3 Ways You’re Shortening the Life of Your Coffee Maker
You're not cleaning or descaling it
If you read that and instantly asked out loud, “I’m supposed to clean it?” Then guess what? First of all, you’re just like us. And second of all, you could be shortening the life of your coffee maker. The extra gunk and dust that gets into your machine can cause, overheating, calcium deposits, and even mold. Have a cleaning schedule for your machine and stick to it. Clean the glass carafe every time you use it, and follow these steps to deep cleaning your coffee maker once a month to avoid drinking mold and bacteria along with your morning cup of coffee.
You’re using oily beans
Oil from inside the raw coffee bean is brought to the surface during the roasting process. All beans will have some level of oil on them, but some are more oily than others. The darker your roast, the more likely your beans will have a bit of extra oil on them. You’ll be able to tell by sight—look for the rich, shiny coating. Some people prefer that flavor, while others prefer a drier bean. One isn’t necessarily better than the other by flavor, but if you’re looking for a longer lasting coffee maker, you might want to take note. Some machines—espresso machines in particular—don’t do well with the excess oil. Espresso Machine Experts, a coffee machine repair company, recommends looking into what level of oil and roast type works best for each coffee maker and getting the coffee maker that works best for your favorite flavor of beans.
You leave it on when it's not in use
Not only does leaving it on all day waste energy, but it can also shorten the life of your coffee machine long term. The excess use of energy and continual electricity flow will wear away at your machine’s mechanics. Luckily for those of us who are a bit more scatterbrained before we’ve downed our morning cup, many modern coffee machines automatically turn off when they are not in use.
Credit: Reader's Digest