Whether you descale regularly, or you’re in a panic because your Keurigs descale lights come on and you don’t know what to do – don’t fret! Using Keurig’s own descaling solution is a simple and quick process that’ll have you brewing again in no time.
Keurig descaling solution is a cleaning product made mostly from a food-safe acid – lactic acid. It should be run through your coffee machine every three months to avoid limescale from clogging the heating element and internet pipework. Keurig Descaling solution should be mixed in a 1:1 ratio with water before use.
This guide is going to save you from reading the user manual, and get you descaling your Keurig machine in no time!
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 💚
Table of Contents
What is Descaling?
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 Does The Descaling Process Take?
The entire process to descale your Keurig Machine will take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes depending on the model of machine.
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.
Can you use vinegar instead of Keurig 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.
How to Use Keurig Descaling Solution (For All Keurig Machines)
In this guide were going to share the steps you need to follow to decasle your machine.
Note: Each machine is different, we’ve listed the instructions for the most popular models of Keurig machines below, but if yours isn’t listed here, then you’ll need to check out the instruction manual.
- How To Descale Your Keurig 2.0
- How To Descale Your Keurig K-Cafe
- How To Descale Your Keurig K-Duo
- How To Descale Your Keurig K-Elite
- How To Descale Your Keurig K-Express
- How To Descale Your Keurig K-Slim
- How To Descale Your Keurig K-Supreme
1. How To Descale Your Keurig 2.0:
The following are our step-by-step instructions for descaling your 2.0 machine.
Read More: This is the short version, you can read our full guide to descaling a Keurig 2.0 here.
- If you’re using a Keurig water filter, remove it before proceeding. It’s a good opportunity to also replace the filter while you do your descaling run.
- Fill the water reservoir with a mix of desclaing 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.
- Plug the machine in, and ensure the machine is powered
- Ensure there is no capsule in the machine. lower the handle and DO NOT insert a capsule into the machine.
- Force the descaling liquid through by Pressing the largest beverage size button.
- Once complete, discard the contents of the collection jug/mug
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all the descaling fluid is consumed and the touch screen reports ‘More Water Please’
- Let the brewer stand for 30 minutes to allow the descaling fluid to take effect.
- The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir.
- 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 a ‘Rinse Brew’ by pressing the largest brew size button again.
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 at least 12 times to ensure the machine is thoroughly rinsed. During the entire process, you may have to refill the reservoir at least once
- The descaling is now complete. Reinsert the filter cartridge if you had removed it at the start of the process
2. How To Descale Your Keurig K-Cafe:
The following are our step-by-step instructions for descaling your K-Cafe machine.
Read More: This is the short version, you can read our full guide to descaling a Keurig K-Cafe here.
- If you’re using a Keurig water filter, remove it before proceeding. It’s a good opportunity to also replace the filter while you do your descaling run.
- 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.
- Plug the machine in, and ensure the machine is powered.
- Ensure there is no capsule in the machine. lower the handle and DO NOT insert a capsule into the machine.
- With a mug inserted onto the drip tray, press the “8oz” and 10oz” buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds until the dealing light becomes illuminated.
- Wait for the “12oz” button and the “DESCALE” light to start flashing – indicating the machine has entered descaling mode.
- Next, press the “12oz” button to start the descaling run.
- When finished, empty the mug down the sink and return it to the drip tray.
- Repeat steps 7 and 8 until the “ADD WATER” light illuminates.
- Let the brewer stand for 5 minutes to allow the descaling fluid to take effect.
- The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir.
- 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 a ‘Rinse Brew’ by pressing the “12oz” button when it starts flashing
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 at least 12 times to ensure the machine is thoroughly rinsed. During the entire process, you may have to refill the reservoir at least once
- Descaling is now complete. Reinsert the filter cartridge if you had removed it at the start of the process. The machine will now exit descale mode automatically and the descale light will turn off.
These are three steps you need to follow to descale your Keurig K-Cafe coffee machine. There’s also this video below from the Keurig youtube channel to help visualize the process!
3. How To Descale Your Keurig K-Duo:
The following are our step-by-step instructions for descaling your K-Duo machine.
Read More: This is the short version, you can read our full guide to descaling a Keurig K-Duo here.
- If you’re using a Keurig water filter, remove it before proceeding. It’s a good opportunity to also replace the filter while you do your descaling run.
- 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.
- Plug the machine in, and ensure the machine is powered
- Ensure there is no capsule in the machine. lower the handle and DO NOT insert a capsule into the machine.
- With a mug inserted onto the drip tray, press the ‘POWER’ button, then select ‘POD’, press ’12’, and then hit the ‘BREW’ button. This will rinse the pod mechanism
- Once complete, discard the contents of the collection mug down the sink
- Next, insert the carafe into the machine onto the hotplate
- Press the ‘CARAFE’ button, then select ’12’ and then press ‘BREW’.
- Press the ‘POWER’ button to turn off the hot plate (we don’t need to heat the carafe!)
- Let the brewer stand for 30 minutes to allow the descaling fluid to take effect.
- The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir.
- Then, pour fresh water into the reservoir until the water level reaches the MAX FILL line.
- Return the empty collection mug onto the drip tray.
- Run a ‘Pod Rinse’ by pressing the ‘POWER’ button, then select ‘POD’, press ’12’, and then hit the ‘BREW’ button. This will rinse the pod mechanism
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 at least 3 times to ensure the machine is thouroughly rinsed, for a total of 4 rinse cycles.
