DIY Life

Your oven may as well be a storage locker. Your microwave's clock has been flashing for days now. And your pantry houses nothing but a good collection of coffee.

In other words, you don't eat or take care of your kitchen.

However, it seems you drink coffee so you'll want to at least take care of your maker. While dispensing your favorite cuppa joe, it may harbor oily residue and caked-on minerals from previous use -- basically, what you're tasting today is probably part of yesterday's brew.

You should be cleaning your machine every one to six months. Preferably every month.

Here's how:

• Mix a full pot of 1 part vinegar (any brand) to 2 parts water and pour it in your water reservoir. Turn the coffee maker on. Once the mixture has run completely through, then turn the drip coffee maker off and let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, pour the vinegar and water mixture down the drain. If you are cleaning a coffee maker that hasn't been cleaned regularly, repeat this step again with a fresh vinegar and water mixture and after the coffee maker has cooled.
• Next, rinse the pot out thoroughly with warm, plain water. Then, fill the water reservoir again with clean water and turn the coffee maker on. This will rinse out the coffee maker. To make sure all of the vinegar and water solution is completely gone repeat the rinsing process one more time after letting the pot cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
• When you are finished, don't forget to wash the coffee pot itself with some dish detergent and water and wipe down the outside of the coffee maker with a soft cloth and some detergent and water or a little all-purpose cleaner. If you have a chrome surface, you can be wipe it down with a little all-purpose cleaner sprayed on a cloth. Don't spray into the unit, just spray the cloth as you want to control where your cleaning solution goes.

Cleaning your drip coffee maker on a monthly basis will make it last longer and keep your coffee tasting the best it can possibly be.