4 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Plastic Taste in Your Keurig

Imagine this: you spent a lot of time researching the coffee maker you intended to purchase. Disappointed purchasers complained of a plastic taste and smell when they received their coffee machine, yet there were just as many pleased owners who said there was no plastic flavor or odor.

You decided to take a chance and hope the unfavorable comments were simply unfortunate, but your bet backfired. You are at a loss for what to do next. Recently bought a new Keurig, and the first cup of coffee you brewed tastes like plastic? Can you relate? If you do, you have come to the correct location. In this article, I have included a step-by-step technique for cleaning your coffee machine, so you don’t have to deal with that unpleasant taste again.

What’s with the Plastic Taste in Your Keurig

As you might already know, plastic is not good for your health. In addition, two types of compounds are utilized to harden the basic plastic layer in the production of plastics. These chemicals, known as Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Phthalates, are responsible for the plastic taste in your coffee.

BPA is also produced by the coffee machine’s recycled grade 7 water reservoir. On the other hand, phthalate is the principal ingredient in the production of PVC, which is used in coffee makers. Several coffee maker companies, nevertheless, have stopped utilizing BPA or Phthalate plastics as a result of recent advancements. Now, if you’re going to buy a coffee machine, be sure it’s made without BPA.

If your coffee tastes plastic and the issue isn’t with the water or the brewing mechanism, the fault is most likely with your coffee maker. Phthalates and BPA can break loose from the link of their parent plastic material and merge with the solvent at high temperatures. This is the chief cause why Keurig coffee makers taste like plastic. Some users have complained that the plastic taste of Keurig 2.0 or Keurig isn’t going to disappear.

Have you ever thought about how your coffee has a plastic flavor to it? The plastic aftertaste of a Keurig coffee maker is caused by hot water coming into touch with the coffeemaker’s plastic components. The contact can extract trace levels of "off-gas" from the coffeemaker’s production line, giving the water its unique flavor.

Almost all of the interior elements of a Keurig are made of plastic, and there’s also the plastic K-cup to take into account. Even in older equipment mineral accumulation in the water can alter the taste of the coffee and contribute to that plastic taste or odor.

If you use a BPA-free body coffee machine, avoiding plastic in your coffee may be simple. It also assures that no PVC material is used near the high-temperature limit in the coffee machine. That is the only method to preserve your coffee from tasting like plastic.

Unfortunately, the plastic flavor will return within several weeks of brewing the coffee. If you want a coffee maker that won’t make your coffee taste like plastic, look for BPA-free parts. Besides that, if your coffee maker has a plastic flavor to it, you must now clean it at home using the instructions below.

Cleaning a Keurig Coffee Maker

This part goes into the cleaning procedure for the coffee machine, which is what causes the coffee to taste terrible. If you have had your coffee maker for a while, you will notice that the cleanup differs marginally from that of a standard coffee maker.

Keurig coffee makers are the easiest way to find a hot cup of coffee on request. Keeping them spotless and functioning ensures that they are always prepared. Now with all the multiple bits, cleaning your Keurig may appear tough. But it is actually pretty simple to ensure you are receiving the best cup of coffee possible.

The first task is to decide when the Keurig needs to be cleaned. You will be able to determine by the machine’s functionality or the flavor of the coffee. A Keurig that has been misused may produce coffee with a plastic taste or is too burned and unpleasant. The most common reason is natural accumulation. Cleaning out the coffee maker is a fantastic way to get rid of bitter coffee.

How to Thoroughly Clean your Keurig

The easiest approach to get rid of plastic taste in a Keurig is to clean all of the individual pieces on a regular basis, as well as descaling the interior workings when needed. If the plastic flavor continues, consider using a metal reusable K-cup filled with ground coffee to remove one point of contact with plastic.

It is perhaps just a matter of personal preference. To avoid clogging the inside or interfering with the electrical workings, wash the outside of your Keurig once a week. A moist cloth or a wet paper towel might be used for this.

Four Easy Ways to Get Rid of Plastic Taste in Your Keurig

I have some tips about how to restore your Keurig if it has stopped brewing. I did some research and discovered a few alternatives to vinegar that could work. Nevertheless, I will begin with the simplest remedies and then move on to a few other possibilities that a google search might have not shown yet.

Vinegar

Some people will benefit from a vinegar cleanse, however not everyone. How so? I am not certain, but I believe some people are more sensitive to the taste of particular chemicals than others. If you have a strong aversion to the taste of plastic, you might need to do more than pour vinegar down your Keurig.

White vinegar, a cleaner, deodorizer, and acidic enough to break down most accumulation within the Keurig, is the most efficient approach to descale the machine. This is by far the most popular way for removing the plastic flavor from a Keurig. If you search "Keurig plastic taste," YouTube will show you a video in which a guy basically advises, "put vinegar in your Keurig."

  • Fill the water reservoir with 48 ounces of white vinegar. Fill the Keurig with vinegar until the reservoir is empty.
  • While the coffee machine is running, dump the used vinegar down the drain.
  • Once the reservoir is empty, keep the Keurig on for at least 4 hours. Do this by turning off the "Auto Off" option if your version has it.
  • The water reservoir may then be removed, rinsed, and refilled with new water.
  • Run the water through the Keurig several times without a K-cup until the water no longer starts to smell like vinegar when it exits the machine.

