This $6 Amazon Find Cleans My Coffee Maker Way Better than Vinegar Does

Although I live in Southern California where the cool weather hasn’t exactly settled here just yet, I try to find ways to enjoy the autumn and winter seasons that don’t involve wearing a cozy sweater. I love to indulge in seasonally flavored hot drinks during this time, like a pumpkin spice latte or café de olla. I typically drink iced matcha or chai regularly, but once the holiday season rolls around, regardless of the weather, I give into my craving for a hot cup of coffee.

Because I only use my drip coffee maker about once a month throughout the year, I usually descale it with some white vinegar, but this process usually takes a while to completely remove any lingering vinegar scent or taste (yes, I’ve unfortunately sipped vinegar-laced coffee). 

Now that I am using my coffee maker a few times a week, however, I figured there must be another solution to quickly descale it and keep it clean. I stumbled upon these convenient tablets on Amazon and was genuinely shocked at how well they worked. 

I followed the instructions on the back of each individually wrapped tablet, which said to fill the reservoir to the maximum level and then run one brew cycle. Once the pot was about half full with clear water, I had two thoughts: My coffee maker was either extremely clean or these tablets didn’t work. 

After discarding the clear water, I once again filled the reservoir to the maximum level and ran another cycle per the instructions. I was both shocked and impressed that the coffee pot began to fill with rust-colored water. 

After discarding the dirty water, I ran two more cycles at the halfway levels to flush out any remnants of the tablet. Once it was clean, I brewed a fresh pot of my favorite medium roast. I noticed a bolder, richer flavor, and the peace of mind of knowing I had a squeaky-clean coffee maker was just as comforting as my morning cup of Joe.