerals get into the machine and form mineral buildup in and around the heating element of the coffee maker. These deposits are known as limescale (or ‘scale’ for short).
The process of eliminating the mineral deposits from the heating element is known as descaling!
How Often Do You Need to Descale Your Keurig K Mini Machine?
The heating element of a coffee maker is not visible. So, mineral buildup often goes unnoticed for several months. The Keurig K Mini user manual recommends to descale the coffee maker every 3 to 6 months to keep it in excellent working condition. The exact frequency can be decided based on the mineral content of the water you have been using and how many coffees you make
We er on the side of caution as many town in the USA in particular have quite hard water and suggest descaling the machine every three months or 300 coffees – whichever comes first. This aligns with the best practice for Nespresso machines too.
That means if you use your machine often you may need to descale more frequently. Some examples of descaling frequencies are shown in the table below.
Number of coffees per day
Recommended descaling frequency
1-2
Every 3 months
3-4
Every 3 months
5-8
Every 2 months
8-10
Every month
The frequency of descaling also largely depends on what is known as your ‘water hardness’ – which essentially means how much mineral salts are present in your town or city’s water supply. Areas with high water hardness will require you to descale your machine more often, and areas with low water hardness can reduce the amount of maintenance required.
Check whether there is any beverage pod in the K-Cup pod holder. You should remove it before descaling. You should also remove the water filter too or replace it with a new one at the end of the descaling process.
A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Descale Your Keurig K Mini Coffee Machine
Use a wet cloth with a small amount of detergent to wipe down the body of the machine. It’s important not to wash the machine in the sink, as water can get inside and damage the electronics as well as causing rust.
Keeping the exterior of the machine clean from just, grime and greasy build up is essential to stop dirt getting into the machine.
Step 2: Descaling Solution Rinse
Nest we need to mix up the descaling solution and run it through the machine.
Fill the water reservoir with a mix of descaling solution and water. If you’re using the Keurig descaler, use one bottle of descaler, and then refill with one bottle of water to achieve a 1:1 ratio. If you’re using another descaler, then follow the instructions on the back.
Turn the power on by pressing the power button
Insert a container or mug under the drip tray.
Lift and lower the handle but DO NOT insert a capsule into the machine.
Press the ‘Brew’ button.
Once complete, discard the contents of the collection jug/mug
Step 3: Leave To Stand Once Descaled
Repeat the process by pressing the ‘Brew’ button again.
Now, when the ‘Brew Indicator Light’ turns from flashing to solid, press the ‘Brew’ button again to pause the brewing operation
Leave your K Mini machine to stand for 30 minutes. This gives time for the descaling solution to disolve the scale inside the machine
Press and hold the ‘Brew’ button. This will manually restart the brewing process. Continue to hold the button down until the water reservoir is emptied.
Step 4: Fresh Water Rinse
The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservior.
Then, pour fresh water into the reservoir until the water level reaches the MAX FILL line.
Return the empty collection jug/mug onto the drip tray plate
Run the brew operation again to rinse through the machine.
Empty the contents available on the mug into the sink
Repeat this at least 3 times or until there is no foam, discolor or scale exiting the machine.
During the entire process, you may have to refill the reservoir at least once
These are three steps you need to follow to descale your Keurig K Mini coffee machine. There’s also this video below from the Keurig youtube channel to help visualize the process!
Download: Get a copy of our descaling cheatsheet below.
Frequently Asked Questions And Issues:
Here are some of the issues you may experience while performing the descaling task:
Foam dispensation
Brewer not filling properly
can you use vinegar instead of descaling soltion
What is descaling solution made from?
Can you make your own descaling soltuion?
Can i use any descaler in my K Mini machine?
What happens if i dont descale my coffee machine?
Is decaling soltion toxic
Can you descale with baking soda?
Q. Why is there foam coming out from the coffee machine?
When you perform this task, you may find foam coming out from the brewer due to the cleaning action of the descaling solution. Don’t panic. It is the aftereffect of the reaction between the descaling solution and mineral deposit.
