This Is How to Clean a Coffee Grinder

If you’re like me, you probably don’t clean your coffee grinder enough, despite the fact that it can keep it running well and make for better coffee. 

I know that doing so can seem more daunting than just running descaling solution through a drip machine. Thankfully, there are products that make cleaning a coffee grinder just as easy, which I’ll talk about below. If you need to do a deeper clean, I’ll also explain how to take apart and clean a coffee grinder.  

Why Clean a Coffee Grinder

A coffee grinder has teeth called burrs that catch and cut coffee beans, reducing them to an even size. But as beans get processed through the grinder, coffee grounds can get trapped in between the burrs, and oils can build up as well. The more the oil there is, the smaller the gap gets between the burrs. Eventually, that gap can close up, slowing down or clogging and stopping your grinder completely. 

But even if your grinder is still working, old trapped grounds can make their way into your freshly ground coffee. Coffee oils can go rancid, and these, of course, don’t taste all that great. 

How to Clean a Coffee Grinder

The Fast Way

Urnex Grindz Professional Coffee Grinder Cleaning Tablets

$30 $28 at Amazon View on Seattlecoffeegear.com

There are two ways to clean a grinder. The first—and easiest—involves running a dedicated cleaner through the grinder, which I try to do once a month. Think of this like brushing your teeth at night. It quickly cleans off oil and other debris, and is great for regular maintenance.

Developed in 2005 by Urnex, Grindz is one of the best-known cleaners of this sort and comes in the form of small yellow tablets that are the shape and size of coffee beans. To use them, you add a quarter-cup (or 36 to 40 grams) of Grindz to your grinder’s empty hopper. Then, turn on the grinder and let the Grindz run through it, just as you would when grinding coffee beans.

The end product looks like coarse cornmeal. Dump it out of the grounds catch bin, and that’s it. I usually run some beans through the grinder to clear out any residual Grindz, but you don’t have to do this, as Grindz is food-safe. If you’re using a different type of cleaner, check the label to make sure it’s alright to ingest and that its instructions aren’t different.

The Thorough Way

The other method of cleaning a coffee grinder is like visiting your dentist every six months for a cleaning and involves taking the grinder apart. By doing so, you can get into the nooks and crannies of the grinder and gears, ensuring everything is spotless. I try to do this every three to four months, but you may want to do so more frequently if you prefer oilier, darker roast beans. 

Disassembling most coffee grinders isn’t as daunting as it sounds. If you’ve never disassembled your grinder, be sure to check your manual or contact the manufacturer to find specific instructions, as all grinders are different. A lot of companies also offer instructional videos. Below, I’ll explain how to disassemble and clean the Baratza Encore, which is one of our favorite coffee grinders. Baratza makes a number of grinders, but all of its conical burr grinders disassemble the same way. 

Before you start, I recommend getting a quarter- or half-sheet pan and putting it on your counter or table. Then, place the grinder on top of it. This will not only make cleanup easy, as the pan will catch grounds, but it will also allow you to set down parts of the grinder as you disassemble and not worry about misplacing them. I also recommend using your phone to take photos of the grinder as you disassemble it.  This way, you have a record of what the grinder looks like at every step of the process.

To start, empty any beans out of the grinder’s hopper. Then, turn the grinder on briefly to grind any residual beans. Turn off the grinder, unplug it, and pull out the catch bin. Remove the hopper by twisting it counter-clockwise. Under the hopper, you’ll see a black rubber gasket. Carefully lift that gasket out. The plastic hopper, lid, grounds bin, and black gasket can be washed with warm, soapy water, though they must be dried thoroughly before reassembling, as any water can damage a grinder’s metal parts. Underneath the gasket are two burrs. One is in the center and bolted in, but the ring burr around it is removable. Grab its tabs and lift it up.

Merryseason Coffee Grinder Cleaning Brush

$8 $7 at Amazon

At this point, you’ve just disassembled your grinder! Take a dry brush and start cleaning the inside and outside of the ring burr. If your grinder didn’t come with a brush, you can use any small bristle brush or even a clean toothbrush. Brush the inside of the ring, as well as the outside. There’s an indentation around the outer part of the ring burr that grinds tend to get caught in. Clean that out as well.

Once the ring burr is clean, set it aside and brush the interior and exterior of the conical burr that’s mounted to the grinder. Turn the grinder upside down and gently tap its side to knock loose any grounds. Some folks like to use compressed air to blow away stray grounds from inside the grinder. 

Innovera Compressed Air Duster Cleaner

$19 $13 at Amazon

Once you’re ready to reassemble, take the ring burr and add it back to the grinder. The burr should drop into place and not wiggle around much. Then, place the gasket onto the ring burr, aligning the notches in the gasket with the two tabs in the ring burr. After adding the conical hopper and the ground’s bin, that’s it. Go make yourself a cup of coffee. You deserve it.

FAQs 

Can I use rice to clean my grinder?  

Using rice is an old-school method to clean coffee grinders, as the rice will absorb the oils from the coffee beans. But it’s not recommended, as uncooked rice is hard and brittle and could possibly damage your burrs in the process—or worse, it could jam the burrs and damage the motor. Instead, use a dedicated coffee grinder cleaner like Grindz, which is specifically designed to clean your grinder without damaging it.

Do coffee grinder burrs get dull over time?  

A coffee grinder’s burrs are designed to maintain their sharpness over long periods, but they do eventually wear down, depending on how often they’re used. Brands like Baratza will either replace the burrs for you or you can order a new set of burrs and install them yourself. Baratza's burrs have a lifespan of seven to 10 years.

Why We’re the Experts 

• Irvin Lin is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food writer, photographer, and ceramicist. He wrote the cookbook Marbled, Swirled, and Layered, which was picked by The New York Times as one of the best baking cookbooks of 2016. Irvin also runs a blog called Eat the Love, where he’s developed, photographed, and written recipes since 2010. 
• Irvin’s a former barista and a coffee lover who owns more brewers than he has the storage space for.