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In Italy during World War II, soldiers cleaned their coffee pots and cups with lemon rinds. Even during wartime conditions and without water, they knew that the most important element in brewing good coffee was clean equipment. While today we have plenty of water and a battery of sophisticated cleaning supplies at hand, the sentiment remains the same: if battlefield soldiers can do it, so can you. No matter how busy you you are, taking the time to clean your coffee maker isn't just a luxury. It's essential.

Why Worry About a Clean Coffee Maker?

Experts all agree that the first step in making a perfect cup of coffee is to start with clean equipment. If you've ever worked in an office that made pot after pot of bitter caffeinated swill, you know just how bad coffee can be. That horrible taste in the office coffee maker is the result of oil deposits left behind from the coffee beans. You didn't know coffee contained oil? It does, and and if that left-behind oil isn't removed, it will leave your coffee tasting foul.

Mineral deposits also build up over time, and while you won't always taste the result in the maker itself (that dratted oil covers up the taste), you'll taste it from the deposits left in your actual coffee carafe. The glass pot itself tends to be rinsed out from time to time, if not daily, so oils are less of a problem, but the mineral deposits from your tap water will still build up over time, even with rinsing. A good, regular cleaning is essential to stripping out the minerals -and their resulting yucky taste- from your pot.

How to Clean the Maker Itself

The best way to clean the coffee maker is the tried-and-true vinegar method, and it doesn't take a genius to master it. All you need is a little inexpensive white vinegar. Fill your reservoir about 1/4 of the way with vinegar. That's right: pour it directly into the holder. Fill the reservoir the rest of the way to the top with clean, cold filtered water. Using filtered water ensures that you're not just adding more mineral deposits into the mix.

If your maker hasn't been cleaned in a very long time, let this cocktail sit for about fifteen minutes to help clean the reservoir interior. Next, line the filter basket with a fresh filter and switch it on. Once the maker has completed the cycle, switch the maker off and let the vinegar and water sit in the carafe for about ten minutes while the unit cools down.

If you feel like your coffee maker needs an extra cleaning (if it's been a year or more), repeat

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