How To Unclog A Keurig And Get It Working Like New!

Learn how to unclog a Keurig and get your coffee maker back in prime, optimal working condition, back to brewing perfect coffee every single time.

You will need very few pieces of equipment. All you will need is a paper clip or a long thin needle and cleaning vinegar.

Keep reading for the details and instructions.

How To Unclog A Keurig

Cleaning your Keurig is easy. Unclogging your needles is also easy but requires a little more effort.

I suggest that you keep your machine clean and clear by performing regular programmed cleaning and clearing of your needles and a full descaling every 15 days, every other week. Set a day or date, every other Sunday or 15th and 30th of the month.

Keeping your Keurig coffee maker well-maintained will help to prolong its life and will save you from fixing serious clogs and blockages.

Above all, it keeps your machine serving perfect coffee every single time.

Let’s get to it, and get unclogging your Keurig machine.

Read: How to clean Keurig needle

Keurig Clogged With Coffee Grounds

There are two common causes of your machine becoming clogged, one is with coffee grounds and the other a build up of mineral deposits, calcium build up or limescale.

Fortunately,

both are easy to fix and much in the same way.

The best and the easiest way to tell if it is coffee grounds that are causing the blockage is by examining your cup of coffee for coffee grounds making their way into your cup of coffee.

If your machine is blocked, and you have no coffee grounds in your cup of coffee, the cause of the blockage is likely a build of minerals, calcium or limescale.

How To Fix A Keurig Clogged With Coffee Grounds

This is where you start unclogging your needling and directly clearing your needles.

Start by locating both the exit needle and the entrance needle by opening the brew head.

The exit needle is found below the K cup holder, the pod holder.

Remove the pod holder and clean it with soap and water and rinse well.

The entrance needle, also known as the puncture needle, is located on the upper part of your brew head and directly above the pod holder.

Practice caution when you are near or around the needles as they are both very sharp.

Read: How to clean the needle on a Keurig

Step 1: Run A Hot Water Brew Cycle

Start by cleaning your water reservoir and the water filter with soap and water and rise well.

Then fill your water reservoir with fresh water only. Run a full brew cycle until your water reservoir is empty.

Repeat this step for a second time, refilling with clean water and running a second brew cycle until it is empty.

This is a nice easy way of getting all the easy loose coffee grounds and particles free.

Step 2: Clean Your Needles

Unclog your needles by poking around inside both of them with an unfolded paper clip, a pipe cleaner or a long thin needle.

Spend at least one minute poking around inside each of the two needles and paying attention to loosen hard, stuck debris.

Step 3: Run A Quick Flush

At this point you have cleared significant blockages in your needles and the immediate area leading up to it, but as you can imagine a lot of the coffee particles have fallen and become stuck inside your coffee machine.

Fill your water reservoir with fresh water and run a hot brew cycle until it is empty. Repeat this step to ensure all the coffee particles have been cleared.

Read: Keurig needle maintenance

Step 4: Using Your Needle Cleaning Tool

Locate your Keurig needle cleaning tool, if you have lost it you can order a new one from Amazon, eBay, and of course Keurig.

Fill your orange needle maintenance tool with 50% cleaning vinegar and 50% fresh water.

Open and close your brew head 5 to 7 times; this has a pumping action and helps to clean your needles of coffee oils and other dirt and grime.

Repeat this step to ensure your needles are fully sanitized.

At this point your needles should be fully clear of any blockages. Now run a full and complete descaling cycle using a solution of equal parts cleaning vinegar and clean water to ensure that your coffee maker is clean.

Then run a second descale cycle for good measure. Finish by flushing out your machine with 5 to 7 fresh water-only cleaning cycles. This will rinse out your coffee maker of all scents and traces of vinegar.

Keurig Clogged After Descaling

If your Keurig coffee maker is still clogged after running a full and proper cleaning of your needles and a complete deep clean and descaling cycle it is best that you contact customer service as there may be something deeper wrong with the internal workings of your machine.

It may be there is something wrong with your water pump.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Unclog A Keurig

What Is The Best Way To Unclog Keurig?

The best way to unclog your Keurig coffee maker is to run a full descale cycle with distilled white vinegar using 50% white vinegar and 50% water.

Depending on how clogged your coffee maker is, run one or two water reservoirs full of a white vinegar and water solution.

Why Is Water Not Coming Out Of My Keurig?

There are two most likely reasons for water not coming out of your Keurig: the first is your water pump is broken, the second is your Keurig coffee maker has a blockage of coffee grounds or calcium build up in your machine.

Start by giving your needles a good clean and unblocking both of them with a paper clip or a fine needle and poking around. Use your needle maintenance tool for a comprehensive clean.

Run a full descale cycle at least twice. If this doesn’t work, it may be your water pump needs replacing. Contact support for assistance.

How Do You Unclog A Keurig Puncture Needle?

Inset a paper clip or a fine needle into the tube that you see at the bottom of your pod holder and poke around for 30 seconds and aim to get a 360 degree cleaning of it.

For puncture needle focus on the needle at the top and poke around to loosen any debris.

Fill your needle maintenance too with 50% warm water and vinegar and place it in your pod holder and ensure that it is correctly lined up. Open and close your brew head 5 to 7 times in a pumping action.

Repeat this process for a second time. Fill your orange needle maintenance tool with hot water and run a few rinsing cycles by following the same process.

Run a full descaling cycle for complete and proper deep cleaning of the tubes, jet lines and internal parts of your coffee maker.

Does Vinegar And Water Descale A Keurig?

Yes, in fact, equal parts vinegar and water is the best descaling solution for all types of coffee makers. Fill your water reservoir with a 50% water 50% vinegar to the max fill line and run a full descale cycle.

What Happens When You Run Vinegar Through A Keurig?

It is unadvised to run white vinegar through your coffee maker without diluting it with an equal amount of fresh water.

White vinegar and water solution will get your coffee machine clean and clear of coffee oil, mineral build up, limescale, etc without damaging the internal components.

How Do You Fix A Keurig That Won’t Brew A Full Cup?

If your Keurig coffee maker won’t brew a full cup of coffee, start by giving your needles a full clean to unblock them and clear them of any build up of gunk, dirt and grime.

Then move on to a full descale cycle with a vinegar and water solution with 50% vinegar and 50% water to clear the coffee maker of any build up of limescale, calcium and other mineral deposits.

How Many Times Should I Run Vinegar Through My Coffee Maker?

If your coffee maker is particularly dirty, you may need to run two or three cycles of vinegar and water through your coffee maker.

Most times, once will be enough, except in the instance where you live in an area that has hard water, in which case run two cleaning cycles.

What Is The Best Way To Decalcify A Coffee Maker?

In my opinion and experience, the best way to decalcify your coffee maker is to use a white vinegar using equal parts white vinegar and equal parts water and run two full descaling cycles.

After this initial cleaning cycle run a light clean every 15 days with 25% vinegar and 75% water. This is to maintain your machine in prime condition for coffee brewing.

Once per month run a full descale with equal parts vinegar and water. One cleaning cycle will be enough as you will have maintained your machine in great condition.

Get into the habit of pre-filtering your water by using a water filter jug. This is essential to preventing the build up of limescale and mineral deposits even if your coffee maker has a built-in water filter.

Final Thoughts – How To Unclog A Keurig

It is important to know how to unclog a Keurig properly and effectively and once you have unclogged your Keurig machine, keep it clean by pragmatically running a full descale cycle every other week and while you are there give your needles a good and proper cleaning.

This will ensure that you will never have a clogged coffee maker.

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location