Last Updated on August 30, 2024 by brewthatcoffee
Having a Keurig makes every cup of coffee more tasty, luxurious, and convenient. But taking care of the machine is essential, especially when the light gets activated and you are unsure why or what to do about it.
The Keurig descale light activates when your machine has had 250 brews or three months and needs descaling. The light remains on until you descale to remove minerals, coffee grounds, and gunk buildup. An acidic solution and a specific process are used to descale a Keurig.
How To Descale A Keurig
Follow these steps to descale your Keurig:
- Turn off Keurig and keep it off throughout the process.
- Add the descaling solution, with equal parts distilled or filtered water, into the water canister.
- Press the 8 oz and 12 oz buttons simultaneously, which starts the descale mode.**
- Place a large mug or measuring jug on the cup holder to catch the liquid.
- Depending on your Keurig mode, the K or 8 oz button will start flashing; press it.
- Continue to press the k/8oz button WITHOUT lifting the lever until the descaling light turns off.
** Depending on your Keurig model, you might need to press the 8 oz and 12 oz together or the 10 oz and 12 oz.
Descaling Solution Options
Store-Bought Solution
Store-bought descale solution is excellent if you like a buy-and-use as-is product. The solution is odorless and typically consists mainly of citric acid. But some of them may include other chemicals. The chemicals help stabilize the formula and remove stains and oils.
These ready-store-bought solutions have instructions on the bottle on how to use it for descaling. To begin with, it typically requires you to pour the contents into the machine canister. Then fill the bottle with clean water and add it to the solution.
Homemade Lemon & Vinegar Solution
If you prefer to stick to natural ingredients and want something more budget-friendly, a homemade lemon f vinegar solution works wonders. Add equal parts of lemon juice and water or vinegar and water to the canister and begin the process.
Citric Acid
Since store-bought descale solutions contain citric acid as the main ingredient, you could make your own solution using citric acid powder and water. Use two tablespoons of citric acid with 4 cups of hot water. Mix that and add it to your Keurig water canister.
How Long Does Descaling A Keurig Take?
Descaling your Keurig should take around 20 to 30 minutes, granted you don’t run into any glitches. If you run into glitches, you may need to shut the machine down and try again, or you could continue the process with water, and it should eventually work itself out.
If your Keurig is extremely dirty and there is an excess buildup of gunk and calc, it could take an additional 10 to 15 minutes. That means you will continue the brewing process with water for as long as necessary until the lights stop flashing.
Signs You Should Descale Your Keurig
- Your Keurig is louder than usual.
- The coffee pours out slower than normal.
- Your coffee tastes different or not as good.
- The coffee comes out colder than normal.
Why Is The Descaling Light Still Flashing After Descaling & Resetting?
Sometimes, the descale light remains after descaling or trying to reset the machine. It could be for the following reasons:
- You have run into a glitch: This is normal with appliances and programming.
- Your Keurig is not done descaling: This can happen if your Keurig needs more cleaning. It can especially happen if you use a solution containing soapy ingredients or other chemicals. It also happens with stuck coffee grounds and excess clogging.
- You lifted the handle: If you lift the handle or open the K-cup holder at any point during the brewing process, the Keurig will kick you out of the descaling process, and the light will keep flashing.
- Your K-cup is packed too tightly: If you use refillable K-cups, they may be packed too tightly. You want to leave some room for water to flow more freely.
Tricks to Clear That Keurig Descale Light
- If the descale or add water light is still on, but the solution is finished, add water to the canister and continue pressing the K or 8-ounce button to brew. The water will continue to pour out. Dump and redo those steps several times until all the lights go out.
- An important point to remember is that Keurig is designed and programmed to run in descale mode. The water flushing process still has to be done in descale mode. Even if you shut the machine off to reset, put it back in descale mode before you continue with flushing.
- Sometimes it takes around 6 cups of water before the lights stop flashing. Some users have to do it seven to 10 times. Other users report dumping the water 13 times before the lights go away.
- Those chemicals need to be released entirely from the machine. The Keurig is intelligent enough in descale mode to know once it is only clean water running through. Thus, it will require water release and dump several times until the machine is properly cleaned.
What do you mean that you cant lift the handle during the descaling process? The only way to run multiple cups of water/solution is to lift the handle each time it completes dispensing water.
I have owned 4 Keurig machines and none have given me a problem until now. I followed the descaling process exactly as I have always done. I just finished my 6th descaling solution reservoir followed two fresh water brews. The descaling light fails to shut off. I will appreciate any advice! Thank you!
Just unplug machine for a couple minutes!!!
Mine less than a year old did my first clean and descale and the machine will not come on at all. Piece of crap.
To enter the descale mode you must have the power “off”, with the power off then press the 12 oz and 8 oz simultaneously to activate the descale mode. The K button will illuminate allowing you to run multiple cleaning brews consecutively until the add water light comes on, continue pressing the “K” button for cleaning brews without lifting the lever until the descaling light goes out. That should do it!
