Every restaurant worker is very familiar with the entire process that goes with cleaning coffee makers. A better part of an hour at the end of each shift is spent rinsing out the coffee pitcher for both regular and decaffeinated coffee brands offered. The pitchers were cleaned at the end of the previous shift and some restaurant workers do not feel that they need to be cleaned again.

It is easy to tell which restaurants are good about cleaning coffee makers, and which ones do not put their best efforts into getting all of the pieces clean. The taste of the coffee alone will alert customers to whether people have been doing what they are supposed to do at the end of every shift. There is usually one person assigned in a restaurant to make sure that the cleaning of coffee makers is done on a regular schedule.

The coffee pitchers will give evidence that someone is cleaning coffee makers when they do not have any residue built up on the inside of the glass. Coffee contains oils and these oils will rise to the top of a coffee server and by the end of the shift the residue will cling to the sides and form a full sized ring at the top that gives evidence of how full the pitcher was most of the time during the shift.

There are sanitizing agents that restaurants use for cleaning coffee makers. Many of the parts to a coffee service can not be put into a sanitizing machine where plates and dishes are washed. The plastic on the coffee server system will melt from the high heat environment inside of this aluminum dishwashing machine.

People can use degaussing wands and bleach for cleaning coffee makers in any environment. The use of degaussing wands takes a bit of practice because they must be inserted through a special access hole in any commercial coffee maker. Cleaning coffee makers with a degaussing wand allows the inner tubing to be cleansed. Most commercial coffee makers have an automatic water line that needs to be routinely cleaned out to keep the line free and clear of lime and other deposits.

Cleaning coffee makers and associated machine parts with bleach is a relatively simple process that takes about 15 minutes to complete. All parts of the coffee machine that are removable must be submerged in a 3 to 1 bleach and water mixture for at least 15 minutes but preferably 30 minutes. The longer bleaching time will ensure that all pieces are sanitized and ready for use on the next shift.

There are granulated crystals for cleaning coffee makers that are available at Walmart and other discounted retailers. Careful use of these crystals for cleaning coffee makers is recommended because overuse can cause the gaskets inside the machine to wear out long before they are supposed to.

Some people choose not to purchase these granules that are specifically made for cleaning coffee makers, and try out the granular cleanser that they use in their automatic dishwasher. These cleansers are not formulated for this purpose, and many people find themselves back at Walmart or some other discount store looking for another coffee maker.