Cleaning a thermos bottom from coffee traces "properly".

Submitted by iBo0m t3_1140i13 in BuyItForLife

I can't remove traces of coffee from the bottom of my thermos (it was originally all brown, because I make coffee directly from Kalita or Chemex on daily basis) at any cost. I purchased tablets from Sigg, used soft and hard brushes, etc.. .

Do you have any recommendations or know any tricks?

It's a 20 oz thermos from S'well, so it's a bit difficult to access the bottom easily.

https://preview.redd.it/rorfb6hh3mia1.jpg?width=1321&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=fd34ab9f73ba34f6d33350796bdd469650c343ef

Thank you all for your inputs, appreciated 😊, I opted for buying an Espresso machine tablets and "magic happened", all good!

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https://preview.redd.it/rt8ypa00qxia1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=21cd7d4598ec96c1ee3ecd2811a73b185c4956aa

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Comments

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Old-Ranger1405 t1_j8tftxw wrote

Denture cleaner. Rinse with vinegar after or it will taste metallic

83

Woodbutcher31 t1_j8tmol0 wrote

Yes, and before you dump it all the way out add a few tablespoons of raw rice and shake the hell out of it. Rinse. Dishwasher soap works too…

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dojotheglide t1_j8u4q72 wrote

Salt and ice work for a good shake and scrub as well. Cheers!!

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SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_j8v7oiy wrote

Salt and ice, that is how my mom and grandma removed coffee stains from glass coffee pots.

5

iBo0m OP t1_j8tgn7i wrote

>Denture cleaner

Isn't it a bit similar to the tablets I have used? I haven't used vinegar though, only like 60-70C water and then brushing.

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Old-Ranger1405 t1_j8tkgel wrote

Yes I’d say similar, but likely cheaper. Buy a big box at the pharmacy, use a bunch. I bet you’ll get it clean

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iBo0m OP t1_j8uhtbj wrote

Haha, OK 🙂

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MeinScheduinFroiline t1_j8up76h wrote

It sounds silly. I know and agree but they work! I hadn’t properly cleaned my thermos in years, when I heard about denture tablets. I picked up a box from a dollar store, boiled some water and plunked in two over night. When I brushed it and poured the water out the following morning, the buildup came out in chunks. It was disgusting and amazing all at the same time. Tea tasted a lot better too!

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LoudLemming t1_j8tezrb wrote

In the restaraunt biz we used to put a scoop of ice and like half a cup of salt in the glass coffee pots and swill around until clean

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99available t1_j8tr1n8 wrote

Will that work for bongs?

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SonoranGrass t1_j8trdtr wrote

A little isopropyl (strongest possible) and a bunch of coarse salt will make your bong spotless. It does for mine.

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iBo0m OP t1_j8uhzxx wrote

I may be able to sneak out some from our lab 😁.

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cronx42 t1_j8vbh3e wrote

You can buy 90-91% isopropyl alcohol at any store pretty much. Usually in the pharmacy area. It's cheap too. That and some kosher or other large grain salt works well for cleaning many things. The salt won't dissolve in the alcohol.

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LoudLemming t1_j8x82ra wrote

>The salt won't dissolve in the alcohol.

Really? I didn't know this!

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99available t1_j8ueoy4 wrote

Thanks.

3

satriales856 t1_j8w1rp7 wrote

70% won’t do it. You need 90% or higher. Buy 99% online if you can find it. This will clean all bowls too like new. Just put the bowl on a ziploc, fill it with alcohol, and let it soak.

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217EBroadwayApt4E t1_j8x6248 wrote

I always used to struggle with this advice- it would still take a long time and a lot of shaking things around. It was a pain in the ass.

Then someone recommended microwaving the alcohol for about 30 seconds. I started doing that and it’s an absolute game changer.

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punjayhoe t1_j8vfo04 wrote

Here you get 70% or 99%. Both work but I’ll never use 70% again unless I am desperate lol

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scotsdail t1_j914clk wrote

Plus taking hits through the isopropyl and coarse salt mixture gets you even higher.

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iBo0m OP t1_j8tgbxs wrote

I never heard or thought of that 😁 Thanks for the tip, I will try it tomorrow, however, the coffee marks are really bound, because I tried hard.

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owlpellet t1_j8wf807 wrote

And lemons! For the citric acid. You can also buy citric acid powder.

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phairphair t1_j8tip0k wrote

Urnex tabz coffee brewer cleaning tablets. They work like magic and are worth every penny.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L8V8ZI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Clayspinner t1_j8udpr8 wrote

Or cafiza. Cafiza is a special cleaner for the group head of espresso machines. It will 100% clean your thermos. Which ever you can find locally or online at the cheapest price.

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Markko_ t1_j8un8bt wrote

those are pretty much the same product in different formats! basically just oxyclean with extra ingredients for food safety and rinsability.