Wow I bought the descaling 3 month kit and this instruction is not printed on the packaging. It works though! Thanks.
The model I have does not allow me to press those 2 buttons at the same time. The menu screen lets me select mug size. Not buttons to push.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! Your advice was crucial. I think the company itself should break it down that well on EACH MODEL!!!
Thanks Dave. I’ve been fighting the descaling light forever. Your directions solved my dilemma. I wish the descaling directions that came with the cleaning kits were as clear as yours. Mainly that it must be in descaling mode and how to put the machine into descaling mode.
Thanks Dave! I tried everything and then I followed what you said and it worked like a charm!
Performed the descale process. When power is applied to the machine the descale light and power light come on then both turn off. I have tried holding the 8 and 10 oz as well as the 8 and 12 and 10 and 12 but the Keurig keeps turning off. Any solution for this issue? Thanks
Dave I think I have a different model but I tried pushing 10oz and 8oz at the same time and descale light start flashing I knew than I was in descaling mode then just follow your directions thx it worked for me
Thanks Dave! I have tried several times with other methods but your instructions got the descale light to go off. Took about 4 refills of water but went off eventually. Oh, and I accidentally left a pod in while doing so, hehe, still worked!
How do you turn the system on without raising the handle
Put a piece of black tape over the descale light and vow to NOT buy another Keurig ever again!
Held the 8 and 10 but my descale light never flashes/. Run 3 filled reservoirs and still light is on. I’ll take the old ones over these new ones.
After finishing the descale mode for the 1st time with this machine the light didn’t go off. I called Keurig to no avail and after pushing up and down on a button behind the needle I now have to power to the Keurig.
EXACTLY! The BEST solution!
I have enjoyed coffee from my Keurig for some time and then one morning the descale light started blinking. I bought a bottle of Keurig descaling solution, went online and followed the directions to descale. The blinking light would not stop blinking. I went online and followed the process to run multiple (at least 10) full cannisters of water through the Keurig and the light continues to blink. I read online that certain earlier models of Keurig, when descaled, are prone to this “perpetual blinking” glitch that can’t be fixed. Apparently mine is an earlier model. My real question is “Is it safe to brew cups of coffee in a Keurig that appears to be stuck in a perpetual descaling blinking mode”?
Dave is a hero! Took forever to deacale mine. The machine finally went dark. The 12oz 8oz combo worked for me.
Been trying and trying. Descale never flashes after buttons are pushed
I followed the descale process but the descale light is still on after about 15 cycles of plain water so I know it’s descaled. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I ran 6 cups in descale mode and the coffee maker shut down. When you lift the handle and put it back down all three brewing lights flash twice and shut down. Pushing the power button, all three brewing lights flash and shut down. The only way to get the coffee maker to turn on and brew is press the 10 and 6 buttons to put it in descale mode. I’ve tried all the reset methods with no luck.
Help me! I have a Keurig with a basket for a pot of coffee and a single K-cup side. I cleaned the k-cup side but cannot get the basket side to clean or descale. With cleaner or trying to brew, the 12 cup mode only makes a couple cups of coffee. Any solution? Please and thank you!
The descale light refuses to go off. I followed the instructions to the letter and have put at least FOUR full containers of fresh water in the reservoir. Tried resetting machine …zilch.
My question is………Is the machine descaled even if the light remains on???? If yes I can live with the light being on until it takes a dump (which will probably be soon, since it is TWO months old and it seems quality of Keurig has gone down since my first one)
I tried this but when I press the two buttons nothing happens. I left the kitchen after I turned on my other coffee maker. I use my keurig everyday while I wait for the other maker to finish. Now I have to learn patience.
Hi,
None of the above tips are working for me. We have the newest Keurig and I’ve descaled it twice. The first time before the descale light went on and all was well. Now it has come on, after only 2 months and I’ve done the full descale with the Keurig brand solution, emptied many tanks of water and it still says it needs to be descaled. We’ve even unplugged it. We’ve only had it for about 5 months and I’m very frustrated.
Any help is appreciated!
Thanks!
Me too! i don’t like the new one that I have…I liked the one I had before this one better.
the descale light came on, so I descaled it & the descale light won’t turn off’ . Guess I’ll have to put a piece of tape over it. My model doesn’t have the kind of buttons that you can push 2 of them together as mentioned in the article.
i TO HAVE A KEURIG TYPE MACHINE I RAN THE RECOMMENDED DESCALING METHODS TO NO AVAIL LIGHT STILL ON. i am just going to keep brewing
Have had two of the latest Keurigs now. First one the descale would not go off after descaling and then just quit. Returned to Costco. Got new one. Just descaled the new one and now it just keeps saying DESCALE.
Does sound better now than before descaling, but the indicator stays on. Just ignoring it for now. Hopefully I see a solution on here some day.
KEURIG – why not make it easier??? Had a Nespresso before this and they were a pain too – AND too expensive.