How to Descale and Clean a Keurig K-Cafe Machine

This video goes through each step of descaling a Keurig K-Cafe coffee machine. It's an easy process, but can take a while to complete. You can find the Keurig descaling solution many places online, like Target, Walmart, Kohl's, Amazon and even Best Buy. I hope you find this video helpful.

[@etsw]

It's hard to find detailed and covering every angle kinda tutorials on internet. Thank you for the video. Right now, I'm going to try it out :) I know what exactly I need to do!

[@angelicadelvalle134]

*This replaced a smaller Keurig that I owned for 6 years **MyBest.Kitchen** I wanted the convenience of the water receptacle and while this unit is much larger than the previous one, I'm very happy with my purchase. The only downside to this larger model is having to move it from under the cabinets to place the pod and refill it. I was able to rectify this by purchasing glide mats for small appliances. Now, it's perfect!*

[@yuriblanco6366]

Thank you 😊

[@surfergirl2943]

Thank you - super helpful. I know it’s 3 years old but I appreciated this 😂.

[@kellyjon3s925]

Well now I know why my coffee tasted terrible after I cleaned it! I put the solution in added water ran it threw then rinsed it! No wonder my coffee tasted like chemicals!!! The instructions that came with the keurig said nothing about letting it sit 30 min then rinsing 12 times and I lost the cleaning solution instructions so I watched a KZbin video obviously they didn't really know how to do it, Thank u for this video!

[@dutchtaz85]

Thank you that was super helpful. My husband is the solution and thought it was ready but it wasn’t ready.

[@jesselemons4089]

Thanks for the tutorial!

[@alikermani6731]

I just used this method and my Keurig is back up and running again. Thanks for the help man! Good video! Good Shit!

[@robertledbetter4300]

Why isn't my descale light coming on? It's been 1.5 years for me and mine has never come on.

[@jamesrahn8339]

How do you get the descale light to come on

[@johabela8691]

Hi great video! 🤙🏻 does anyone know if there’s a filter on this machine and if so, where is it?

[@kthename08]

Definitely needed this!

[@suannewillis9232]

If it wasn’t for u I would be lost on how to use this thank u so much !!

[@vanildesespudo7950]

Wow! What a great tutorial. Thank you

[@franiscop]

Mine it's the same model and thanks for this video

[@JFNolet]

Do I have to wait for the descale light to turn on or it is recommended to descale the machine periodically?

[@CRM380]

Was just going to ask the same question. My descale light has not come on yet. Ours is a yr old and I was going to do a descaling. Maybe I’ll hold off. Great video!

[@FootballDailyy365]

Hey I really enjoyed the tutorial. Very helpful! Just one question - Is there any trick to get the machine in the deacale mode? I have the same K Cafe model but the deacale light is always off. Never turns on, never blinks. I also tried to do some research on google couldn't find anything helpful. I would really appreciate it if you can guide me. Thank you!

[@Moodie111]

Based on other KZbin videos that don't mention any kind of "descaling mode", I'd say that the descaling light only turns on when you've used the machine a lot and it decides that it's time for descaling it. My descaling light hasn't activated yet but since I haven't used the machine in about a year I've decided to use my descaling kit now rather than later. Just make sure that you deactivate the auto-off feature so the descaling solution sits in the brewer and stays hot for at least a half-hour so it has plenty of time to work. To deactivate it just turn the machine off (but leave it plugged in) and hold the "strong" and "10 oz." buttons down at the same time. The auto-off light will come on and then turn off. Then release the buttons. That's how you do it on a K-Café machine which is what I have. Clean it and rinse it thoroughly, then turn auto-off back on in the same way and you're done.

[@Czangrlli422]

How do you clear the descale light when you’re done ?!?

[@maldonado8437]

Keep rinsing w water until it goes away

[@jadem1077]

Good tutorial. I’m still Trying to figure out how you got twelve, 12 ounce brews at the end. 12x12 is 144 ounces.... my K cafe doesn’t hold that much water. Nonetheless, it is descaled now. Thank you!

