A common question among all Aeropress owners is “How to clean Aeropress?”. Is using merely water enough? Or do you need more?

The short answer is no, using water alone is not enough to really clean your Aeropress. That said, the best way to keep your Aeropress clean in the long run is rinsing it after every single use.

If you do not believe me, dab a clean kitchen roll in water and wipe the inner surface of your Aeropress. I am sure you will notice brown stains on them. 

As a fellow Aeropress owner, I usually only rinse my Aeropress with water after every use. Even so, I had a shocking discovery as I noticed brown stains on the wet kitchen towel after wiping my Aeropress.

Fret not because in this blog post, I will share everything you need to know to clean your Aeropress. 

Disclosure

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At a glance: How To Clean Aeropress? (All Cleaning Methods)

Simple Aeropress Cleaning Methods

If you are a regular Aeropress user and usually brew your Coffee every day with your Aeropress, you definitely need some simple ways to keep your Aeropress clean. Coffee oils from the coffee grounds can sometimes be stubborn and will build up if left unchecked. 

These simple cleaning methods will only take you 5 minutes tops to make sure your Aeropress is as good as new after every use.

1. Rinse With Water After Use

The simplest and easiest way to keep your Aeropress squeaky clean is by rinsing it with water after each use. 

With this way, you can reduce the contact time of the coffee liquid and the Aeropress surface. Hence, lowering the probability of the coffee oils leeching on the inner surfaces.

Here is how I usually do it:

Author’s Note: While rinsing with water may seem clean, this does not completely remove the coffee oil that may leech on to the Aeropress surface. 

2. Regularly Wash With Soap And Water

At some point, using water alone will not be enough to remove some of the stubborn coffee stains. This calls for the use of soaps or detergents.

After using your Aeropress daily on a daily basis, you will soon notice that the inner surface of your Aeropress chamber may be murky. These are the coffee oils and residues left behind from your Aeropress brewing sessions.

If you leave them as it is for far too long, it will eventually affect the flavors of your Aeropress’s coffee flavor profile. Imagine having unpleasant flavors in your precious fruity light roasted Ethiopian coffee.

The cleaning steps are similar to rinsing with water but add in a soap solution to the water this time. This will ease the removal of coffee oils and scums on the Aeropress surface. 

Personally, I wash my Aeropress with soap and water every 3 to 4 days just to ensure the coffee oils do not start building up in my precious Aeropress. 

Author’s Note: I’d recommend using mild cleaning soap here. Harsh cleaning detergents may work better but will risk damaging the rubber seal. 

Deep Cleaning Methods For Aeropress

All your Aeropress brewing can really leave some stubborn coffee oil stains on the surfaces of your Aeropress. This happens even after my regular rinsing with water and soap. 

To solve this, you will need to occasionally give your Aeropress a deep clean to scrub out all the gunk from your Aeropress. Here, I am going to explore 3 ways to deep clean your Aeropress.

A good cup of coffee comes from clean equipment.

1. Soak In Diluted Vinegar Or Lemon Juice

If your Aeropress starts to look cloudy on the surface and smells rancid, the coffee oils and organic compounds have probably made the Aeropress their home. 

These oils and residue are stubborn and it will take more than just water and soap to get rid of them. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to it and the ingredients are all in your kitchen pantry; vinegar and lemon juice.

To get rid of the stains and smell here’s a quick step-by-step guide using diluted vinegar solution.

I would like to emphasize Step 5 again. Please remember to always rinse your Aeropress thoroughly after every deep cleaning with diluted vinegar or lemon juice.

You do not want to be surprised that your next Aeropress brew has a coffee-tasting profile of vinegar! 

Author’s Note: All of the parts of the Aeropress are plastic and are safe from the acidic nature of vinegar. The rubber seal however might be susceptible to damage by the vinegar solution. So, remember to remove the rubber seals before soaking in the vinegar solution.

2. Use Denture Cleaning Tablets

If you have excess denture cleaning tablets laying around at home, here’s another simple hack to help deep clean your Aeropress. 

You may be wondering why are denture cleaning tablets so effective for cleaning coffee makers like Aeropress?

The answer lies in one of its ingredients which is the baking soda which is also known as sodium bicarbonate. 

With the presence of baking soda in the denture cleaning tablets, it causes a fizzy reaction when in contact with water. The bubbly fizz gives a “scrubbing” effect on the Aeropress surface which will scrub off the coffee oils and residues easily. 

Furthermore, what makes the denture cleaning tablets better than a vinegar bath is that it doesn’t leave the sour odor in your Aeropress. How convenient is that?

3. Use Coffee Equipment Cleaners

The third option to perform a deep cleaning procedure on your Aeropress is by using coffee equipment cleaning products. 

Espresso machines in particular have a high tendency to have coffee oils build up. This is because espresso machines are meant to churn out hundreds of espressos daily, especially in a busy cafe. Hence, it is common for coffee oils and coffee ground residues to leech into the equipment surfaces. 

So this is why coffee equipment cleaning tablets like the Cafiza and Cafetto are highly efficient in cleaning the espresso machines. 

The dual action from the sodium bicarbonate and bleaching agent will remove coffee oils and stains from your Aeropress in no time.

And so, instead of using it for the espresso machine you can use it on your Aeropress too!

How To Clean Aeropress Parts?

1. Chamber

The Aeropress chamber is long and cylindrical. Since the chamber is where the coffee grounds and coffee liquid resides during coffee brewing, most of the coffee oils and residue will be on the walls of the chamber. 

