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Mr Coffee Clean Light Blinking? A Complete Guide To Cleaning

Mr Coffee Machine
Programmable Mr Coffee Machine

The water used to brew your drink has minerals like calcium that build up inside your Mr Coffee machine. These are not toxic but they can cause limescale to form which impacts the flow, temperature and performance of your brewer. This can affect the taste of your cup of joe too. Regularly cleaning your Mr Coffee using a process known as descaling or decalcifying removes those minerals and can help extend the life of your machine. Keep reading to learn how to clean a Mr Coffee coffee maker. If you have a programmable Mr Coffee machine, these steps will get the red Mr coffee clean light to turn off.

How Often To Clean A Mr Coffee Machine

Programmable Mr Coffee coffee makers will show a red blinking or flashing clean light when it is time to run the descale cleaning function. If you have a manual brewer, Mr Coffee says that most people should clean their coffee maker after 80 brew cycles. If you tend to drink about 1 cup a day, that will be around every 3 months. You’ll also want to try descaling if your Mr Coffee is making any unusual beeps.

Regular care is needed whether you are using filtered, bottled or tap water with a low to normal mineral count. If your tap has “hard water,” meaning it contains higher level of minerals, then Mr Coffee recommends cleaning after 40 uses since the limescale will build up faster. If you are not sure about the content of your water, you can get a low-cost water testing kit.

Mr Coffee Cleaning Solutions

Mr Coffee user manuals will say that you can use vinegar, lemon juice or a cleaning solution on your machine. However, I think the best way to descale your coffee maker is with one of the below products. They contain safe and effective types of cleansing acids that are tasteless and odorless. That means you won’t have to worry about any lingering vinegar taste or smell in your cup.

I would especially recommend one of these solutions if you have a more expensive Mr Coffee machine, like the Cafe Barista or the CoffeeHouse. Vinegar contains 5-8% acetic acid which is strong and can damage any metal inside your machine. Most high end machine brands advise against using vinegar or baking soda for this reason.

Mr Coffee Cleaning Packets by Twinkle

Mr Coffee Cleaning Packets
Mr Coffee Maker Cleaner

A cleaning company called Twinkle developed a cleaning and descaling solution for Mr Coffee machines. It removes limescale and calcium build more effectively than vinegar. Plus, there is no odor. A box contains two cleaning packets.

Impresa Coffee Machine Descaler

Impresa Coffee Machine Descaler

The Impresa descaler is a top selling machine cleaner. It has citric and sulfamic acids. Both are gentle on metal. A pack has two bottles. Each bottle has enough solution to use twice.

Essential Values Coffee Machine Descaler & Cleaner

Essential Values Descaler

The Essential Values solution contains a concentrated 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 use it every three months. 

How To Deep Clean And Descale Mr Coffee 12 Cup Machines

The instructions and video below are for a 12 cup Mr Coffee brewer, but you can use the same steps if your model is 10 or 14 cups. The only thing that really matters when choosing which set of directions to follow is whether your machine is manual or programmable. If you can preset your coffee maker to brew at a certain time, that is a programmable model.

Manual Mr Coffee Brewers Cleaning

  1. In the carafe, mix the descaling solution with fresh water following the steps on the pack. If you are using vinegar, add 4 cups of undiluted white vinegar to the carafe.
  2. Open the lid and pour the contents of the carafe into the water reservoir.
  3. Place a filter into the removable filter basket. You may use a paper or permanent filter. If you use a water filter disk, be sure to remove that. Close the lid.
  4. Place the empty carafe on the warming plate. Turn the switch to the on position.
  5. When 3 cups of the carafe’s original contents have flowed through, turn the switch to off. Wait 30 minutes. This will give the descaler or vinegar time to break down mineral deposits inside.
  6. Turn the unit on and let the rest of the liquid flow through.
  7. Discard the solution and clean the carafe.
  8. Remove and discard the paper filter. If you used a permanent filter, remove it and rinse it.
  9. To rinse the machine of any residue, add 4 oz of fresh water to the unit. Place the carafe on the warming plate. Turn the switch to the on position and let the water flow through.
  10. If you used vinegar, you may need to repeat step 9 a few times until the smell is no longer noticeable.

Programmable Mr Coffee Machines Cleaning

  1. In the carafe, mix the descaling solution with fresh water following the steps on the pack. If you are using vinegar, add 4 cups of undiluted white vinegar to the carafe.
  2. Open the lid and pour the contents of the carafe into the water tank.
  3. Place a filter into the removable filter basket. You may use a paper or permanent filter. If you use a water filter disk, be sure to remove that. Close the lid.
  4. Place the empty carafe on the warming plate.
  5. Press and hold the SELECT / OFF button until the red clean light turns on.
  6. The cleaning function cycle is automatic. It will take 45 to 60 minutes to finish.
  7. After it has brewed 3 cups of the liquid, it will pause to give the cleaner time to break down mineral deposits inside. The light will stay on so you know it is still cleaning.
  8. After 30 minutes, it will finish brewing the rest of the liquid. The unit will turn off. The light will turn off.
  9. Discard the contents of the carafe. Rinse it with fresh waster.
  10. Remove and discard the paper filter. If you used a permanent filter, remove it and rinse it well.
  11. To rinse the machine of any residue, add 4 oz of fresh water to the unit. Place the carafe on the warming plate. Begin brewing and let the full brew cycle finish.
  12. If you used vinegar, you may need to repeat step 9 a few times until the smell is no longer noticeable.
Cleaning Mr Coffee Coffee Maker

How To Reset Mr Coffee Clean Light That Will Not Turn Off?

If a clean light on your programmable Mr Coffee coffee maker won’t go off, it is possible that the machine’s sensors are still picking up mineral buildup. This is to be expected if you have hard water or if you’ve had your unit for more than 3 or 6 months and have never descaled.

The easiest thing you can try to do is simply unplug your machine for five minutes. This should reset the Mr Coffee clean light. Plug it back in and see if the light has gone out. If not, you should repeat the process once or twice more. Make sure you let the automated cleaning cycle complete fully without any interruption.

You should contact Customer Service at 1-800-MR-COFFEE (1-800-672-6333) if the clean light remains on after this. Check the warranty first. If your machine is still covered, they may be able to help you fix it.

A Reminder About Daily Cleaning

In addition to running the deep cleansing cycle after every 40 or 80 uses, a little bit of daily care can also help extend the life of your brewer. After the unit has cooled, unplug it. Remove the filter basket, permanent filter (if your model has one), decanter and decanter lid. Rinse these with hot water and a mild liquid dish soap. Never use an abrasive cleaner or steel wool pads. If you have a dishwasher, only the glass decanter and lid, filter basket and permanent filter are safe to put in the top rack. Always clean the thermal decanter and water filter disk by hand – these are not dishwasher safe. Never insert the coffee maker itself in water!

How To Clean Stains In Mr Coffee Carafe or Decanter

If you left coffee sitting in your pot, brown rings may have started to appear. This happens when there is limescale buildup in the carafe. The limescale is white, but the coffee turns it brown. To get rid of the stains, fill the pot with equal parts water and vinegar. Stir it and then let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes. After that, discard the solution, rinse the pot well and then clean it by hand with dish soap.

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