You know I often write about family, friends, experiences, memories, and traditions, and now I also share different local businesses.

I write down anything that I think would make a good story someday in my “Webb Ideas” list on my phone. I have ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas for this year that I wrote down last year. As soon as I think of something, I write it down. When you write fifty-two times a year, you have to keep creative!!

I hear from so many of you how much you love my crazy stories and hearing about family. I absolutely love that. I want my readers to feel safe with me. I want you to look forward to reading and wondering, “What is this crazy lady gonna write about this week?” I like to keep you all on your toes!

I had another couple tell me that the evening when the Webb Weekly comes out, they both make a cup of coffee, and the wife reads my article to her husband. They read it together each week. I thought that was cool. It’s how they unwind. I want my articles to be coffee-sippin’ material. I don’t want to be boring, but if you know me, you know that Andrea is far from boring! *Enter my famous cheesy smile here*

Speaking of coffee and “boring,” let’s chat about this. This column isn’t about anything fancy, but it might be helpful. Who all drinks coffee? Do you? Does your family? Here is my next question. How often do you clean your coffee maker? Once a week? Once a month? Once a year? (YUCK.) They say once a month, but I do ours about every three weeks.

Each night, I get our coffee maker ready for the next morning for Chris. I don’t drink coffee. I am a hot tea drinker. My husband has it each morning, and I like him to be able to just walk out into the kitchen and hit the brew button. I know I have talked about the coffee fairy who magically stops by each night to prepare the coffee again for the next day. He doesn’t ever see me do it, so it’s fun to think that. But, obviously, he knows who really does it, and often says to me that some mornings when he hits his coffee maker, he thinks, “Man, she is the best.” That always makes me feel so good. I love that he acknowledges that I do it for him and that he doesn’t take it for granted. I also love taking care of him, and I’ll do anything that I can to make it easier for him. He works hard, and if I can make something that much easier for him, it makes me happy to do it.

Think about how much you use that coffee maker every single day, but how much do you clean it? All that water that just sits in there after it’s done brewing. Does it ever air out? Each morning, I lift the lid and let the cabinet hold it up so it can air out once it’s cooled down. I then rinse out the coffee pot and basket filter. When everything is dry, then I get it ready for the next morning.

I always wipe out the inside with a paper towel and the handle that spits the water out. You wouldn’t believe the residue just from one brew.

Every week, I run the parts through the dishwasher.

Then, about every three weeks or so, I run vinegar and water through that bad boy!

Yes, I am sitting here writing about cleaning a coffee maker and people. BORING, I know, but someone has to do it!

I honestly wonder if people don’t even really give it a thought. I mean, after all, it is just running water into a pot, right? How nasty can it get? Experts say that most coffee makers are growing with bacteria and mold. I mean, it makes sense! A wet, warm, and dark place. Think about it. I am looking out for your health here, folks.

I am going to give you directions on how to keep those coffee machines clean and keep you healthy. I always worry about Chris getting really sick and doctors coming out saying, “You are sick from a type of mold that comes from a coffee maker.” Telling him that he has coffeititis or something. (Coffeitits — I totally made it up, but I like it.) It’s a fear of mine, and I never even drink the darn stuff. I take full responsibility for, and pride in, our coffee maker and what comes out of it.

Now listen, if any of you have some fancy schmancy latte maker or espresso machine, I know nothing about those. I am talking about a classic BUNN-type coffee maker, and I know you can also use vinegar in a Keurig machine. Keurig is as fancy as I get. So, instead of a recipe this week, you get a “How to clean your coffee maker” edition.

Enjoy folks, stay fresh, stay clean, and stay clear from coffeititis!!
How to Clean Your Coffee Maker

Daily Cleaning: Make sure to keep the lid open to help air out in the reservoir. Rinse out the filter basket well, too, I never know if coffee grains got in there or not. Rinse the pot out with hot water.

Weekly cleaning: Wipe down the exterior and warming the plate with a damp cloth. Also, wash the basket and filters with warm water and dish soap. If they’re dishwasher safe, you can run them through a cycle.
Descaling:

Use a descaling solution to remove mineral buildup. You can make your own solution by mixing equal parts water and white vinegar in the water reservoir.

Run a brew cycle halfway through, turn off the coffee maker, and let the solution steep for 30–45 minutes.

Turn the machine on and finish the brew cycle, then discard the solution and refill the reservoir with clean water.

Run another brew cycle to make sure all the water has run through the system. You can also use a descaling tablet, like Affresh Coffee Maker Cleaner, which doesn’t require mixing or measuring, but I always just use white vinegar.