How To Clean Ninja Coffee Maker And Kill Bacteria!

Last updated on January 22nd, 2024 at 13:24

Learning how to clean Ninja coffee maker properly will ensure that you will always have a great cup of coffee from your machine and prolong the life of your machine.

My particular method of cleaning my equipment is designed with the purpose of preventing the buildup of calcium and other mineral deposits, bacteria and mold.

Keep reading for the best way to clean a ninja coffee maker.

How To Clean Ninja Coffee Maker – Why It Is So Important

98 to 99% of coffee is water, unfortunately, even the best tasting and cleanest of water will naturally and eventually lead to the build up of minerals and calcium which will lead to them slowly building up and blocking your Ninja coffee maker.

Even though the mineral deposits and limescale buildup is not toxic, they do lead to an imperfect and unpleasant tasting cup of coffee.

This happens due to the water not being able to reach the ideal brewing temperature and leading to poor extraction.

Also,

a poorly maintained Ninja coffee bar will lead to old coffee grounds and oil building up in the machine which leads to the buildup of mold, bacteria and all kinds of nasty things that can lead to illness.

Read: What does flush mean on ninja coffee bar?

How Often To Clean Ninja Coffee Maker

This is where I stand out from other coffee sites. Others will tell you to leave it until the clean light comes on or, tell you to clean your Ninja coffee bar every 3 to 6 months.

Not me!

I strongly recommend that you clean your coffee maker, regardless of which type, brand or style of machine, at least every two weeks.

If and when you do this, you will:

• Prolong the life of your machine.
• Ensure you a great, tasty cup of coffee.
• Ensure there is no build up of calcium, mold or bacteria.

Due to possible health issues and allergies, give your machine a good deep clean every other week at least.

How To Clean Ninja Coffee Maker Step By Step

Getting right to it and the supplies that you will need to get your coffee maker spotless and free from calcium deposits, mineral buildup and mold as well as any bacteria. At Latte Love Brew good coffee and good health is at our heart and want you to stay healthy and enjoying great coffee. 

The Cleaning Supplies You Will Need

• Descaling solution or distilled white vinegar.
• A soft sponge.
• Warm Soapy Water.
• Drying cloths.

How To Get A Clean Ninja Coffee Bar – The Step-By-Step Instructions

When the clean light lights up or starts blinking, your Ninja coffee machine is yelling at you, screaming “clean me!”. It is my own philosophy that if your coffee maker has to tell you that it is time to clean it is dirty, too dirty and too late!

Stay on top of your game and clean it long before the light comes on. Schedule yourself to clean it every other Sunday, for example, so you have great fresh coffee, always.

Start by filling your water reservoir with distilled white vinegar to the half full mark and fill the rest with tap water until the max fill line.

For descaling solution, follow the instructions on the bottle.

Put your empty glass carafe below your brew basket as you need it to collect the dirty cleaning solution.

Press the button to select a full size carafe and press the clean button to commence the cleaning cycle.

The cleaning process should take 10 to 15 minutes; just wait and let your Ninja coffee bar do its job. Don’t press anything, don’t mess around with any buttons as this will interrupt with the cleaning and may not get your machine properly clean.

When the cleaning has finished and is complete, the light will turn off.

Now it’s time for you to flush and rinse your machine from the scent of the descaling solution or vinegar and fill your water reservoir with fresh water and press brew.

Ensure you have an empty carafe ready to catch the water. Repeat this step about 4 or 5 times to get rid of the scent, taste and trace of vinegar or the descaling solution.

Your job is not finished yet.

Use a soft sponge and soapy water to clean the coffee pot / carafe and clean it well.

A trick my sister uses to get it sparkling is to put pure bleach in it and give it a real good swirl around for 3 to 5 minutes, then cleans well with a soft sponge soaked in bleach to clean both the exterior and interior.

Add boiling hot water and let it sit until it cools down. Approximately 6 oz to 12 oz (180 ml to 360 ml) of bleach is used.

Rinse well and let it air dry to ensure no trace of bleach in your coffee. The use of bleach is not a step you have to take every time you clean your coffee pot, just when you need it to come up sparkling.

Cleaning your brew basket is something you can do in your dishwasher. I like to give it a once over with boiling water and vinegar as a matter of killing any bacteria that may be there, rising well and air drying.

Clean your water reservoir with soapy water and rinse well. Finally, with a damp soapy sponge clean the exterior of your machine and wipe dry with a cloth.

Cleaning Your Milk Frother

If your coffee machine has a milk frother the same rules as above apply – keep it clean!

Due to milk based bacteria easily forming on your frother I advise you clean after every use. No excuses, it only takes a minute.

Have a second milk just for this purpose and fill it

halfway with hot water and switch on your frother for a minute and wipe clean.

Deep Clean Your Milk Frother

About every other week, give your milk frother a deep clean by unlocking it from your machine and washing it well in warm soapy water.

For hygienic purposes I let it sit in a small amount of vinegar to kill bacteria that may be there and then rinse it well.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Clean Ninja Coffee Maker

Can A Dirty Coffee Maker Make You Sick?

Yes, a dirty coffee maker can make you sick as it can harvest mold, bacteria and fungus and trigger a number of allergies and illnesses.

Streptococcus, Bacillus Cereus, Staphylococcus and E-coli have all been found inside dirty coffee machines.

What Can I Use Instead Of White Vinegar For Cleaning?

If you don’t want to clean your Ninja coffee maker with vinegar for any reason, you can use descaling solution, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), natural and freshly squeezed lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide or cream or tartar.

These will all clean your machine perfectly well and put out your clean light.

Can I Run Dish Soap Through My Coffee Maker?

No, when you run dish soap through your Ninja coffee maker you will find it difficult to get rid of the soapy flavor when you are flushing it.

While dish soap does get your machine clean, you will need to run far too many rinsing cycles with fresh water. It’s fine to clean the exterior surfaces with soap and warm water.

Also, warm soapy water won’t give your machine a deep clean and will not remove mineral build up from hard water.

Is It OK To Run Bleach Through A Coffee Maker?

Yes, but it is not a good idea to clean your Ninja coffee maker with bleach. For sure, it will get your machine clean, clear from mineral build up and will destroy all and any mold and bacteria, even when diluted.

You will need to run 10 to 15 cycles to flush the bleach from your coffee maker to remove the scent and taste and let it air dry for a day or two for safe consumption. I strongly advise against the use of bleach to clean your coffee gear.

What Vinegar Is Best For Cleaning Coffee Maker?

Distilled white vinegar is the best type of vinegar to use to clean your Ninja coffee bar. I suggest a 50% mix with water and filling your water reservoir to the max fill line. If it is particularly dirty or the clean light came on, use a 75% mix with 25% water for a real, good clean.

How Much Vinegar Do You Use To Clean A Ninja Coffee Maker?

How much vinegar to use is best expressed as a percentage or ratio as there are different Ninja coffee makers with different sizes of reservoir.

The ratio and percentages that I use are as follows:

• 25% vinegar for a light clean.
• 50% for a deep clean.
• 75% for a real, good clean when it is very dirty.

Final Thoughts – How To Clean Ninja Coffee Maker

Learning how to clean Ninja coffee maker is important as poor cleaning leads to poor coffee and, ultimately, poor health if you wait so long that bacteria, mold and fungus build up.

Do you have your cleaning methods or great homemade cleaning solutions that you use to keep your machine nice and clean?

Join our online coffee community on Facebook/Meta and share your coffee cleaning secrets with us. We look forward to hearing from you.