If you are looking for some White Distilled Vinegar check out the link: https://www.amazon.com/LoveSome-White-Distilled-Vinegar-Ounce/dp/B078MLTJ3K

In any case, when it pertains to vinegar, you must make a choice. Do you want to use a particular amount of vinegar? Based on your tolerance level and how much vinegar is currently in your kitchen, you might want to try a batch of straight, undiluted distilled white vinegar. In terms of vinegar, this is the most "strong" technique, and it will require more water to wash the vinegar flavor out.

Begin with a 50:50 mixtures of distilled white vinegar and water if you would rather be wary. If you observe that your Keurig is making reduced plasticky coffee, but it is still plasticky, try stronger diluting or no dilution at all. If this method does not work for you, don’t worry, keep reading for more!

Hot Water

This includes using the Keurig without the K-cup, and it can help remove the mineral accumulation. I understand that this "solution" may appear to be ineffective, however, several people have claimed results with it on the internet.

  • Fill the Keurig’s water reservoir, then operate it continuously until it’s emptied.
  • Examine the water flowing from the Keurig to see if it has picked up any coffee grounds that may have gotten caught in the system.
  • Make sure the Keurig is running till the water is clear.
  • Run several brew cycles instead of using a K-cup to dump at least one or two full reservoirs of clean water via the machine.

I believe it is logical to presume that just washing the machine clean will eliminate any residue leftover from the production process. It is also a good idea to clean the reservoir of any residues or contaminants. Undoubtedly, you have previously poured water into your Keurig when brewing coffee. But how many additional cups did you boil after your first cup tastes like plastic? Remove it and flush it out.

Food-Grade Activated Charcoal

So far, I have seen this remedy proposed by one person online, and it was in a YouTube review from Jennifer Carducci. She said that it takes around 3/4 teaspoon of food-grade activated charcoal to get the job done. The stench was gone on the first pass-through after just adding it to warm water and placing it in the reservoir. Just to be sure, she ran it through a couple more times.

Okay, this appears to be reasonable. And besides, many coffee machines (including those from Mr. Coffee, Keurig or Cuisinart) already include built-in charcoal filters that are supposed to enhance the taste of your coffee. Why pour a diluted blend of activated charcoal through your Keurig if there is already a charcoal filter?

I am guessing the charcoal filter in your Keurig is just meant to filter the water from your reservoir. Because the filter resides there, it will not perform its wonders on the inside of the system. Passing activated charcoal through your Keurig could be a good method to get rid of chemical compounds that have built up in the rubber tubing. It helped Jennifer Carducci, that’s all I can say. But note that she mentioned the smell, not taste.

  1. To begin, thoroughly clean your water reservoir with warm, soapy water.
  2. It should be completely cleaned, both inside and exterior, and rinsed clean. In any case, this is what you should be doing on a regular basis.
  3. Take the charcoal water filter from the system. Using a charcoal filter to remove the charcoal from your water seems counterintuitive.
  4. Fill the reservoir with warm water until it reaches the "fill" line.
  5. Mix about 3/4 teaspoon of activated charcoal into the water.
  6. If your Keurig has this option, set it to the LOWEST temperature setting. According to search engines, increasing the temperature of the water can reduce the efficiency (adsorption rate) of activated charcoal
  7. To drain the reservoir, run enough brew cycles (without the K-cup).
  8. Test the water after running it through the device.
  9. If required, continue the charcoal water rinse.

If you are looking for some Activated Charcoal Powder check out the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0131O1O3S

It is also worth mentioning that if your Keurig plastic flavor continues, you might dilute the activated charcoal more. I cannot see how this would affect your Keurig’s ability to work. But keep in mind my warning from before!

Reusable Stainless Steel K-cup

If you adore your plastic K-cups and have spent a lot of money on one of those K-cup holders, you are out of luck. Although K-cups are now recyclable, which is fantastic, using less plastic is a useful skill overall if you can do it.

Plus, there is a treat! Since you will be filling your reusable K-cup with coffee purchased by the pound, you will save money over the long term. You may tear apart a K-cup and put the contents into the reusable stainless steel K-cup, but that seems ridiculous.

The stainless steel K-cup may eradicate the plastic flavor since it removes one of the most significant pieces of plastic from the formula: the plastic K-cup! I’ve read extensively on the dangers of using plastic in the coffee-brewing process. Plastic contaminates water. The exact location of the leaching is still unknown, but since the water rinse and vinegar rinse failed, replacing the plastic K-cup would seem to be the next obvious step.

A simple check of the customer reviews for the stainless steel K-cup for the phrase "plastic flavor" finds a slew of individuals who claim it has enhanced the taste of their Keurig coffee.

In conclusion, plastic flavor, whether it be in your Keurig or another coffee maker, appears to be an issue that will affect every coffee machine with plastic components. We may argue about the reasons and alternatives, but what matters is that we develop and share answers! Obviously, what succeeds for you might not function for your neighbor. That is part of the fun of the plastic flavor surprise, but I feel sharing is genuinely caring.

Who knows, maybe your positive story may help solve someone else’s problem as well. Have any of the above-mentioned Keurig plastic taste solutions helped you? Or perhaps you tried something else to get rid of the plastic taste? Let me know in the comments section below! I hope you enjoyed reading this article!