--- title: How to clean a Keurig (the parts descaling misses) description: Descaling treats the plumbing. The needles, pod holder, reservoir and drip tray are a separate job, and Keurig's guides are specific about how each one is done. source: https://oohunt.com/blog/how-to-clean-a-keurig published: 2026-10-23 modified: 2026-10-23 author: Oohunt Deal Desk site: Oohunt disclosure: Product links are Amazon affiliate links. testing: None. This guide makes no hands-on testing claim. Factual claims are attributed to named manufacturer sources and linked inline. --- # How to clean a Keurig (the parts descaling misses) [Oohunt Deal Desk](https://oohunt.com/how-we-choose-deals) · Buying guides · October 23, 2026 · 7 min read As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this page. **Unplug it, hand wash the reservoir and drip tray, and clear both needles with a straightened paper clip.** That is cleaning a Keurig, and it is a different job from descaling: descaling dissolves mineral scale inside the water lines, and washing never reaches that. Keurig’s own maintenance table keeps them on separate schedules, and so does this page. Everything below is from Keurig’s Use and Care guides, which are more specific about cloths and paper clips than you might expect. ## Before you start Turn the brewer off and unplug it. Take the water filter out of the reservoir if you use one, because it should not be in there while you wash the tank. And never immerse the brewer itself in water or any other liquid: the washable parts come off, the machine does not go in the sink. ## The reservoir and its lid Lift the reservoir out and wash it with a **damp, soapy, non-abrasive cloth**, then rinse it thoroughly. Keurig’s reason for the thorough rinse is worth repeating: leftover cleaning solution can contaminate the water supply, which is the water your coffee is made of. Two instructions people get wrong here. The reservoir and lid **do not go in the dishwasher**. And do not dry the inside with a cloth, because lint stays behind; fill it with clean water instead and put it back, or let it air dry. ## The drip tray It holds up to 8 ounces of overflow, which is most of a mug, and it is usually the part someone discovers by tipping it down their counter. Slide it toward you keeping it level, empty it, and wipe it with a damp, soapy, lint-free cloth. ## The pod holder and the exit needle Lift the handle, grasp the top of the pod holder and push up from underneath to release it, then detach the funnel. Wash both. The exit needle is inside the bottom of the pod holder, and Keurig’s instruction is literal: **insert a straightened paper clip into the exit needle** to loosen coffee grounds. A clogged exit needle is also the first thing Keurig lists when a brewer delivers a partial cup, so this is as much a fix as a chore. ## The entrance needle This is the one most people never touch. Lift the brewer handle and look at the underside of the lid: the entrance needle is what punctures the top of the pod. Holding the handle up, carefully put a straightened paper clip into **all of the holes** and move it gently to loosen grounds. Then lower the handle completely and **run two water-only brew cycles with no pod**, which flushes out whatever you dislodged. Keurig also has video instructions for both needles on its support site. ## What to clean, and how often Alongside those, Keurig’s table adds a rinse pod weekly, a water filter cartridge every 2 months and descaling solution every 3 months. The rinse pods are specifically for flavor carryover, and Keurig suggests one after hot cocoa or other sweetened pods, which are the ones that leave the needles sticky. ## After the machine has sat unused Empty the reservoir before storing or moving a brewer, keep it upright so the inner tank does not leak, and keep it somewhere frost-free, because water freezing inside can damage it. Coming back to one, Keurig recommends rinsing the reservoir with fresh water and running rinsing brews with no pod, and the K-Mini guide says to descale it as well before you drink anything out of it. ## What cleaning will not fix Slow brewing, less coffee than you asked for and a cooler cup are scale symptoms, not residue symptoms. If you have washed everything and cleared both needles and the brewer is still underperforming, the answer is in [how to descale a Keurig](https://oohunt.com/blog/how-to-descale-a-keurig), and if it will not brew at all, start with [why a Keurig stops brewing](https://oohunt.com/blog/keurig-not-working). ## What the weekly pass needs Prices change often, so check the current one on Amazon. What we would buy (4) Affiliate links - [Keurig Rinse Pods](https://oohunt.com/out/B06XH8BLS8?p=blog-clean-keurig): The weekly line on Keurig's own maintenance table, for flavor carryover between brews. - [Keurig 3-Month Brewer Care Maintenance Kit](https://oohunt.com/out/B07V3946XL?p=blog-clean-keurig): Rinse pods, filters and descaling solution together: all three intervals in one box. - [Keurig Water Filter Refill Cartridges](https://oohunt.com/out/B004JV8ZUS?p=blog-clean-keurig): Comes out before you wash the reservoir, and is due every 2 months anyway. - [Keurig Descaling Solution, 28 oz](https://oohunt.com/out/B085112R85?p=blog-clean-keurig): For the job this page is not about: the scale inside the water lines, every 3 months. No prices or star ratings here. Prices change daily and we do not track them, so Amazon shows you the current one. Nothing on this list has been tested. ## Common questions ### How do you clean a Keurig? Unplug it, wash the reservoir and lid by hand with a damp soapy cloth, empty and wipe the drip tray, take out the pod holder and clear the exit needle with a straightened paper clip, clear the entrance needle under the lid the same way, then run two water-only brews. Descaling is a separate job. ### Can you put a Keurig water reservoir in the dishwasher? No. Keurig's guides say the reservoir and its lid should not go in the dishwasher. Hand wash with a damp, soapy, non-abrasive cloth and rinse thoroughly, and do not dry the inside with a cloth, because lint stays behind. ### Why are there grounds in my coffee? Grounds collect in the exit or entrance needles. Keurig's fix is a straightened paper clip in both: the exit needle inside the bottom of the pod holder, and the entrance needle on the underside of the lid. Then run two brews with no pod. ### How often should you clean a Keurig? Keurig's maintenance table puts rinse pods weekly, filters every 2 months and descaling every 3. The washable parts, meaning the reservoir, lid, pod holder and drip tray, are worth doing on the weekly pass, and the needles whenever grounds show up. ### What is the difference between cleaning and descaling a Keurig? Cleaning deals with what you can reach: grounds, residue, the tank and the tray. Descaling dissolves mineral scale inside the water lines and on the heating element, which no amount of washing touches. ### Can you use soap or bleach in a Keurig? Mild soap on the washable parts only, rinsed thoroughly, because Keurig warns that leftover cleaning solution can contaminate the water supply. Never immerse the brewer itself, and nothing abrasive. Keurig's guides name no bleach step at any point. --- The filter that comes out first is covered in [the Keurig water filter guide](https://oohunt.com/blog/keurig-water-filter), and the quarterly job in [how often to descale a Keurig](https://oohunt.com/blog/how-often-to-descale-a-keurig). More for the kitchen sits in [home & kitchen](https://oohunt.com/category/home-kitchen). --- ## More guides - [Frigidaire refrigerator water filter: which one fits](https://oohunt.com/blog/frigidaire-refrigerator-water-filter) - [Power banks for laptops: what actually works](https://oohunt.com/blog/power-bank-for-laptop) - [Can you put foil in an air fryer?](https://oohunt.com/blog/foil-in-air-fryer)