How To Descale Oxo Coffee Makers
If you enjoy coffee, the warmth, flavor, and aroma of a freshly brewed pot can be captivating. The first sip gives you what your taste buds crave. However, after brewing for a few months, minerals start to build up in the machine. For that, there is a specific method for how to descale Oxo Coffee Maker.
Sometimes, your coffee maker needs a little TLC to keep it brewing coffee properly and to deliver great-tasting cups of coffee. Descaling is a necessary cleaning process that helps remove mineral deposits, such as calcium, left from water in your coffee maker.
Over time, the mineral content of water leaves deposits that can build up in your coffee makers. These deposits will affect the performance of the machine, as well as how your coffee tastes.
So, whether you have an 8 or 9 cup coffee maker, we’ll walk you through the reader-supported steps for properly descaling your OXO coffee machine.
8-Cup OXO Coffee Maker Descaling Instructions
Your OXO Brew will prompt a descaling after every 90 brew cycles. Then, the clean button will blink, reminding you that the OXO coffee maker descale process needs to occur.
Descaling requires few materials and only takes a couple of steps to complete.
Materials Needed
- water
- descaling solution
Step 1: Add water and descale solution
Fill the water reservoir with water and descale solution to the max fill line. Be careful not to overfill. Check the descale solution instructions for the proper mix ratio of water and solution.
Step 2: Prepare your carafe
Place your empty, clean carafe in its usual location. Check that the carafe lid is adequately screwed on. Make sure the brew basket is free of coffee grounds and doesn’t have a filter in place either.
Step 3: Begin the brew cycle
Slide the brew switch to carafe mode. Then, press the power button, followed by the clean button on the OXO coffee machine. The descale job will take approximately 25 minutes.
After the job is complete, your OXO coffee maker will beep, and the clean button light will turn off.
You can cancel the descale function at any time by pressing either the power or clean button. Next, pour the cleaning solution and water mixture down the drain. Then, wash out the carafe.
Step 4: Freshwater flush
Finally, you’ll need to run a rinse of just clean water. Fill the water reservoir to the max fill line again, careful not to overfill. Place your clean carafe in its normal brew position with the lid fully attached.
Choose the 5-8 cup button and start your freshwater clean-out. Once the rinse is complete, empty and wash the coffee pot, and you’re ready to brew coffee again.
Related: How often to descale an espresso machine?
9-Cup OXO Coffee Maker Descaling Instructions
If you own an OXO Barista Brain 9 cup coffee maker, you have two options for how to descale your coffee machine properly.
You can manually clean your coffee maker at any time, or you may decide to wait for the warning light to prompt the descaling mode.
If you use tap water when making coffee, you may need to descale more often than 90 cycles. This is because hard water contains a greater concentration of minerals, so scaling build-up can accumulate faster.
Either way, the process is simple and doesn’t require harsh chemicals to complete.
Materials Needed
- water
- descaling solution
Step 1: (manual mode) Use water and descaler solution
First, we will describe the method for descaling in manual mode.
If the warning icon is not illuminated, you can start by unplugging your OXO Barista Brain coffee makers. Then, fill the reservoir with the proper mixture of water and descaler liquid to the fill line, being careful to not overfill. Check to make sure the brew basket is clean and free of any coffee grounds or a filter.
Step 2: Begin the descaling cycle
Find the OXO button on the front of your machine. Hold down the button as you plug your coffee maker into an electrical outlet. A blinking “9” will display, and the LED ring will turn red.
Push the OXO button again, and the cycle will begin.
Step 1: (warning icon illuminated) Add water and descaler liquid
Your OXO Barista Brain will also prompt you to descale after 90 brew cycles. If the warning icon appears, you DO NOT have to unplug your machine.
Start by filling the water tank with your descaler liquid and water mix, ensuring you don’t overfill. Next, check to ensure the brew basket is clean and free of any coffee grounds or a filter.
Step 2: Begin the prompted cycle
Turn the cup number dial towards the right. When the display reads “-9-” and the LED ring light is illuminated red, push the OXO button to begin the cleaning.
Step 3: Fresh water flush
After either the manual or prompted warning cycle is complete, fill the water reservoir with clean water to the max fill line, select 5-9 cups, and press start.
Once the water cycle is complete, dispose of this water and you’re ready to brew again.
How To Descale an Oxo Coffee Maker FAQ
How Often To Descale OXO Brewers
Test kitchen staff have determined that descaling should occur after 90 cycles of coffee brewing. If you have water with higher mineral content, your machine may need to be cleaned more often than the 90th brew cycle.
Can I use vinegar to descale my oxo coffee maker?
Although vinegar is an accepted descaler product, it can be harmful to some internal pieces, such as the silicone water bridge, silicone internal mixing tube, or water chamber.
Some may notice a vinegar taste after the flush out and may choose the premade descaler, accordingly. However, vinegar and water or descaler solution are always recommended over any spray cleaner chemicals.
What can you use instead of descaling solution?
White vinegar and/or apple cider vinegar can be used in the place of descaler solution. One part water and one part white vinegar is the recommended mix.
Lemon juice can also be a potential DIY method for cleaning, as its citric acid content will help remove scaling.
Is descaling solution better than vinegar?
Descaling solutions are specifically designed to clean coffee machines and aren’t usually as acidic as vinegar. One bottle of descaling solution will usually cover two to three cleanings.
Check your machine manufacturer’s instructions for best practices.
What is the best way to clean the inside of a coffee maker?
If you don’t have descaler solution, a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and purified or distilled water. Avoid using cleaner chemicals or abrasive pads, whenever possible.
Wipe down any dirty external parts with a damp cloth.
You may also want to spend time cleaning the coffee filter basket to remove the coffee oils created from the coffee beans in brewing. Lemon juice and its citric acid are also good to remove oils from a dirty filter basket.
How long is oxo descaling?
OXO descaling takes about half an hour to complete. If you wash your pot in the dishwasher, the process will take a bit longer.
If you have a smaller machine or water reservoir, run half the amount of water/solution mixture through your machine.
What does the red triangle mean on the oxo coffee maker?
The red triangle is the OXO machine prompting a clean-out. Washing your water reservoir and machine will improve brew taste and machine performance.
A clean filter for your tap water supply can reduce the mineral deposits from hard water or the mineral build-up in hot water heaters, too.