9 Best Ways to Clean a French Press Easily
Making coffee in a French press has become very popular, but it is a little more complicated than the traditional way of making coffee. After you have learned how to make an amazing cup of coffee with a French press, you will need to learn something just as important. How to clean it. So, what are the best ways to clean your French Press?
Best Ways to Clean a French Press
Cleaning a French press is a fairly simple process. There are a few steps, but once you have learned them, it should be easy for you to clean your French press quickly and effectively. Let’s go step by step and look at how you should clean your French press. I would recommend that you have this open.
Get Rid of Old Coffee Grounds
The first thing you need to do is get rid of any coffee grounds still left in your French press. With the way a French press works, it can be harder to clean out the coffee grounds than with a regular coffee maker.
The most important thing I can state here is to not wash your coffee grounds down the sink. This is not good for your plumbing and is highly discouraged. If you have a garbage disposal, you can put your coffee grounds down the sink but do this at your own discretion.
To clean the coffee grounds out of your French press, you should use a mesh sieve. Fill up your French press with water and place the mesh sieve over the sink. Then pour the water into the mesh sieve so that it will catch the coffee grounds. Do this a few times to get as many of the coffee grounds out of your French press as possible.
After you have separated all the coffee grounds into the mesh, sieve you need to dispose of them. The most common way people dispose of them is by putting them in the trash. You can also consider recycling them by using them as compost in a garden.
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Take Apart Your French Press
Now that you have gotten the coffee grounds out of your French press, you need to take it apart to get the best clean possible. Some French presses are different, but you can expect to separate it into five parts. These Five parts are:
- The Pitcher
- Mesh Filter
- Spiral Plate (top stainless-steel part of plunger)
- Cross plate (bottom stainless-steel part of plunger)
- Lid and plunger rod
Taking your French press apart will allow us to give it a deeper clean.
Thoroughly Clean Each Part
Now that you have taken your French press apart it is time to clean each piece. The best way to do this is to use a sponge and dish soap. Thoroughly scrub each piece and then rinse it off. Then place it somewhere to dry. If you are planning to make coffee with it right after cleaning, then use a dishrag or paper towel to clean your press.
If you like to give things a good clean like me, then you can put your disassembled French press into the dishwasher. This will help to give it a better clean than you could give it by hand. Read the instructions for your specific French press before doing this, as some brands recommend against washing it in the dishwasher.
Put Your Press Back Together
Now that your French press is all clean, it is time to put it back together! If you plan on using it right after cleaning, then dry it off and reassemble it. If you are going to make coffee later than keep your press apart and allow it to dry completely. You can put it together after it is fully air dried or when you decide to make coffee again.
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Make More Coffee
Now it’s time to make more coffee. It is recommended that you clean your French press soon after making your coffee rather than waiting until the next day. This will keep your press in better shape and give it a better clean every time.
How Often Should You Clean a French Press?
It is recommended that you clean your French press after every single use. Coffee can mold and go bad. So, if you leave any leftover in your press, it could affect the taste of your coffee. It also may allow mold to grow in your press.
Best Ways to Clean a French Press
There are other ways to clean a French press besides the way mentioned above. One popular way is to use baking soda to get a better clean. After taking apart your press, you would mix a small amount of baking soda into some water. You would then scrub each piece with this mixture and rinse it thoroughly.
How to Clean a French Press with Vinegar
Another great way to clean your French press is with vinegar. Using vinegar will really help your press look brand new, especially if it has a lot of stains. The vinegar naturally breaks up the stains while cleaning. When cleaning your French press with vinegar you will want to use plain white distilled vinegar.
To clean your French press with vinegar, you will want to fill your press with 50% vinegar and then top it off with boiling water. You will then want to put the top of the French press back on and press as if you were making coffee. You will then let the water and vinegar steam for 10 minutes. You will then pour out the mixture and wash the press with soap.
Why Should You Clean Your French Press After Every Use?
Cleaning your French press after every use is important. It keeps your press in top shape and makes sure that you can make the best cup of coffee possible. If you don’t clean your press, consistently it could cause some problems.
Not cleaning your press regularly could cause it to get moldy, cause your coffee to taste weird, or even just stop it from working properly. It is also important that you take the time to regularly deep clean it with one of the special methods outlined above. Using baking soda or vinegar on your press will help you make sure that any unwanted materials aren’t making it into your coffee.
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How to Clean Mold Off of a French press
Maybe you forgot to clean your French press for several days. It happens to the best of us. You go to make some coffee and you realize that your press has mold growing in it. How do you clean it to properly get the mold out?
First you add equal parts vinegar and baking soda into your press. This is like what you do when just adding vinegar. Let that mixture sit inside your press as you did with just the vinegar. You will then want to scrub your press clean and rinse with boiling water. You can then clean your press as normal and start using it again.
Using Oxiclean to Clean Your French Press
If you keep some Oxiclean on hand, this could be a great way for you to thoroughly clean your French press. You will want to mix 4-5 tablespoons of Oxiclean with hot water and soak the filter in it for at least one hour. After it is done soaking, put the filter and the pitcher into the dishwasher.
Using Hydrogen Peroxide to Clean Your French Press
To clean your French press with hydrogen peroxide you will want to mix 2-3 teaspoons of soap, citric acid, and hydrogen peroxide into a bowl. You will then want to add two cups of warm water to the mixture. You will soak the French press filter for over 4 hours and then put the filter and pitcher into the dishwasher.
How Often Should You Clean Your French Press?
You should take the time to clean your French press after every single use. You should plan on cleaning your press within several hours of every time you use it. You don’t have to use baking soda or vinegar on your press every time, but you should use them on a fairly consistent basis to keep your press in top condition.
Do You Need to Clean Different Types of French Presses Differently?
French presses can be made out of different types of materials. Some are glass and others are made out of stainless steel. Many people wonder if the material makes a difference in how you should clean your press. The answer is that it can, but usually it doesn’t really matter.
Most of the time you can use all the methods listed in this article to clean your French press. Depending on what type of material your press of you may want to use a specific type of sponge in order to best work with that material. It is always best practice to read your French press’s manual and see what the recommended way is to clean it.
Does Cleaning Your French Press with Soap Affect the Taste of Your Coffee?
There is a lot of talk online about using soap to clean your French press. Especially if your French press is made of plastic. There is really no definitive proof that this is the case, but if you want to be extra careful, then you can avoid using soaps or putting your press in the washer.
Instead of using soaps you would use some alternatives methods to clean your press after every single use. The best way to do this would probably be to us the baking soda method. This method is the quickest and would offer the best way for you to clean your press daily.
Is It Safe to Clean My French Press in the Dishwasher?
Normally there is no issue with using the dishwasher to clean your French press. Often using a dishwasher is a great way to make sure that your press gets an extra thorough cleaning. It is always recommended that you check your manual to make sure that the manufacturer doesn’t discourage it.
Even if you do use your dishwasher to clean your French press, you should still clean out the coffee grounds and take it apart. Then you should at least scrub it with soap before placing it in the washer. This will make sure that your press gets the best clean every time.
Cleaning Your French Press is Important to Do
There are many ways to clean your French press. The important thing isn’t how you clean it. It is if you clean it. Cleaning your French press after every single use will ensure that it kept in the best shape that it can be.
Cleaning your French press properly is just as important as learning to make a wonderful coffee in it. If you don’t clean it regularly, deal with mold, weird tasting coffee, and stains on your French press. Make sure you are taking the time to keep your French press in the best condition possible to keep making great coffee.