You’ll Want to Clean Your Coffee Machine After Reading This!

For many of us, starting the day with a hot cup of coffee is a given.  In fact, many of us owe the fact that we managed to lurch, zombie-like through the first sleep-deprived months of our children’s lives to the humble coffee bean! Few of us would be surprised by the news that whilst the average weekly coffee consumption for people without kids in 2014 was 7.2 cups, the figure rose to 9.6 cups for parents. (Source: AusFoodnews)

Thankfully domestic coffee machines now allow us to ditch the instant coffee, and make a decent cup of coffee in our own home (negating the need for us to scrape our hair into a messy bun or change out of the tracky-dacks the baby just spewed on) to get our caffeine hit. There’s no need to leave the house anymore to get that perfect cuppa.

But, do we really know what’s in our coffee, even if we make it ourselves?

Research by the University of Valencia in Spain suggests that your beloved coffee machine may have more bacteria in it than some areas of your bathroom!  The warm wet environment makes them a hot bed for bacteria and mould.

The team of microbiologists analysed the drip trays of 9 Nespresso machines.  They found that every tray was packed with bacteria. In fact between 35-67 different types of bacteria strains could be found on each tray, some of which were ‘pathogenic strains,’ meaning they can make us sick.

Feeling grossed out yet?

A similar test conducted in Dallas, US, involved 10 coffee machines of local families being swabbed, found both staph and enterobacter (a bacteria found in your colon) in the coffee machines.

Tips for Keeping Your Coffee Machine Clean

Now before you hoist your coffee machine off the kitchen bench and dump it in the nearest bin, pods and all, there are a few simple things you can do to keep your coffee machine clean.

• Whilst vinegar may not be as effective at killing germs as other harsh cleaning chemicals such as bleach, it is definitely the safest option when it comes to cleaning your kitchen appliances (for both the health of your family and your appliance!)  Run a vinegar solution through your machine at least once a month (1 part vinegar to 2 parts water).  Follow this with two cycles of water to flush away the vinegar taste/smell.
• The removable parts of the coffee machine should be taken out and waged in warm, soapy water every time you use the machine.
• Don’t leave water standing in the chamber.  Use fresh water each time you brew and empty the water chamber after each use.
• Wipe your machine down regularly with a clean damp cloth.  Avoid sponges – experts have found that they contain 200,000 times more germs than the toilet seat! Eeeek!

How often do you clean your coffee machine?