- Run a ‘Carafe Rinse’ by pressing the ‘CARAFE’ button, then select ’12’ and then press ‘BREW’.
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 7 and 8 at least 3 times to ensure the machine is thouroughly rinsed, for a total of 4 rinse cycles. Note: you may need to top up the water reservoir in this time.
- The descaling is now complete. Reinsert the filter cartridge if you had removed it at the start of the process.
4. How To Descale Your Keurig K-Elite:
The following are our step-by-step instructions for descaling your K-Elite machine.
Read More: This is the short version, you can read our full guide to descaling a Keurig K-Elite here.
- If you’re using a Keurig water filter, remove it before proceeding. It’s a good opportunity to also replace the filter while you do your descaling run.
- Fill the water reservoir with a mix of desclaing 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.
- Plug the machine in, and ensure the machine is powered
- Ensure there is no capsule in the machine. lower the handle and DO NOT insert a capsules into the machine.
- Run a ‘Rinse Brew’ by pressing the hot water button and then the largest brewing size button.
- Once complete, discard the contents of the collection jug/mug
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all the descaling fluid is consumed and the ‘ADD WATER’ light comes on
- Let the brewer stand for 30 minutes to alllow the descaling fluid to take effect.
- The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir.
- 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 a ‘Rinse Brew’ by pressing the hot water button and then the largest brewing size button.
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 at lest 12 times to ensure the machine is thouroghly rinsed. During the entire process, you may have to refill the reservoir at least once
- Descaling is now complete. Reinsert the filter cartridge if you had removed it at the start of the process.
5. How To Descale Your Keurig K-Express:
The following are our step-by-step instructions for descaling your K-Express machine.
Read More: This is the short version, you can read our full guide to descaling a Keurig K-Express here.
- If you’re using a Keurig water filter, remove it before proceeding. It’s a good opportunity to also replace the filter while you do your descaling run.
- 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.
- Plug the machine in, and ensure the machine is powered on.
- Ensure there is no capsule in the machine. lower the handle and DO NOT insert a capsule into the machine.
- Press and hold both the 8oz and 10oz buttons simultaneously. The light should being to flash orange.
- Then. press the 8oz button to begin the descaling cycle.
- Once complete, discard the contents of the collection jug/mug
- Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all the descaling fluid is consumed and the ‘ADD WATER’ light comes on
- The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir.
- 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
- Press the ‘8oz’ button to run the brew operation again and rinse through the machine.
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the ‘DESCALE’ light is no longer illuminated. During the entire process, you may have to refill the reservoir at least once
- The machine has now exited descale mode and the process is complete
6. How To Descale Your Keurig K-Slim:
The following are our step-by-step instructions for descaling your K-Slim machine.
Read More: This is the short version, you can read our full guide to descaling a Keurig K-Slim here.
- If you’re using a Keurig water filter, remove it before proceeding. It’s a good opportunity to also replace the filter while you do your descaling run.
- 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.
- Plug the machine in, and ensure the machine is powered
- Ensure there is no capsule in the machine. lower the handle and DO NOT insert a capsule into the machine.
- With a mug inserted onto the drip tray, press the “8oz” and 10oz” buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds until the dealing light becomes illuminated.
- wait for the “BREW” button to start flashing – indicating the machine has warmed up.
- Next, press the “BREW” button to start the descaling run.
- When finished, empty the mug down the sink and return it to the drip tray.
- Repeat steps 7 and 8 until the “ADD WATER” light illuminates.
- Let the brewer stand for 30 minutes to allow the descaling fluid to take effect.
- The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir.
- 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 a ‘Rinse Brew’ by pressing the “BREW” button when it starts flashing
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 at lest 12 times to ensure the machine is thouroghly rinsed. During the entire process, you may have to refill the reservoir at least once
- Descaling is now complete. Reinsert the filter cartridge if you had removed it at the start of the process.
7. How To Descale Your Keurig K-Supreme:
The following are our step-by-step instructions for descaling your K-Supreme machine.
Read More: This is the short version, you can read our full guide to descaling a Keurig K-Supreme here.
- If you’re using a Keurig water filter, remove it before proceeding. It’s a good opportunity to also replace the filter while you do your descaling run.
- 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.
- Plug the machine in, and ensure the machine is powered
- Ensure there is no capsule in the machine. lower the handle and DO NOT insert a capsule into the machine.
- With a mug inserted onto the drip tray, press the “8oz” and 10oz” buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds until the dealing light becomes illuminated.
- Wait for the “BREW” button to start flashing – indicating the machine has warmed up.
- Next, press the “BREW” button to start the descaling run.
- When finished, empty the mug down the sink and return it to the drip tray.
- Repeat steps 7 and 8 until the “ADD WATER” light illuminates.
- Let the brewer stand for 5 minutes to allow the descaling fluid to take effect.
- The next step is to rinse out any remaining descaling solution from the water reservoir.
- 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 a ‘Rinse Brew’ by pressing the “BREW” button when it starts flashing
- Empty the contents collected in the mug into the sink.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 at least 12 times to ensure the machine is thoroughly rinsed. During the entire process, you may have to refill the reservoir at least once
- Descaling is now complete. Reinsert the filter cartridge if you had removed it at the start of the process.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article on how to use Keurigs descaling solution.
Please let us know in the comments below if there’s anything we missed, or if you have any tips and tricks to keep your Keurig clean and