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JK9one9 t1_j8tm60p wrote

Baking soda and brush

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mademanseattle t1_j8tnvft wrote

And you can add some white vinegar to make it effervescent. Used to scrub my sailboat with it.

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anonymousmatt t1_j8vmbj4 wrote

I clean our coffee pot this way. Start with boiling hot water and baking soda, scrub with a brush for a few minutes, dump, add water and a little vinegar. Scrub and add a bit more vinegar. It takes less than 5 minutes and almost looks brand new after.

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ladz t1_j8tg607 wrote

You toss in a tablespoon of this stuff and pour in boiling water to your bottle and wait 30 minutes, then rinse.

https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/puro-caff-espresso-machine-cleaning-powder%2C-20-oz.product.10180058.html

There are some other brands of that same stuff too.

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iBo0m OP t1_j8tik9j wrote

Thanks, but I think this is similar to what I have tried and replied here to u/Old-Ranger1405 . The tablets from Sigg have good reviews, I used them repeatedly and no luck (I mean half of the bottom went off).

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Old-Ranger1405 t1_j8tkaee wrote

I just use the ones from the denture isle at the pharmacy. Sometimes several, and hot water helps too. Good luck!

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green19frog t1_j8uj4sw wrote

I agree with the hot water. Like really hot water. I have had luck with baking soda and hot water before when letting it sit for hours.

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ladz t1_j8u192r wrote

Dunno how similar a sigg tablet is. I use puro caff or or puly caff espresso cleaner for bottles, airpots, brewers, espresso group heads, portafilters, etc. It always works awesome and everything ends up looking like new.

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Free2718 t1_j8v945d wrote

This is maybe a more cheap redneck engineering approach - beefiest steel wool/metal dish scrubber, bar keepers friend and back end of a wooden spoon?

Seems like the grit combo of the above could be helpful since it looks caked on.

Maybe follow up with the coffee or denture clear the rest of the folks offered as advice

1

Pokemon_jawn t1_j8tvnap wrote

Former barista here. I recommend cafiza. It will get the job done. Fill the thermos up with boiling water and add the powder.

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iBo0m OP t1_j8tvzh6 wrote

Someone else also recommended it, I will give it a shot 🙂

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theblackcrayon4 t1_j8xjs1m wrote

When I was a barista we used cafiza as well, and I use it to clean my coffee machine now. Soak fin hot cafiza water for 20 minutes and then rinse it off and it's clean as new

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kylefoto t1_j8v99hi wrote

I second this. You won't even have to scrub. It'll melt away and even swishing the container you'll watch the coffee lift off. It's food safe and harmless on stainless steel.

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ttt-93 t1_j8tiyrl wrote

I’ve found soaking with OxiClean gets rid of it

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rocknrollachef t1_j8umu4p wrote

I use oxiclean as well, I use it for cleaning some of my brewing equipment too. I would recommend the “versatile free” as that’s what was recommended to me by other homebrewers

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Lurkergirl3 t1_j8twgsd wrote

I had this same issue and tried everything! Nothing worked except Bottle Bright purchased on Amazon.

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Cascadian73 t1_j8tgucf wrote

I fill an Aladdin Stanley quart stainless vacuum "thermos" every day for home use. After a few months a brown scum forms on the inside. I use a partial tablet of automatic dishwasher detergent and boiling water, fill, shake it up and let sit overnight and rinse with hot water (several times) in the morning. The coffee residue will come out as kind of a brown film. Looking down at the bottom under a strong light, you can see it is now shinny stainless. Good to go until next time.

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iBo0m OP t1_j8tir6k wrote

I will try leaving the tables overnight as I limited the time to about 30 mins previously.

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slogun1 t1_j8tws6k wrote

Bleach. Works a treat.

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marmeylady t1_j8vj1o9 wrote

Exactly ! I live in France and I use a bleach based gel that is coating things. It literally just takes seconds to achieve the job on heavy cafein stained pot and thermos

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grogamir t1_j8wb6d3 wrote

A tiny splash of bleach and let it sit overnight and it will shine.

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Free-Rise5887 t1_j8wn993 wrote

100% this. Works perfectly every time and you don’t need to use much bleach.

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pencilvested t1_j8tzwuk wrote

An alkaline cleaner like PBW will get that clean. It will remove stains on glass like that almost instantly.

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Fat_Head_Carl t1_j9g40i7 wrote

That stuff is great...reminds me that I haven't brewed in quite some time. :-/

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InternationalJury403 t1_j8u07jf wrote

Barkeeper's Friend will clean it with practically no effort.

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lillithfair98 t1_j8uaxtp wrote

put a dishwasher pod in. add hot water.

let it sit for 20 minutes, then wash normally.

works every time.

