Moka pots are among our homes’ most popular and commonly used coffee makers. And analyzing this type of coffee maker in-depth, I have realized that many doubts and false beliefs circle around their cleaning.
Cleaning any coffee maker is fundamental, not only for its good functioning but also for obtaining good coffee preparations. And this being such an important topic, it deserves to have an article dedicated only to it. So here I will try to make the subject as clear as possible.
How to wash a Moka pot correctly
To ensure complete cleaning, we must first carefully disassemble the coffee maker. Remember that it constitutes three main parts: the upper chamber, the filter for ground coffee, and the water tank.
It is very important to wash not only the outer part but also the internal part since it is where the most dirt can accumulate, which can affect the quality of the coffee. Once the coffee maker has been disassembled, follow these steps for a complete cleaning:
- Cleaning of the upper chamber. This is where the coffee beverage ends up and is more exposed to accumulated dirt. Clean it very well with soap and water.
- Cleaning of the rubber gasket. In the lower part of this chamber, we find the rubber gasket that holds the filter. First, pass a soft cloth over it to sweep away the coffee grounds and remove this gasket with the help of a fork or small spoon. When removing it, wash it very well to remove all the residues it accumulates.
- Cleaning the flat filter. After removing the gasket, you can easily remove the flat filter, which also accumulates a lot of coffee and oil residues (if this filter is dirty, it can radically change the taste of the coffee). Remove all these remains by washing it with soap and water.
- Cleaning the back of the upper chamber. Underneath the filter, we find the back part of the upper chamber where the coffee is extracted. Use the same fork you used to remove the rubber gasket and wrap it with a soft cloth to clean the center, then wash it very well with soap and water since many oils also accumulate there.
- Once we have cleaned the top, we move on to the bottom. Also, using soap and water, wash the rest of the components of the coffee maker inside and out, both the filter where the ground coffee is deposited and the water tank.
⚠️ Once all the components have been cleaned, dry each part very well using a soft cloth. This step is important and should not be skipped since water, by nature, contains bacteria and minerals that can ruin the coffee maker in the long run.
So as a recommendation, never leave your Moka pot to dry in the open air on a rack after washing it. Always before storing or using it again, dry it without leaving any traces of water in it.
The above five steps may not need to be done every day, but I recommend doing them at least once a week. As for drying the coffee pot, always do it.
Related: How to clean a burnt Moka pot.
Should soap be used to wash the Moka pot?
This is a frequent question, and, first of all, we must consider that coffee contains oils present every time you prepare a beverage. Therefore, the grease from these oils will remain in the coffee maker whenever you use it, and we know well that oil is not easy to remove just with water.
➡️ That said, I believe that it is necessary to use soap so that your Moka pot can be completely clean and without the risk of accumulating residues of any kind in it.
Is there any other method to clean the Moka pot that does not involve using soap?
I know many people are skeptical about washing the coffee pot using soap and prefer to do it only with water. Thinking about this, I wanted to test other cleaning systems without soap and see if they could be just as effective.
One of the methods I used was to wash the coffee maker using a light neutral salt, and the other was only using very hot water. After testing these cleaning methods, I concluded that both could give good results.
In addition, I have to say that after some time of constantly washing my old Moka pot using salt, and without forgetting always to dry it very well, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it looks as impeccable and shiny as if it were a new coffee pot.
I leave it to your discretion and preferences the cleaning method you want to use; however, I recommend never forgetting to dry all the components of the Moka pot very well to prevent water from ruining them.
