Whether it’s a chilly winter morning, following your morning routine or going out camping, preparing your coffee the old-fashioned way using a percolator can be a good way to kick start your day.

The percolating method helps produce richer, fresher and full-flavoured coffee. Coupled with a permanent filter basket, the method is a lot simpler and straightforward.

Stovetop Coffee Percolator

Without further ado, here’s a step by step guide on how to clean a stovetop coffee percolator:

Daily cleaning after every brew

It is best to wash your percolator at the end of each brew to avoid clogging it with coffee grounds and water gunks.

Follow these steps for a routine clean of your stovetop coffee percolator:

  1. Ensure that the percolator has cooled down before washing.
  2. Disassemble the percolator and remove the filter basket and stem. (Throw away any used grounds into the bin).
  3. In a dish bowl, mix some water and a teaspoon of dish soap.
  4. Use a dish sponge to clean the interior of the percolator and the filter basket.
  5. Thoroughly rinse with clean hot tap water and ensure that all the soap is cleaned out.
  6. Dry with a clean dish towel or let it air dry.
  7. Reassemble your percolator when your sure everything is thoroughly dry.

Deep cleaning your percolator

If it is been a while since you last cleaned your percolator and you’re experiencing blockages, burnt coffee, or clogging of the basket, then you may need to do a deep clean. This may be done once or twice a month depending on how often you use the percolator to brew your coffee.

You can use any of the following products depending on the need:

Baking soda

Baking soda has natural antibacterial properties and can be used to remove tough stains like burnt milk.

Follow these steps when cleaning your stovetop percolator using Baking Soda:

  1. Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda with water into the percolator
  2. Place the percolator on the stove and leave the mixture to brew for a few minutes.
  3. Remove the percolator from the stove and let it sit for a while to cool down.
  4. Pour the mixture and wash the inside of the percolator using a sponge and dish soap.
  5. Rinse with warm water and leave to dry thoroughly before reassembling.

If you want to remove grease from the percolator you can dd 1/4 of a lemon to the baking soda to get the best results.

Vinegar

Vinegar is known for its natural cleaning properties and can restore your percolators shine.

Follow these steps when cleaning your stovetop percolator using Vinegar:

  1. Mix equal parts of water and vinegar into the percolator.
  2. Place the pot onto the stove and let the mixture brew for a few minutes.
  3. Remove the percolator from the stove and let it cool down for around 15 minutes.
  4. Pour the mixture and clean using sponge and dish soap.
  5. Rinse with warm water and leave to dry before reassembling.

Tip: Avoid using sharp scrapers and abrasive products to clean your pot.

Cleaning your coffee percolator could seem like a gruesome experience especially when you are in a hurry. However, with these simple methods, you can have your pot clean and sparkling in a few minutes.

So there you have it, a step by step guide showing you how to clean a stovetop coffee percolator.

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