How to Clean the Ninja Coffee Bar and coffee maker, and how to turn off the clean light! There’s a special process to follow, that’s more than just running the clean cycle. Here’s how!
How to Clean the Ninja Coffee Bar
If you watched my “How to Use a Ninja Coffee Bar” video, then you know how much I LOVE the coffee maker.
But something that a lot of you Ninja Coffee Bar owners and I struggled with, was that the pesky “clean” light would stay off for a split second, but then it would come back on and stay on.
“How do I Clean this Coffee Maker?”
So after calling Ninja myself, asking what I was doing “wrong”, or if that there was a faulty part in my machine…
the sweet lady that I talked to, asked how I was cleaning it before.
When I explained that I would push the clean cycle button to run its 8-minute cycle (like I did in my “Ninja Coffee Bar Quick-Clean” video here) it was like a light-bulb went off and she responded,
“Ahhh… that’s what it is. So you’re just doing a quick-clean cycle. But that’s not all you need to do. Here’s how to really clean your Ninja Coffee Bar and make that clean light go off and stay off!”
Cleaning Ninja Coffee Bar with White Vinegar
The next question she asked was,
“What are you using to clean your Ninja Coffee Bar?”
And like a shy little girl, I responded with “um.. vinegar?” Hoping she wouldn’t reprimand me for using a household item instead of some fancy cleaner that they recommend.
But she didn’t! She just simply continued on with the instructions of how to clean the Ninja with white vinegar.
Friend, I’m proud to tell you today that this process actually worked and the clean light stays off MUCH longer than it was. Here’s what you need to do, and don’t forget to read my tip and feedback that I recommend after doing this with my very own Ninja Coffee Bar.
UPDATE: I’ve been on the hunt for a coffee machine descaler solution (cleaning solution) to use instead of vinegar and water, to see if it works better.
Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve found one that (based on the reviews) works SOOO much better than vinegar and water, to help keep that “clean” light off! I’ll be trying this myself so I can keep you posted on it too!
Get the Coffee Machine Descaler on Amazon HERE!
Get the descaler HERE!
How to Clean the Ninja Coffee Bar and Turn Off the Clean Light…
Note, this is the LONG-PROCESS for Cleaning Your Ninja Coffee Bar. If you’re pressed for time, don’t hesitate to run a clean cycle once, (or also sometimes called a “flush cycle”) but know that it probably won’t clean it thoroughly and that the clean light will pop back on after about one more use.
Ninja Coffee Bar Cleaning Video
I’ve recorded a quick 5-minute video of the recommended cleaning process, but you can find the instructions below the video for quick reference too…
BEFORE YOU WATCH: After recording this video, I learned a trick from a reader that has made SUCH a difference in helping my clean light say off even longer!
UPDATED TIP: Make sure to also wipe off the “plate” that is above where the coffee pot sits, where the coffee drips out of the machine, above the pitcher.
This was SOOOOOO dirty when I cleaned it the other day because I hadn’t thought about that area. I know… I know… why hadn’t I thought about it? I don’t know but I wanted to mention it in case you hadn’t either!
Ninja Coffee Bar Cleaning Instructions:
- Discard any water/coffee grounds from Ninja Coffee Bar
- Pour about a travel size mug of vinegar into the water reservoir, and fill the rest with water. (Filtered, Purified or Distilled)
- Press the “CLEAN” button and let it run for about 1 minute. Press the “CLEAN” button again to pause the machine.
- Let the machine sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Press the “CLEAN” button again, and let it finish the cleaning cycle. (About 5-8 minutes.)
- Pour vinegar/water mixture out of carafe and clean carafe, mesh basket and water reservoir with a scrub brush, lightly, if you have one.
- Fill the reservoir with water, and press the “CLEAN” button again and let it run the full cycle, without stopping it. (5-8 minutes)
- Discard water from the carafe and clean carafe, reservoir, and mesh basket once again.
- Make sure to also wipe off the “plate” that is above where the coffee pot sits, where the coffee drips out of the machine, above the pitcher.
The “CLEAN” light should stay off at this point, until it’s ready to be cleaned again of course. But it should not come back on after one or two uses, like it does with the quick-clean cycle.
My Tip for DEEP DEEP Cleaning Your Ninja:
If you have and use hard water, the Ninja’s clean light may come back on more often than others. If it has been a while or if you’ve never DEEP cleaned your Ninja with this long-process, it may not hurt to do the vinegar/water mixture and pausing process a couple of times to real combat those hard water deposits inside of the machine.
I would LOVE to hear how this worked for you!
Leave me a note in the comments so we can share with Ninja!
How to Use the Ninja Coffee Bar
If you’re just starting out with your Ninja Coffee maker, and you’re still unsure of how to really use it, don’t miss my “How to use a Ninja Coffee Bar” video that I created for you too!