[@MarkFauntleroy]

The idea is to use the largest brew setting on the machine, which is 12 ounces, when flushing the system. Between each of these 12 ounce brews, you dump the water filtered through the system. You will also have to refill your clean water reservoir a few times as you go. I think it's just about running clean water through the system enough times to get any of the remaining cleaning solution out.

[@samanthamarty7520]

Thank you this was very helpful 👍🏼

[@kennethtorres7764]

Thank you Mark, this is very helpful!

[@MarkFauntleroy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mariaascencio6519]

Thank you so very much!! I really appreciate this!! ❤

[@ziv2liv]

I wonder how can I empty the internal tank for storage in this model , I saw several videos for different Keurig coffeemakers, all involve some different levels of disassembly but nothing for this one.

[@skm6704]

Thank you for this video! However, I cleaned my Keurig but the descaling light wont turn off..Do you know what is happening?

[@MarkFauntleroy]

I'm not 100% sure, but a quick Google search seems to indicate that maybe it's the "exit needle" where water comes out into the K-Cup pod being clogged. See this post. www.justanswer.com/general/5toz0-keurig-machine-says-descale-even-taking-measures.html

[@kavali938]

So I don't know if this was your issue but I encountered it so thought I would share. I descaled my Keurig k cafe twice because I truly thought the descale light was illuminated. Turns out it was the light from the auto-off setting illuminating the descale light partially. To turn off the auto-off off just to see if this is your problem you can follow these instructions from the manual.

[@sharonmcclary2535]

@@MarkFauntleroy Thank you Mark. I had the same problem and saw this reply. Not only did the descaling light not go off, the machine itself would shut off. Stuck a toothpick pick up the exit needle a little bit and it became unclogged. I was able to run the (12) 12 oz through and the machine is working fine. Thanks for the tip!

[@jeyre2]

I am descaling mine but I tried calling Keurig and they don't help you one bit, just refer you to their site. The problem I was having was I needed to put in a little more water! She didn't have a clue. Ty for this video I have 10 more rinses to do and clean reservoir.

[@MarkFauntleroy]

Glad it was helpful.

[@paulrock4816]

The 1st time I did that I did not leave the tank hot for 1/2 hour, ran into problems. I youtube this video I did not cut corners & it works fine. For all of you who don't follow instructions go to youtube, like me.

[@twannajohnson6514]

Thanks for sharing your video! My coffee tastes a lot better!

[@lauraelisee]

How do you turn the descale cycle on if it’s not lit up lol

[@authorfeleciawellington-iw4861]

Is there supposed to be a tall filter inside of the water reservoir? I have seen on other vids a tall clear tower attached to bottom thingy..do I need one? Yours doesn't have one either. Just like mines. Is that ok?

[@mikewiththebluecar]

the filter is sold separately and unless your filling it with bottled or filtered water i would recommend installing the filter because its reduces the amount of deposits in the heating chamber so you dont have to descale as often and extends the life of the machine.

[@koezuna]

Tried this, the first cup ran through and so much junk came out I was shocked. But now no more water comes out and I’ve tried unclogging it but nothing. Any hints?

[@310_Latchkey_kid]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@mattiep6692]

What about removing the k cup holder and needle like other keurigs?

[@mikewiththebluecar]

yeah that's a great question, those parts get covered with oil from the coffee and needs to be cleaned off every once in a while but you cant remove these parts on this model like you could on the older models. seems like an unsanitary design flaw in my opinion.

[@dm9022]

You can use white vinegar instead of cleaner

[@rachelmorgan6291]

How much white vinegar do you use?

[@rachelmorgan6291]

How much white vinegar do you use?

[@kimberlyfoster3694]

Does your water reservoir come with a filter? Mine doesn't and I can't find where to buy one. Is it necessary?

[@MarkFauntleroy]

This particular machine does not have a filter in the water reservoir. The machine I had before this one had a filter. I used to just order them on Amazon.

[@livearandomlife]

I just bought a whole cleaning kit at walmart that came with the descaling solution, 4 cleaning kcupels and 2 filters

[@lonestaryall2501]

Mine turns on but won’t run the brew cycle? Help!