Most descaling solutions use a concentrated food-safe acid as the active ingredient. In the case of the Eco Descaler we use, this is citric acid – so any foam or residue from the descaler is perfectly harmless in diluted quantities.
Q. Keurig not filling correctly?
When you descale a Keurig K Mini machine with a higher calcium scale quantity, you may find the brewer not filling accurately after adding the descaling agent. This situation leads to ineffective scale removal. You may also hear the sound of air blowing out.
To address this issue, you must switch off and unplug the brewer. Then, you have to remove the descaling solution from the reservoir and clean it thoroughly. Water must be refilled before plugging and turning the power on. The next step is to repeat the Fresh Water Rinse cycle recommended in Step 3.
Under normal circumstances, the issue will be resolved. If you experience the same problem again, you must keep the brewer unplugged for half an hour before starting the rinsing task.
Q. Can you use vinegar instead of descaling solution?
Scientifically speaking, cleaning your Keurig machine with vinegar is almost exactly the same as with a commercial descaler solution.
Unfortunately, however, vinegar tends to peel off the scale build up in flakes which could clog your machine causing irreparable damage. We’ve heard numerous cases of people having to throw out their coffee machine because of this. We’d recommend sticking with a commercial descaling product.
Q. What is a descaling solution made of?
Descaling solution is generally an acidic chemical that is capable of dissolving mineral salts such as oxides and carbonates. Notable descaling agents include acetic acid, citric acid, and lactic acid. These are all food-safe chemicals, however citric and acetic acid do impart a more noticeable taste to the machine, thus lactic acid is typically preferred.
Q. Can you make your own descaling solution?
You can make your own descaling solution using vinegar or citric acid, though we’d recommend using a commercial descaling product in a concentration that is proven not to damage your machine.
Q. Can I use any descaler in my K Mini Machine?
Yes, in fact, you can use all descaling products in any brand of coffee machine. Just make sure to read the machine’s specific descaling instructions to make sure you use the correct amount of product.
Q. What happens if you don’t descale your coffee machine?
Scale builds up inside the pipes restricting the flow of water. If this happens inside the heating element it prevents water from reaching its optimal brewing temperature. When this happens it’s impossible to extract the full flavor from the coffee pods and the flavor will become weak. Severe scale buildup can clog water flow completely, causing a machine to stop working.
Q. Is descaling solution toxic?
Our favorite Eco Descaler descaling powder is completely non-tox and eco-friendly. It’s made from citric acid which is food safe in moderate doses. Other descaling solutions may use caustic chemicals such as sodium hydroxide which is highly toxic, so please check the label if unsure.
Q. Can you descale with baking soda?
We don’t recommend using baking soda to descale your coffee machine.
Descaling takes around 45 minutes and consists of a descaling run and a rinse run.
You can use any brand of descaling product in your Keurig Mini, as long as you dilute it with the correct amount of water to the manufacturer’s instructions.
We recommend using the Green Pods Eco Descaler. It comes with 4 sachets (1 year’s supply) which are perfectly portioned. It’s environmentally friendly, and it’s also more cost-effective than the name-brand Keurig Descalers.
✔️ ENJOY BETTER TASTING COFFEE: Infrequent descaling is the #1 reason your coffee is tasting bad. Descale and you’ll taste the difference.
✔️ SAFE FOR YOU AND YOUR MACHINE: Our Eco Descaler is safe for all machine parts. It leaves no harmful residues and does not cause corrosion within the coffee machine.
✔️ WORKS ON ALL COFFEE MACHINES: Designed and tested on all leading coffee machines including Nespresso, Keurig, Dolce Gusto, Caffitaly, Breville, Delonghi, and more.
Let us know in the comments below if you have any tips of tricks to keep your Keurig Mini clean, and what descaling product you prefer to use?
Tristan is a professional engineer and amateur coffee aficionado. He started The Green Pods when he saw just how much waste was being produced by the single-serve coffee machine market.
