If you live in an area like mine, you know that the quality of tap water is good enough for cooking, washing dishes, clothes, and taking a shower, but that’s about it. Although tap water is safe to drink, there’s a reason bottled water is such big business. Some people think water is water is water, and there is no difference. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are several variances in water quality, depending on what’s in the water itself.
Every single coffeemaker manufacturer, Keurig included, agrees on one point. Your morning cup of joe is only as good as the water used to make it.
The Problem with Water
A quality cup of coffee starts with quality water. When you don’t use the best H2O in your machine, it shows.
As you use your coffee maker over time, you might be subjecting it to this hard water. While safe to drink, it isn’t the safest for your coffee maker. The plumbing lines of your maker will be lined with these minerals, contributing to a lower quality cup of coffee.
One of the most typical symptoms of this mineral buildup is when you put in 16 ounces of water in the machine and end up with a 14 ounce of coffee. Another vital sign is if your coffee tastes ‘off’ and you don’t know why.
The Resolution
[easyazon_image align=”center” height=”160″ identifier=”B00FOT9W5Q” locale=”US” src=”http://coffeemakersparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/41qoteprXUL.SL160.jpg” tag=”cafe049-20″ width=”59″]When this happens you will know it’s time to “descale” your machine. Plus, Keurig’s 2.0 machines include a handy little feature in the programming of it that will tell you it is time to descale!
As a Keurig owner, you know that your machine doesn’t brew coffee in the same manner as traditional automatic-drip coffee makers. So you did what any red-blooded human being would do—GOOGLE IT! As soon as the millions of results pull up on your screen in a split second (cause that’s how Google rolls), you’ll see that Keurig is aware of scaling issues associated with water quality.
Keurig has a product of their own, called the [easyazon_link identifier=”B00FOT9W5Q” locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]Keurig Descaling Solution[/easyazon_link], and it is the only solution approved by Keurig for use in their machines. “Great,” you’re thinking, “I’ve found a solution to my problem. I love my Keurig machine, and a little maintenance will have it running like new!”
Keurig Descaling Solution Ingredients
Before we get too far, let’s ask a question? What are the Keurig Descaling Solution Ingredients? It took some searching, but the answer is out there. Here is a breakdown of the ingredients Keurig uses to make their descaling solution.
>50% Citric Acid
That means that more than half the solution is made up of citric acid. It’s a great cleaning agent that comes from nature, so you can feel comfortable using this cleaning your Keurig.
<3% Silicic Acid.
Less than 3% of the solution is silicic acid. Silicic acid is “a weakly acidic colloidal hydrated form of silica made by acidifying solutions of alkali metal silicates.” This is a stabilizing agent.
<5% Phosphates and Bleaching Agents.
Phosphates are salts containing phosphorus and other compounds. Phosphorus is a naturally occurring compound. These are cleaning agents included in the descaling solution.
Water.
The rest of the solution is good ol’ H2O.
All of these ingredients are designed to work together to get the scale out of your machine, without being too harsh on the machine itself. Every ingredient is water-soluble, allowing the machine to rinse the solution safely out of the machine, along with the calcified gunk clogging your machine.
The purpose of this descaling solution is to clean the indoor plumbing lines of your machine by eradicating the built up mineral deposits in your machine. Once you have a bottle of this in your hand, you will want to use it immediately.
It’s easy to use—here is a breakdown of the instructions for a 2.0 brewer.
Conclusion
I’m sure you didn’t buy your Keurig brewer only to find that its pipes need to be cleaned four months later. However, your machine is not just a tool of convenience. It is an investment that can and will outlast your expectations if you perform a bit of maintenance on it. Think of it like a car. Your vehicle is also a multi-part sophisticated machine, and you’re still expected to perform maintenance on it. It’s no different with this machine. Maintenance is critical. The primary reason appliance break is due to lack of maintenance. Take care of your machine. The process takes 15 minutes and will provide you with yet another six months of delicious coffee.
