How To Clean Your Braun Coffee Maker

Using your Braun coffee maker is likely an important part of your morning ritual. Make sure you never have to go a morning without a cup of joe by regularly cleaning your Braun coffee machine to keep it working at its best. Basic cleaning is needed on a regular basis, while deeper cleaning, known as descaling, is needed less often when the Braun coffee maker clean light comes on. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about how to clean a Braun coffee maker.

Basic Cleaning And Maintenance For A Braun Coffee Maker

Turn the unit off and unplug it from the wall outlet. Wipe the base with a clean, damp cloth and then dry it. Wipe down the the housing to remove any fingerprints. You can use a cloth with warm soapy water or a gentle cleaner to do this.

Wash the glass Braun carafe and lid are every use. Wash by hand with a sponge and mild soap. You can also wash them in the top rack of the dishwasher, but be sure to remove the lid from the carafe.

For Braun coffee makers with a stainless steel thermal carafe, you need to use a bit more caution while washing. Never use an abrasive sponge or other tool since they will scratch the steel. Use a gentle sponge and mild soap by hand after every use. The thermal carafe and lid are NOT dishwasher safe.

If your Braun coffee maker has a gold tone permanent filter you should wash that daily. Discard the grounds from the filter. Take both the filter basket and the gold tone filter and wash them with warm soapy water. You may also put them in the top rack of the dishwasher.

How Often To Descale A Braun Coffee Maker?

The water used to brew coffee causes mineral limescale buildup inside your Braun. While not toxic, this can impact the brewer’s water flow, temperature and performance. It can even affect the taste of your drink. Descaling is the name of the deep cleaning cycle that removes these minerals to extend the life of your unit. You need to do this in addition to basic cleaning.

A good rule of thumb is that a you should descale Braun coffee makers after 3 months. This is true if you are using filtered water, bottled water or tap water with a low to normal mineral count. This schedule will extend the life of your unit.

You should do this more often if your tap has “hard water,” meaning it contains higher level of minerals. This will cause the limescale to buildup inside even faster. If you are not sure about the level of minerals in your water, you can always get a low-cost water testing kit.

Many Braun models will have an LED clean light that will turn a steady green when the unit senses it is time to descale. Other models may display an error code. However, this alert is informed by the water settings you entered in your machine. If you never changed the default settings, this alert may be off. Once you have your water testing kit, press the CLEAN button for 3 seconds. Press the SET button to scroll through the options: H1 (soft), H2 (normal), H3 (hard). Then press CLEAN again to save.

Can You Descale A Braun Coffee Maker With Vinegar?

Like many coffee machine makers, Braun recommends using a commercial descaling agent instead of equal parts white vinegar and water. White vinegar contains 5-8% acetic acid. This type of acid can wear down metal and cause leaks. A vinegar solution is also less effective than other cleaners at removing oils left by coffee grounds. Plus, it may leave a taste or odor which may make your drink unpleasant.

Instead of vinegar, I think the best way to care for your Braun is with one of the below cleaners. They have safe and effective types of acids. They have no odor and won’t impact the taste of your drink.

Braun Coffee Maker Descaling Solutions

Braun Descaler

The Braun descaler is the official cleaner made by Braun. It is the one they recommend you use to deep clean your unit. It is compatible with all Braun models, including the Braun BrewSense coffee maker. The solution contains lactic acid which is safe to use on aluminum. Each bottle has enough for two doses.

Impresa Descaler

The Impresa descaler is a top selling cleaner. It has citric and sulfamic acids. Both of these are gentle on metal. Each pack has two bottles. Each bottle can be used twice.

Essential Values Descaler & Cleaner

The Essential Values cleaning solution has a citric acid that is both odorless and powerful. Each bottle is good for two uses. A two pack will provide four doses. That’s a year supply if you clean your unit every three months. 

How To Descale Braun Coffee Makers (By Model)

Follow these simple steps on how to descale your Braun coffee maker model. It takes 45 minutes to finish and cannot be paused.

Braun BrewSense Drip Coffee Maker Descale Instructions

1. Remove the charcoal water filter, the water filter holder and the gold tone filter.
2. Add 100 ml of the descaling solution to a full carafe of water. Pour the solution of descaler and water into the machine’s water tank. If you are not using the Braun descaler, then following the instructions on the packaging of the solution you are using instead.
3. Place the empty carafe on the warming plate.
4. Press the CLEAN button. The green LED light above the button will start to flash.
5. Press the BREW button. This will start the descaling process. The green LED will turn off when the descale cycle is complete.
6. Discard the solution from the carafe. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water.
7. Now you need to run a rinsing cycle to rid the machine of any descaler residue. Fill the water reservoir with a full carafe (12 cups) of fresh clean water. Run the unit through a complete brew cycle.
8. Repeat step 7 a second time.

If you have been using your machine for longer than 3 months and never descaled, you may need to repeat the entire cleaning cycle once or twice more. You should run a second or third cycle if it is taking your Braun longer than normal to brew a cup.

Descale Steps For Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker

1. Remove the charcoal water filter and the gold tone filter.
2. Add 100 ml of the descaling solution to the water tank and then fill it up with water. If you are not using the Braun descaler, then following the instructions on the packaging of the solution you are using instead.
3. Place the empty carafe on the warming plate.
4. Move the lever over to the Coffee position. Press the On/Off button.
5. Press the CLEAN button to start the descaling process. The display will show a timer that starts to count down from 23 minutes.
6. When the first part of the descaling cycle is over, the timer will show four minutes remaining. The clean light will also start to flash. Empty out the solution from the carafe and rinse it.
7. Now you need to run a rinsing cycle to rid the machine of any descaler residue. Fill the water reservoir with 10 cups of fresh clean water. Then place the empty carafe on the warming plate and hit the clean button. This will start the rinse cycle.
8. The On/Off and Clean lights will all turn off when the rinse cycle is done. Empty and wash the carafe with warm, soapy water before using it to make coffee.