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butterbeanscafe t1_j8x67sv wrote

Yes! And it’s kind of fun watching all the brown stains come off. I end up looking for more stuff to clean lol

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bg67900 t1_j8umtvv wrote

Huh,you guys clean your thermos? Weird Just scrubbing away all that delicious delicious flavor I hope I'm joking

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Vivid_Yielding t1_j8ukz58 wrote

Sodium percarbonate and boiling water. That's what I use to clean my stainless steel baskets for tea-making. Works like a charm.

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SelfStirringMug t1_j8uxkzl wrote

Denture tabs, 2 or 3 overnight in boiling water, literally got mine soaking right now. Takes it right off.

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kidkoryo t1_j8u1h3j wrote

Cafiza, always.

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tehsarah t1_j8u1luy wrote

When I was working in a hotel, we would clean the big coffee dispensers with bleach and hot water when they got like that.

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poprof t1_j8u4qbb wrote

I use barkeepers friend for everything

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Coffee_Bar_Angler t1_j8u5wpt wrote

I use Cafiza powder in my glass Chemex and even wine glasses that pick up a red tinge.

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symplton t1_j8uaueo wrote

Coca-Cola works great and will eat that right up. Also use it as a drain opener!

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My3floofs t1_j8uizjv wrote

Lemon juice or vinegar and pour in boiling water and let sit.

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johnbengson t1_j8uo5nd wrote

Bar Keepers Friend and a bottle brush make quick work of coffee varnish.

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dirtdog88 t1_j8uqp38 wrote

Throw a dishwasher pod in and fill it with boiling water. Let it sit a few minutes and the stains should release if I remember correctly. Might have to scrub a bit but it’ll come right off.

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AKAK121 t1_j8vdmgd wrote

I use liquid dishwasher detergent and water. Let it sit overnight and use a bottle brush to clean it Rinse really well and it will be perfectly clean

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lagerstedt t1_j8vkgi0 wrote

I use dishwasher detergent and boiling water. Let it sit over night.

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Chiroman88 t1_j8vrvmi wrote

Handful of stainless steel BB‘s, salt and Isopropyl are my go-to.

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sniderbm t1_j8x63ti wrote

bb's, the "ball chain" that is used for military dog tags, sand, something that sinks in water, doesn't dissolve, and can provide some scrubbing force against the residue.

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wimsey1923 t1_j8vx5yn wrote

I use a 1+4 mix of chlorine cleaner and water. Fill to the brim and wait half an hour and you will have a shiny thermos. Usually almost no scrubbing necessary.

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Lonely-Connection-37 t1_j8tultw wrote

Boiling water and a little bleach let it sit overnight then clan

1

ConfusedNegi t1_j8tx4on wrote

I'd probably try barkeepers friend. Works on my pans really well.

1

Haylermoon t1_j8ud8qi wrote

My method for cleaning fine films out of kombucha brewing bottles was to tear up small pieces of a mr clean magic eraser, put it inside with soapy water, and just shake the shit out of it for several minutes. Gone without a trace

1

kattifamof5 t1_j8uiilv wrote

Half a spray of Dawn Powerwash left to sit for 20 minutes and then a light scrub. Happens to a lot of my stainless steel tumblers I use for coffee.

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ConBroMitch t1_j8ullsb wrote

Cafiza, Oxiclean, sodium percarbonate, all are the exact same thing and all are amazing cleaners.

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MohdAmmi t1_j8ulvpa wrote

If you have a dishwasher it’ll eventually clean it over a few cycles I can’t remember how many cycles it went through before getting completely clean. It was gradually getting cleaner after each cycle.

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rocknrollachef t1_j8umk9n wrote

I’ve done it half a dozen times with my Yetis. I use PBW (homebrewer’s cleaner) or oxiclean versatile free (MUST be the “free” version!). Works like a charm every time.

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franksnotawomansname t1_j8unipk wrote

If you think it might be partly lime scale, then some citric acid (or lemon juice) with some boiling water would help. For stains, washing soda and hot water helps. If you just bleach it, then you'll remove the colour without affecting whatever's holding onto the colour.

1

socalspender t1_j8uu39o wrote

Barkeepers friend. It’s amazing

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hipstr_doofus t1_j8uug7d wrote

I use Bottle Bright tablets when mine gets looking like that. I heat up water in the kettle to almost boiling then fill the thermos and drop a tab in for at least 30 mins. I've even left over night on tough ones. Its worked on everything I've tried it on. Plus it's non toxic.

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hot_gardening_legs t1_j8uvrd2 wrote

Steel wool? I’ve been scrubbing years old stains of baking sheets lately and it’s so fun.

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bgpnla t1_j8v4hq3 wrote

I had this exact problem and used baking soda with a little water and then just used a scrubbing sponge . It worked like magic, inside looked like new .

