Mr Coffee Clean Light Blinking and Won’t Go Off? Here’s How To Clean It

The water used to brew your coffee has minerals like calcium that build up inside your Mr Coffee machine. These are not toxic but they can cause limescale to form which impacts the flow, temperature and performance of your brewer. This can affect the taste of your cup of coffee too. Regularly cleaning your Mr Coffee using a process known as descaling or decalcifying removes those minerals and can help extend the life of your machine. Keep reading to learn how to clean a Mr Coffee coffee maker. If you have a programmable Mr Coffee machine, these steps will get the red clean light to turn off.

How Often To Clean A Mr Coffee Machine

Mr Coffee says that most people should clean their coffee maker after 80 brew cycles. If you tend to drink about 1 cup a day, that will be around every 3 months. Regular cleaning is needed whether you are using filtered, bottled or tap water with a low to normal mineral count. If your tap has “hard water,” meaning it contains higher level of minerals, then Mr Coffee recommends cleaning after 40 uses since the limescale will build up faster. If you are not sure about the mineral content of your water, you can get a low-cost water testing kit.

Programmable Mr Coffee coffee makers will show a red clean light blinking or flashing when it is time to descale.

Mr Coffee Cleaning Solutions

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Mr Coffee user manuals will say that you can use vinegar or coffee machine cleaning solution on your machine. However, I think the best way to clean your coffee maker is with one of these cleaning solutions. They contain safe and effective types of cleansing acids that are tasteless and odorless. That means you won’t have to worry about any lingering vinegar taste or smell in your cup of coffee.

I would especially recommend one of these solutions if you have a more expensive Mr Coffee machine, like the Cafe Barista or the CoffeeHouse. Vinegar contains 5-8% acetic acid which is strong and can damage any metal components inside your machine. Most high end coffee machine brands recommend against using vinegar.

Impresa Coffee Machine Descaler

The Impresa descaler is a top selling coffee machine cleaner. It has citric and sulfamic acids. Both are gentle on metal. A pack has two bottles. Each bottle has enough solution to use twice.

Essential Values Coffee Machine Descaler & Cleaner

The Essential Values cleaning solution contains a concentrated citric acid that is both odorless and powerful. Each bottle is good for two uses. A two pack will provide four doses. That’s a year supply if you clean every three months. 

How To Clean Mr Coffee Machines

Manual Mr Coffee Brewers

1. In the carafe, mix the descaling solution with fresh water following the instructions on the pack. If you are using vinegar, add 4 cups of undiluted white vinegar to the carafe.
2. Open the lid and pour the contents of the carafe into the water reservoir.
3. Place a filter into the removable filter basket. You may use a paper or permanent filter. If you use a water filter disk, be sure to remove that. Close the lid.
4. Place the empty carafe on the warming plate. Turn the switch to the on position.
5. When 3/4 of the carafe’s original contents have flowed through, turn the switch to off. Wait 30 minutes. This will give the descaler or vinegar time to break down mineral deposits inside the machine.
6. Turn the coffee maker on and let the remaining liquid flow through.
7. Discard the solution and thoroughly rinse the carafe.
8. Remove and discard the paper filter. If you used a permanent filter, remove it and clean it thoroughly.
9. To rinse the machine of any residue, add 4 oz of clean fresh water to the coffee maker. Place the carafe on the warming plate. Turn the switch to the on position and let the water flow through.
10. If you used vinegar, you may need to repeat step 9 a few times until the vinegar smell is no longer noticeable.

Programmable Mr Coffee Machines

1. In the carafe, mix the descaling solution with fresh water following the instructions on the pack. If you are using vinegar, add 4 cups of undiluted white vinegar to the carafe.
2. Open the lid and pour the contents of the carafe into the water reservoir.
3. Place a filter into the removable filter basket. You may use a paper or permanent filter. If you use a water filter disk, be sure to remove that. Close the lid.
4. Place the empty carafe on the warming plate.
5. Press and hold the SELECT / OFF button until the red clean light turns on.
6. The cleaning cycle is automatic. It will take 45 to 60 minutes to complete.
7. After it has brewed 3/4 of the liquid, it will pause to give the descaler or vinegar time to break down mineral deposits inside the machine. The clean light will remain on so you know it is still cleaning.
8. When 30 minutes has passed, it will finish brewing the remaining liquid. The machine will turn off. The clean light will turn off.
9. Discard the contents of the carafe. Clean it thoroughly with fresh waster.
10. Remove and discard the paper filter. If you used a permanent filter, remove it and clean it thoroughly.
11. To rinse the machine of any residue, add 4 oz of clean fresh water to the coffee maker. Place the carafe on the warming plate. Begin brewing and let the full brew cycle complete.
12. If you used vinegar, you may need to repeat step 9 a few times until the vinegar smell is no longer noticeable.

What If The Mr Coffee Clean Light Will Not Turn Off?

If the clean light on your programmable coffee maker won’t go off, it is possible that the machine’s sensors are still picking up mineral buildup that will interfere with performance. This is to be expected if you have hard water or if you’ve had your machine for more than 3 or 6 months and have never descaled.

The easiest thing you can try to do is simply unplug your machine for five minutes. This will reset the machine and hopefully reset the clean light. Plug it back in and see if the light has gone out. If not, you should repeat the cleaning process once or twice more.

You should contact Mr Coffee Customer Service at 1-800-MR-COFFEE (1-800-672-6333) if the clean light remains on. If your machine is still under its limited one year warranty, they may be able to help you fix it.

A Reminder About Daily Cleaning

In addition to running the deep cleaning cycle after every 40 or 80 uses, a little bit of daily care can also help extend the life of your machine. After the coffee maker has cooled, unplug it. Remove the filter basket, permanent filter (if your model has one), decanter and decanter lid. Rinse these with hot water and a mild liquid detergent. Never use an abrasive cleaner or steel wool pads. If you have a dishwasher, only the glass decanter and lid, filter basket and permanent filter are safe to put in the top rack. Always clean the thermal decanter and water filter disk by hand – these are not dishwasher safe. Never insert the coffee maker itself in water!