September 13, 2020
Coffee Advice

How to clean a Cuisinart coffee maker and turn off the cleaning light

You’re an avid coffee lover, and you’ve purchased your first filter coffee maker. You thought that your new Cuisinart coffee maker would become your coffee brewing butler but after a few days, it tells you it needs cleaning.

If you’re not sure where to begin then don’t worry, this blog will guide you through how to clean a Cuisinart coffee maker. This cleaning process will work on other similar filter coffee machines, not just the Cuisinart coffee maker, so stick around to find out how it’s done.

If you have already cleaned your Cuisinart coffee maker, you might notice that the cleaning light is still blinking. If so, you’re not the only one whos had this problem and is looking for answers. Read on to find out how to turn this little light off.

Why clean your coffee machine?

If you want to enjoy a high-quality brew in the morning, its important to keep your coffee machine in good condition, otherwise you’ll find the quality of your morning coffee startig to slip.

Coffee machines need to be cleaned regularly because they can quickly fall into disrepair. Not only will the type of coffee you use and the grind size have an impact on your coffee machine, but even the water itself can take its toll. This is because the water used in our coffee machines is full of minirals that, although they are good for our health, are not good for the health of your coffee machine.

Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chlorine, can create a calcified layer at the bottom of your coffee machine. This layer wastes heat and interferes with your coffee machines, coffee brewing capabilities.

Its also important to clean our coffee machines regularly to rid our coffee machines of any bacteria that has built up. Bacteria can build up in stagnant water and negatively impact our health and the taste of our precious morning coffee.

For these reasons, we nedd to show our coffee machines some love and make sure to give them a good deep clean roughly once a month if youre a daily coffee drinker.

When should you clean your coffee machine?

It is recommended that you deep clean your Cuisinart coffee maker at least once every 3 to 6 months. However, if you use your machine multiple times a day, or even daily, you should try to clean it a bit more often, as the build up of germs, coffee grounds, and calcified minerals will be higher.

If you are a regular coffee drinker, like the rest of us at Bushy Beard, try to clean your coffee machine in the evening so that it will be ready to brew coffee again the next morning. The process will take a few hours, so don’t expect to clean your coffee machine in the morning and make a brew afterward all before a day’s work.

If the water you use in your coffee machine contains more minerals than average, you may need to clean more often. Even if it is not the routine clean up time, your Cuisinart machine might suggest a clean-up through flashing the cleaning light. This can happen if the coffee machine starts to underperform as a result of a lack of cleaning.

How to clean your coffee maker

Now we are getting into the nitty-gritty. When you see your Cuisinart coffee machine’s self-clean light flashing, it is time to get the rubber gloves on.

Firstly, you’ll need to remove the charcoal water filter that is located in the reservoir before you can start decalcifying. The next step is to fill up the water reservoir to its maximum capacity with a mixture of white vinegar and water. If you don’t have white vinegar, a combination of baking soda and warm water will work just as well. This is how you would go about cleaning any automatic filter coffee machine, so if you don’t have the Cuisinart coffee maker, the cleaning process is the same anyway.

The mixture should be one-third white vinegar to two-thirds warm water. If you are using baking soda then the ratio of baking soda to water should be one spoonful of baking soda and half a liter of hot water. Its important that the water is hot so that the baking soda will properly dissolve. The amount of mixture you will need may vary based on the size of your machine. Leave the solution in the reservoir for at least 30 minutes to an hour. The vinegar/baking soda mixture will dissolve any calcified minerals in your coffee machines reservoir.

Turn on your Cuisinart coffee machine and press the cleaning button. The cleaning light on your coffee maker should light up at this point.

If your coffee machine doesn’t have a dedicated cleaning button then don’t worry, just start the coffee machine as if you were going to brew a coffee. Make sure you don’t have any coffee grounds or paper coffee filters in your coffee machine before you start this process.

How to turn off the cleaning light on a Cuisinart coffee maker

Many Cuisinart coffee maker ussers have experienced a problem with their coffee machine cleaning light. Even after the cleaning process has been completed the light continues to blink. Unfortunately the manufacturers havent provided a solution to this problem in the instruction manual. But dont worry, we are here to set things straight.

From the information we have gathered here at Bushy beard Coffee this issue can occur if the coffee machine thinks that the cleaning cycle is not complete. If you have a Cuisinart SS series, press the 8oz and 6 oz buttons together to dispense water. For DCC series, push button 1-4, and dispense several cups of water.

This process will rinse your coffee machine to get rid of the remaining vinegar or baking soda solution so that your coffee doesnt have an unplesant taste the next time you try to make a brew. This method worked has proved effective for many users.

If you are not using the Cuisinart coffee maker you will also need to rinse out your coffee machine thoroughly before you can brew with it again. empty the solution from your coffee maker and fill your coffee machine reservoir with fresh water and run it through another brewing cycle. Try to use water that has as few minerals as possible. We recommend you do this two times, to make sure there is no lingering taste from the white vinegar or baking soda. Remember to wipe down the outside of your coffee machine too with warm soapy water and take out any removable components from the coffee maker and do the same. If you want to read more about how to clean your coffee maker using baking soda then click the link to read our other blog.

FAQ’s

How to set the timer on Cuisinart coffee maker?

Turn the dial to the clock. Until the clock flashes, hold down the hour and minute button. Then keep pressing and releasing button until the desired time is displayed.

How to turn on my coffee machine?

First of all, make sure your coffee machine is plugged in. Press the ON/OFF power switch, and it should start humming instantly.

How do I turn off the descale light on my Cuisinart coffee maker?

The flashing descaler light means the limescale has started to block the holes in the machine. A solution of white vinegar and warm water will help eliminate the limescale. Once you have cleaned this the light should turn off by itself.

How often should you clean a Cuisinart coffee maker?

If you are a daily user, then the best practice is to clean it once every month otherwise, if you dont use your machine that often clean your machine once every 3 -6 months.

Final words

Always follow the instruction on your coffee machines manual. If you cant find the answer you are looking for we are always here to help you give you the best coffee advice.

Make sure you take good care of your coffee machines, coffee makers and coffee grinders, with regular cleaning and correct use. From all of us at Bushy Beard we hope that you found this blog helpful. Let us know in the comments if you need some more coffee related advice and check out our other blogs to learn more about coffee brewing.

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