1

OmahaMike402 t1_j8vhylv wrote

60:40 H²o²:liquid dish soap. Small squirt smeared inside will allow the peroxide to clean ceramic also. Same for any pink areas on the sink

1

dnm8686 t1_j8vmxik wrote

Scotch Brite stainless steel scrubbers work great and last a long time

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More_Brick9643 t1_j8vogil wrote

Shove some steel wool down there and mash it around with a fork.

1

Blurt-Reynolds t1_j8vuqff wrote

Denture cleaning tablets. Dissolve them in water and leave overnight.

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CharlotteBadger t1_j8vvafe wrote

Powdered Brewery Wash. It is used to get gunk off of bottles so they can be reused but it works for all kinds of things.

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NihilistDeer t1_j8vyczu wrote

I have a thermos like this and keep it completely clean even tho I make coffee in it daily. The key is to scrub it every day. But I’ve cleaned my sisters after she let hers become far more stained than this. Just needs more scrubbing. If your hand doesn’t fit inside, shove a rough-scrubber sponge or even steel wool down in there with the handle of a scrub brush. Will take some work but it will come completely off if you’re persistent.

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shortpanther t1_j8w52vj wrote

Bon Ami cleanser with a brush could work.

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Zealousideal_Sir6320 t1_j8w6fmf wrote

use steel sponge, put it inside and add 100ml boiling water. then close bottle and shake it like crazy. rinse and repeat

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dtraingaspipe t1_j8w6l0f wrote

Half full with hydrogen peroxide and a few tablespoons of baking soda, fill with hot water, and wait. It’ll all slough off in disgusting sheets of brown. You’re welcome!

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Chasterbeef t1_j8wbrk3 wrote

I like barkeepers friend, sometimes I’d buy a throwaway cup scrubber to use for my thermos. After a good once over with BKF, I just make sure to clean it after every use pretty vigorously

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MeeloP t1_j8wdjaf wrote

I use a bottle scrubber it’s a nice big one from wal mart

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pintjockeycanuck t1_j8wmg3h wrote

Oxy clean... fill with hot water add a scoop of oxy clean let's stand for 15 mins and wash with lots of clean water. We use it to clean coffee pots at work

1

AVLLaw t1_j8x79hw wrote

A little laundry detergent, hot water, soak overnight.

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adistantcake t1_j8x8em0 wrote

If this is steel, then any chloride based bleach will devour all organic matter in less than 1 minute. Do not use for Amelinium

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Archberdmans t1_j8xfoy0 wrote

Oh wait is this sub all hipsters

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bennybigboom t1_j8xi1vw wrote

Dezcal will clean better than anything. Comes in single use packets for under $10.

https://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Dezcal-Espresso-Descaler-Cleaner/dp/B003PSJ7F8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3M6CDMWZQOKNI&keywords=dezcal&qid=1676654861&sprefix=dezcal%2Caps%2C971&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A1GVQ1MQSKMAPF&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFVVjQzNkFYVDlRTFYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1Mzg1MzQxVEI0NFVYUTg4QzAxJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0ODgxNjgzTlc4Mk9aR0lMR1gyJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

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1fastsedan t1_j8xoqkn wrote

I fill my pot with hot water and drop a dishwasher pod in it, rinse it out at the end of the day, 1 swipe with a brush or sponge and that stuff comes off.

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hobokobo1028 t1_j8xssz0 wrote

Bar Keepers Friend and a (clean) toilet brush

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Banegard t1_j8yskk5 wrote

You got all the good answers already, but since this wasn‘t mentioned:
put uncooked, dry rice into hard to clean bottles and shake like crazy.
Works for tea and coffe and I use that to clean my narrow flower vases from algae, too.

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iBo0m OP t1_j90y81y wrote

Thank you all for your inputs, I opted for buying an Espresso machine tablets and "magic happened", all good!

1

Occhrome t1_j92opnx wrote

prior to this did you try vinegar? i find it works great for coffee machines.

1

iBo0m OP t1_j93bi2l wrote

I haven't, but it was recommended in a few posts here. I was planning to try ice cube + salt in the next step if the espresso tablet won't help :).

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lurkinggramma t1_j93lj2g wrote

Have you tried boiling water & some good dishwasher detergent? Let it set for like 30-60 minutes. You should see the lovely brown chunks start floating ☺️ Otherwise, try a lighter grade steel wool & some Dawn dish soap.

I used to clean my mom’s thermal coffee pot for her using the boiling water+detergent method. Once I taught it to her, she started using it too. Worked like a charm & the coffee pot came out looking nearly brand new.

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iBo0m OP t1_j946h88 wrote

Thanks for the tip, however, it has been solved 🥳, I have updated the post.

1