How To Descale Cuisinart Coffee Maker (Easy Guide)

When your Cuisinart coffee maker starts tasting off or stops brewing correctly, it might be time to descale it. While there are many tutorials on the web that can teach you how to descale your Cuisinart coffee maker, most of them are not very detailed and don’t cover the topic entirety.

To help you with this process, I put together a step-by-step guide for descaling your Cuisinart coffee maker so that you can enjoy great-tasting coffee again. Let’s get started!

How Do You Know When Cuisinart Needs to Be Descale?

If you notice your Cuisinart coffee maker isn’t working as efficiently as it used to, it might be time to descale it. This process removes the built-up calcium and minerals that can accumulate over time and affect the quality of your coffee. You should descale your Cuisinart coffee maker every 3 to 6 months or more frequently.

There are a few signs that indicate it’s time to descale your machine:

• The water isn’t heating up properly
• Poor-tasting coffee
• The machine is taking longer to brew than usual

How To Descale Cuisinart Coffeemaker

Cuisinart Keurig SS10P1

1. Empty the water reservoir and eject the water filter holder.
2. Disable the AUTO OFF and OFF TIME features.
3. Make sure there is no capsule in the brewing chamber
4. Fill the water tank with 1 liter of water and one descaler solution.
5. Place a large mug on the drip tray. Press and hold the “HOT WATER” and “RINSE” buttons to start the descaling process. Once the water reservoir is empty, discard the dispensed solution.
6. Repeat Step 5 until “ADD WATER” is displayed on the control panel.
7. Rinse the water reservoir thoroughly and fill it with drinking water.
8. Run another “Hot Water” cycle to rinse the machine and discard the dispensed solution.
9. Wait until the machine says READY, then press the RINSE button.
10. You may need to perform additional Hot Water cycles if you detect any residual vinegar taste.

Cuisinart Coffee Center SS15P1

When Cuisinart SS15 Coffee Center all lights flash in sequence, it means the unit needs to descale. To descale, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Remember to remove the charcoal water filter from the water filter holder located in the water tank.
2. Fill the water reservoir with a descaling solution and water per the instructions on your bottle.
3. Place the large mug or container on the drip tray.
4. Push and hold the “6 oz” and “8 oz” buttons for 2 seconds to start to descale operation.
5. The descaling solution will dispense into the container. Discard the dispensed solution into the sink.
6. Repeat the descaling steps until the “ADD WATER” light comes ON.
7. When the descaling is complete, all LED lights will be on.
8. Run three cleaning cycles. Fill the water tank with fresh drinking water. Press hold the “6 oz” and “8 oz” buttons for 2 seconds to start cleaning.
9. After completing three cleaning cycles, replace the charcoal water filter holder inside the water tank and your coffeemaker is ready to use!

SS15P1 Cuisinart 12-Cup Coffee Maker

If calcium deposits build up faster, the CLEAN light will shine, indicating a 12-cup Coffeemaker should be descaled. Follow these steps to descale your SS15P1 12-Cup Coffee Maker:

1. Remove the water tank and eject the charcoal water filter holder.
2. Fill the water tank to capacity with a mixture of 1 liter of water and one descaler solution.
3. Press and hold the “CLEAN” button. When the “CLEAN LED” indicator flashes, the coffeemaker is in Clean mode. Release the button.
4. The descaling solution will dispense into the container. Discard the dispensed solution into the sink.
5. When the cycle is completed, 5 beeps will sound and the coffeemaker will automatically shut OFF.
6. If the “CLEAN” indicator illuminates once more, repeat the descaling procedure. (one cleaning cycle is usually sufficient)
7. When the “CLEAN” indicator remains OFF, run one cleaning cycle.
8. Fill a full water tank with fresh water and press the “CLEAN” button to start cleaning.
9. Replace the charcoal water filter holder inside the water tank and your coffeemaker is ready to use!

Cuisinart DCC-3200P1 PerfecTemp

1. Follow these steps to descale your Cuisinart DCC-3200P1 PerfecTemp.
2. Remove the water tank and eject the charcoal water filter holder.
3. Fill the water tank to capacity with a mixture of 1 liter of water and one descaler solution.
4. Push and hold the “CLEAN” button. When the “CLEAN LED” indicator flashes, the coffeemaker is in Clean mode. Release the button to start the descaling process.
5. When the cycle is completed, 5 beeps will sound and the coffeemaker will shut off. Discard the dispensed solution.
6. If the CLEAN indicator flashes once more, repeat the descaling procedure. (one descaling cycle is usually sufficient)
7. When the “CLEAN” indicator remains OFF, run one cleaning cycle.
8. Fill a full water tank with fresh water and press the “CLEAN” button to start cleaning.
9. Replace the charcoal water filter holder inside the water tank and your DCC-3200 is ready to use!

Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System

Follow these steps to de-scale your SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System:

1. Empty the water tank and eject any K-Cup in the chamber.
2. Disable the AUTO OFF and OFF TIME features.
3. Fill the reservoir with a descaler and water per the instructions on your bottle.
4. Place a large mug on the drip tray and run a “Hot Water” cycle. Select the 12 oz. brew size.
5. The descaling solution will dispense into the mug. Discard the dispensed solution into the sink.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until “ADD WATER” is displayed on the control panel and the reservoir lights will flash.
7. Let the Machine stand for at least four hours while still ON.
8. Rinse the water tank thoroughly and fill it with fresh drinking water.
9. Run another Hot Water cycle. Discard the contents of a large mug.
10. Repeat the cleaning process until ADD WATER is displayed on the control panel and the reservoir lights will flash.
11. You may need to perform additional Hot Water cycles if you detect any residual vinegar taste.

Note: If DE-SCALE is still displayed on the screen after completing the procedure, repeat the de-scaling procedure above.

Cuisinart DESCALE Light Won’t Turn Off?

After running a descaling cycle, if the clean light is still blinking and won’t go off, you can try the following steps to reset it:

• There is no reset button on the Cuisinart coffee maker so the only way to attempt to do this. To turn the machine off and disconnect it from the power outlet. Leave it alone for 15 minutes before you turn it back on again. The descaling light should now be off.
• With a Cuisinart SS model like the SS10 or SS15, place a cup under the outlet. Press the “6oz” and “8oz” buttons simultaneously. The clean light should be reset after running some water through it. It works because it flushes water through the machine, removing any vinegar or gunk inside.

If the Cuisinart coffee machine clean light doesn’t turn off after doing all the steps might mean more mineral buildup remains under the unit that needs to be cleaned. Because you do not descale it for more than 3 or 6 months or if you have hard water. So, descale it again and see if that clears up the issue. If not, call Cuisinart customer service at 1-800-726-0190 to ask them what else you can do to solve the problem.