How to Remove Rust from Coffee Maker Hot Plate: Easy

How to remove rust from a coffee maker hot plate? 

The other day while I was about to brew coffee I realised that there was rust on the coffee maker hot plate. Let’s get real, rust on the coffee maker plate won’t spoil the taste of your coffee. But it’s going to make the hot plate not functioning to its best and it will cause damage to your coffee maker over time. 

Stick around, in this article, I’m going to share a bunch of tips on how to remove rust from a hot plate and keep your brewer in top condition. 

Let’s jump straight into it. 

What is a coffee maker hot plate? 

In plain English a coffee maker hot plate keeps coffee in the carafe warm. 

It’s important to have a coffee maker with a good hot plate; this way you can brew a whole carafe of fresh coffee (typically 8-12 cups of coffee) and keep it warm throughout the day without needing to put every single cup into the microwave before having it. 

On the other hand, it is important to have a brewer with a hot plate that doesn’t heat up the coffee too much which might lead to burning the coffee and turn it into bitter and undrinkable. 

If you’re looking for a new coffee maker with a hot plate it’s wise to opt for one that brews coffee at 195°-205°F. This is key to know; coffee is brewed at nearly boiling temperature which means if you want to brew coffee the right way extracting the right amount of aromas and flavours from the coffee grounds, it’s a good idea to purchase a coffee brewer that brews coffee at the above temperature range.

It’s also vital to keep in mind that most people enjoy their coffee at 150°-180°F.

Why does a hot plate get rusty? 

In order for a surface to get rusty, it needs to be exposed to air and water. 

The first job you have to do after you’re done with brewing is to clean the surface of the hot plate with a dry cloth. 

Also, house rooms with high humidity might make your hot plate rusty; it’s wise to keep your coffee maker away from these rooms. In case your kitchen is high in humidity, consider finding a way to lower the humidity level in the room.

1 simple way is to turn the exhaust fan while cooking, using the dishwasher or washing the dishes. 

Why is it not good for your hot plate to get rusty? 

Keeping your hot plate in good condition means that your coffee machine is going to last longer. 

It’s not terribly bad for your hot plate to get rusty – it won’t necessarily spoil the taste of your coffee, but it’s always great to keep your coffee machine in top condition. This way you won’t need to fork out cash to buy a new coffee machine any time soon. 

It’s also the aesthetics point of view, a clean shiny coffee machine looks nicer in your kitchen than a rusty one. 

7 ways on how to remove rust from a coffee maker hot plate?

Let’s go over 7 different ways on how to remove rust from a hot plate.  

1. Be proactive

Being proactive and cleaning your coffee brewer is probably one of the best ways to stop your hot plate from getting rusty.

What do I mean by that? 

It’s wise to clean your machine right after you’re done with your brewing and ideally to wipe the surface so it’s clean and dry (as mentioned above in order for rust to develop water and air is needed). 

It will probably take you a few minutes to clean your machine, but it’s worth it; you’ll prolong the life of your machine this way. 

2. Vinegar

Vinegar is 1 of those ingredients that’s acidic, meaning that it removes rust.

The good news is that you can find vinegar pretty much anywhere and it’s inexpensive yet an effective way to remove rust from almost any kind of surface. 

Here are the steps of how to use it in this case:

• Put vinegar in the carafe of your coffee machine and heat it up
• Once you’re done, dip a dry sponge into the hot vinegar and rub the rusty surfaces
• When you’re finished, dry the surface with a cloth
• In case the rusty marks have gone completely, repeat the above steps 

3. Aluminium foil

You probably have aluminium foil at your house, so this is going to be easy.

Aluminium is probably one of the best ways to remove rust.

Here’s how to go about it:

• Tear up a piece or aluminium
• Boil water and dip the piece of aluminium into it
• Start rubbing the rusty surfaces with the aluminium
• Use wet paper to remove rusty parts and carry on once the rust is removed

4. Baking soda

Baking soda has many uses. 

Some of them are to reduce acidity in coffee while another is to bake cakes. 

To use baking soda to remove the rust from your hot plate follow these exact steps:

• Mix up hot water with baking soda in a container
• Take off the hot plate and soak it in the container for at least 10 hours
• Take it out of the container and rub it with a sponge to remove the rust
• Dry it with a cloth and put it back on 

In case the hot plate of your coffee brewer can’t be taken off follow these steps: 

• Mix up hot water with baking soda in a container
• Dip a dry sponge into the container and scrub it until all the rust is removed
• Dry the hot plate with a cloth and put it back on 

5. Coca Cola (or Pepsi Cola) 

If you have some Coca Cola left in your fridge you can simply use it to remove the rust from your hot plate. 

The steps you need to follow are similar to the ones for baking soda.

Let’s have a look: 

• Put Coca Cola/Pepsi Cola in a container
• Soak the hot plate into the container for at least 10 hours
• Use a sponge to rub the rusty spots
• Repeat the steps if rust hasn’t been removed completely
• Dry the hot plate with a cloth and reassemble it 

6. Rust removing product

This is a product specifically designed to remove rust from surfaces – you can’t go wrong with this. 

They typically come in 2 different forms: powder or fluid. 

You’ll find them in supermarkets or corner stores and they’re pretty powerful; you’ll remove rust effectively. 

Here are the steps of removing rust with a rust removing product: 

• Warm up water and put it in a container
• Add the rust removing solution and soak the hot plate for as many hours as the manufacturers suggest
• Take it out, dry it with a cloth and put it back on the coffee brewer

It might be a bit more expensive to buy 1 of those rust removing solutions but the odds are it’s going to be more effective than most of the other ingredients on this list. 

7. Sandpaper

Sandpaper is specifically made for removing rust from surfaces. 

You can use it for different kinds of surfaces including your car or your rails at home. 

In this case, all you need to do is tear up a good piece of sandpaper and rub the rusty spots with it until you see that the rust is completely gone. 

You’ll find sandpaper in paint stores and any store that sells home and DIY stuff.

FAQ

Let’s go over a bunch of FAQs to help you understand more about the topic.

How do you clean a hot plate on a coffee maker?

The best way to clean a hot plate is to wipe it with a cloth which you should dip it into a mixture of hot water and white vinegar before. Then use a dry cloth to dry the machine to ensure no water is left on the hot plate. 

Why is my coffee maker rusting?

Your coffee maker is probably rusting because it’s in a room in high humidity. A simple solution to this problem is to use the extraction in your kitchen when washing your dishes or even when you’re using your dishwasher. 

Does vinegar damage coffee makers?

No it doesn’t, vinegar is great for cleaning the outside as well as the inside of your machine. You can mix it up with water, then dip a cloth into it and wipe the surface of your coffee maker. In order to remove hard minerals built up on the inside of your coffee machine, you can run a cycle with it (without any coffee grounds added).

Can you repaint a coffee maker hot plate?

Yes you can. Here’s how to go about it: use a sandpaper to remove any rust and the old paint and use a black spray to paint the hot plate again. You can get the sandpaper and spray from a paint store or you can always look online.