[@neftalimonita4784]

How do you get rid of the descaling light, its still on after the whole process

[@MarkFauntleroy]

Hmm...not sure. I'd try unplugging the machine for a minute and then plugging it back in.

[@valerialopez1523]

Thank you

[@nathalymelgar9789]

Do I use the rinse pod that comes with it after descaling it or is it not necessary? I didn’t see you use it.

[@MarkFauntleroy]

No. I did not use a rinse pod - never heard of those. The instructions just have you go through a bunch of cycles running water through the system.

[@naaamarteifio4778]

I have the same machine and not used for three months. I tried using today and it won’t even work. The light won’t come on although the power outlet is working

[@naaamarteifio4778]

Can you kindly assist me

[@MarkFauntleroy]

Hi, Naa. Sorry, but I can't help you troubleshoot electrical issues with the appliance.

[@naaamarteifio4778]

Ok, thanks

[@kitsyjones1013]

How do you change the filter?

[@christinasmith3427]

There isn’ta filter to change? I don’t think anyway

[@tylervanbooven5764]

Supposedly you have a to purchase a separate assembly to hold the filter inside the water reservoir

[@mmitchell1727]

What does descaling do? Would it prevent a 12oz pour from being 12oz? Our keurig only pours 10oz on 12oz

[@MarkFauntleroy]

I'm not an expert, but I think the answer is likely yes. See this video about how scaling builds up inside a boiler. With moderate to severe scaling, your boiler will hold less water. Also, boiler temps will be inconsistent and flavor may be effected. See this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJqZiIuihdl1pqc

[@cindysampson8728]

Thank you!

[@kstar562]

Can I not do the descale, I'm asking because other people don't do it, they just let the water goes one time and they start it to do the coffee

[@Marian1st.]

Does the front part of the machine where the k-cup goes, come out to clean it?

[@MarkFauntleroy]

Yes. There is a plastic basket in which the K-Cups sit. That basket pops out and can be cleaned. The entire front part of the machine, however, does not come apart and it does sometimes need to be cleaned. We just use a damp paper towel to get into this section of the machine.

[@Marian1st.]

@@MarkFauntleroy I tried to push it in and to twist it left and right. I can’t get it to come out and I don’t want to break it. 😂

[@Marian1st.]

OK. I did it. Just hold it from the top and push it up from the bottom. Thanks!

[@javamochafrap]

thanks

[@jmj267]

You show the bottle of solution but you never showed the rinse pods in the package there's three of them in the package when do you use those?

[@danielvalentine7356]

H Right im still wandering does this clean the water filter ?

[@zigzagfly1635]

Thank you. That solved much bewilderment for me.

[@kunaldalal8636]

Did u leave the funnel on or out. Seems like in the video its out

[@MarkFauntleroy]

I left it out.

[@suzannejohnson5588]

Mine keeps shutting off

[@johnnyrobishcomedy]

My machine will not rum if there is no pod in the machine.

[@walt686868]

Thank you.

[@MarkFauntleroy]

You're welcome!

[@Ftybr57]

How many times are you gonna say 30 minutes we get it already

[@haxs9364]

I can’t find the way to light the descale

[@jimmoore7442]

The light only comes on when descaling is needed.

[@shahrosekhan6935]

30 minutes without coffee!?

[@luisgutierrez2436]

How often do you have to descale your Keurig K Cafe? Awesome video! Thank you for this!

[@MarkFauntleroy]

Only had to descale once in the 1.4 years with this machine. I've since purchased a Breville Barista Pro and will be adding a video on that machine relatively soon.

[@hadiel3754]

mine keeps turning off :/

[@katiewiscombe9231]

Mine too!!! I don’t know what I’m doing

[@marlizebervig]

Mine I just did about 8 coffee and taste burned. I bought when I was on vacation on USA. Now I don’t know what to do.

[@SunMyst]

This doesn't make sense. Did you watch the video?

[@nellgrill3845]

What ?

[@Vee8321]

This uses up a lot of water. It’s kinda ridiculous. Run 12 oz of water 12 times?!

[@patriciazamarripa-kf5pq]

How do I get the descale light to turn on?

[@marymcpherson9180]

Why does the light stay on after I have done the D scale?