I’d recommend using a cleaning sponge when cleaning the Aeropress chamber

2. Plunger (without the rubber seal)

For the Aeropress plunger, its surface is not in contact with the coffee liquid during an Aeropress brew. So in most circumstances, a simple rinse with water and a good wipe with a clean cloth is fine. 

3. Rubber Seal

For the Aeropress rubber seal, you definitely would want to pay extra attention to this part. The Aeropress rubber seal is one of the areas with most contact time with coffee and also most susceptible to damage.

For this, I’d recommend rinsing it with soft detergent or soap under running water while rubbing the surface with your hands.

4. Filter Cap

The final piece of the Aeropress is the filter cap where the coffee liquid will pass through in every brew. Like the other pieces, coffee oils, and residues will most likely leech on to the filter cap’s surface. 

This piece is especially difficult to clean entirely as there are many tiny holes. If you allow the residues to build up, it will eventually clog some of these holes and you will get uneven extraction of your coffee. 

It is not surprising to have your Aeropress coffee tasting sour.

So, to prevent this, I’d recommend using a brush (a toothbrush will do) to scrub the filter cap under running water.

5. Bonus: Metal Filters

If you own an Aeropress metal filter, hats off to you for thinking about Mother Nature rather than using a paper filter. 

The other advantage of using Aeropress metal filters is that its surface is not conducive for coffee oils and residues to latch on. 

So, simply give your Aeropress metal filters a good brush with warm water and soap. This should be sufficient to keep your them squeaky clean. 

How To Store Aeropress After Cleaning?

Cleaning Aeropress is only half the job done when it comes to Aeropress maintenance. To further extend the lifespan of your Aeropress you have to store your Aeropress the right way.

I’ve put together three good practices for Aeropress storage to adhere to make sure your Aeropress will be kept in best conditions at all times. 

Make Sure To Wipe Your Aeropress Parts Dry

For all my guides above, I have always emphasized on wiping your Aeropress parts dry after every washing procedure. This good practice will prevent mold growth and also ugly water stains from forming on your Aeropress’s surfaces.

Store The Aeropress In A Cool Area

After owning an Aeropress for the past 7 years, I have to say that the Aeropress is pretty durable. However, heat exposure is the main culprit that may break your Aeropress.

While most of the Aeropress will not degrade to heat as it is made from plastic (food grade polypropylene), the rubber seal isn’t.

Exposing your Aeropress to heat or sunlight will risk damaging the Aeropress’s rubber seal. It will eventually turn sticky and deform. 

Push The Plunger Past The Chamber Rim Before Storage

With reference to the picture above, always push the tip of the rubber seal past the rim of the Aeropress chamber. If you leave the rubber seal within the Aeropress chamber, it will be constantly under pressure. 

With time, the rubber seal will deform and will not grip on to the Aeropress chamber firmly any more. You may have to replace the rubber seal completely if this happens. 

Is Aeropress Dishwasher Safe?

Yes, the Aeropress is dishwasher safe. However, you have to remove the rubber seal off the Aeropress plunger. 

The other Aeropress parts are plastic material and have better heat resistance compared to the rubber seal. These parts will survive the high temperature in the dishwasher. 

The rubber seal on the other hand may deform under the heat exposure. So I’d highly recommend rinsing it separately.

What Happens If You Don’t Clean Your Aeropress?

One of the topics we have covered in the fundamentals of coffee is the composition of a coffee bean. Beneath the cellulose structure of a coffee bean is a melting pot of aromatic compounds, flavorful acids, and coffee oils. 

If you do not clean your Aeropress thoroughly after every brew, these organic matters, especially the coffee oils will latch onto the surfaces of the Aeropress. Not only that this will interfere with the flavors of your coffee, but it is also unhygienic and may promote mold growth. 

Just browsing the internet coffee forums, it is common to see Aeropress users complaining about the Aeropress seal being sticky. And you have guessed it, it is the coffee oils and organic compounds residue accumulating at the seal. 

This is a tell-tale sign that it is time for you to perform a deep clean for your Aeropress. 

Author’s Note: If cleaning your Aeropress’s rubber seal does not remove the sticky sensation, it is likely that you have left your Aeropress unused for a prolonged period. 

FAQ On How To Clean Aeropress

How Often Should I Clean My Aeropress?

Ideally you should clean your Aeropress after every use. However, if you regularly rinse it with water, deep cleaning is not necessary after every use. Deep cleaning is required when you start to notice the insides of your Aeropress chamber starts becoming cloudy. This is a sign of coffee oils and residues latching onto the surface of the Aeropress.

Is an AeroPress easy to clean?

It’s easy to clean. The Aeropress cleaning steps can be as simple as just rinsing it with water. If there is a build up of coffee oils and stains on your Aeropress surface, you need to employ deep cleaning methods. Soaking it in a vinegar solution with soda bicarbonate is highly effective in removing these oils.

How many times can you reuse an AeroPress filter?

Aeropress filters are meant to be used only once per brew. However, if you plan to stretch it, two to three times should be the maximum. In doing so, you may find your subsequent brews to have the papery taste of the filter paper. I’d highly recommend getting metal filters if you plan to reuse the filters.

Closing Notes

Well, what are you waiting for? Go and try these cleaning methods on your Aeropress and watch it turn as good as new. 

In all seriousness, a clean Aeropress is not only hygienic but also will not tamper with the brewed coffee from the Aeropress. You certainly do not want flavors of old coffee meddling with fresh coffee made for the day. 

Trust me, cleaning the Aeropress thoroughly does seem like a chore initially but with time, it is now a habit. 

If you find this piece of article informational, please do share it with your fellow friends. baristas and home brewers! 

Happy brewing!

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