it s important to clean your coffee maker not only for the health of your machine but also for the taste of your morning brew coffee tasting bitter lately your coffee maker might not be as clean as you think coffee buildup can cause your cup to taste bitter and even worse there could be yeast and mold hiding in the reservoir pay attention to these warning signs of a dirty coffee maker oily sludge and mineral buildup eventually form on your coffee maker and pot creating stains gumming up the brewing process and producing bitter tasting brew give coffee buildup a big send off with this quick easy method for cleaning a coffee maker with vinegar and water you ll be enjoying a fresh delicious cup of java before you know it what you need coffee makerwhite distilled vinegarwatercoffee filter step 1 mix vinegar and water begin by filling the reservoir with a mixture of half white distilled vinegar and half water you can increase the ratio of vinegar to water if your coffee maker has a particularly nasty case of buildup the vinegar not only sanitizes the coffee maker and carafe but will also dissolve any accrued mineral deposits and wash removable parts with dish soap after every use to remove coffee grinds and oil that are left behind step 2 decalcify by brewing and soaking position a filter in the basket and turn the brewer on about halfway through brewing turn the coffee maker off and allow the remaining vinegar solution to soak in the carafe and the reservoir for about 30 to 60 minutes depending on how much buildup you need to clear away step 3 finish cycle and clean turn the coffee maker back on and allow it to complete the brewing cycle dump the full pot of vinegar and water rinse everything out by putting in a new paper filter and brewing a full pot of clean water toss the paper filter away flush the vinegar scent and taste from the coffee maker fill up the reservoir with fresh water put a filter in the basket turn the coffee maker on and let it complete the brewing cycle finally remove the filter pour out the water and repeat with clean water for a second cycle wipe down your coffee maker and coffee pot with a clean cloth enjoy your fresh cup of coffee all over again