How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

by Selena
(Granbury, Texas)

Spanking my Keurig Brewer

QUESTION:

I have a Keurig B60 coffee maker and the display is telling me to descale the brewer. But it doesn't tell me how! What do I do?

ANSWER:

Selena, hi

We have a Keurig B60 ourselves and were stumped when we first saw that message on the brewer.

There are a number of ways to descale a brewer, the least expensive being to run some vinegar through the machine a couple of times, and then run cold water through a few more times to rinse it.

However, simply trying to clear the lines often doesn't work. And as you will see from the many comments below, by far the most reliable way to get your Keurig brewer working again is the "Slap and Burp" method.

Here is how you do it.

First, unplug the brewer and remove both the water reservoir and drip tray.

Next, hold the brewer upside down over the sink and slap the base a few times. And I mean really slap it.

Now put everything back together and try brewing again. Most of the time this works with a couple of good slaps. If not, try it again.

And don't worry, there are no laws against giving your Keurig a good slapping!

Good luck!

Related pages about Keurig brewers and K-cups…

Can I still get one of the original Keurig brewers, like the B40 Elite?

How many times can I use the same K-Cup?

Is the plastic used in Keurig K-Cups safe?

Can I recycle my Keurig K-Cups?

Static shock "killed" my Keurig!

Comments for How can I descale my Keurig K-Cup brewer?

Click here to add your own comments

May 08, 2021

Spanking Keurig
by: Anonymous

Well my keurig wasn’’t brewing no water coming out, well I did what someone suggested to turn over keurig over sink and hit the bottom a few times, well I don’t know what it does, but my keurig works now. I was ready to throw it out.

Thank you

Apr 12, 2021

Desclale Coffee K cup and the Desclale light wont turn off
by: Anonymous

Descale light wont turn off on my new Keurig K-cup

Dec 16, 2020

Old Dog, New Trick!
by: Relic

After one spank water flowed out of "feed" tube. Gave it three more spanks for good measure. B60 back in business!

Nov 17, 2020

It Work!
by: Frontline-Contracting

It worked! After sitting unused in the office our Keurig wasnt even pumping water. Burped! and it worked. The I also descaled it as well. Thanks

Oct 28, 2020

Works just fine now!
by: Chris

Unbelievable! Thank you internet! It is working fine now!

Jun 10, 2020

Burping worked!!!
by: Anonymous

Amazing how it worked!!!! Thank you all!!

Feb 27, 2020

Descaling
by: Sad in Florida

I have spanked my keurig many times and descale comes back and no coffee!!! I now bought descaler and still no coffee. Used descaler x2, vinegar and cleaned the needles umpteenth times to no avail so I guess a funeral and replacement are in my near future! Bye Keurig loved you while you lasted.
Good luck and hope it works for you...

Sad in Florida

Dec 13, 2019

Thank You!
by: Gorilla82

Thanks so much for the post! Worked like a charm although I scared the heck out of my family as I smacked the daylights out of my keurig.!

Oct 05, 2019

IT WORKED!!!
by: Anonymous

Was gonna buy a NEW MACHINE!!

Oct 04, 2019

Amen!!!
by: Anonymous

CAN I GET AN AMEN!!! I can’t believe this worked!!!! What is the deal though? Why does it work? I’m beyond excited y’all!!!!!!!

Sep 09, 2019

Include me among the nn-believers but...
by: Anonymous

Of course, it worked. Descaling light went off and it made me a cup of tea as a test. Tea bad but Keurig seems to be OK. It may need a second burp as water flow began to slow half-way through tea. Will try that tomorrow AM (it's an office machine). Tx,

Aug 16, 2019

It worked!!!
by: Anonymous

I cannot believe this actually worked, but it did!! Now I have full cups off coffee again!! Thanks for the tip!

Jul 21, 2019

Thank you!
by: pk

So...I spanked it...got out my agressions AND my Keurig is now working, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!

Jul 11, 2019

Amazed
by: Ken

Didn't have anything to lose, so I spanked and burped it and it WORKED! Happy Coffee

Jul 02, 2019

Magic!!
by: Anonymous

Can't believe this! I had routinely done a dealing, after which it quit working...saw this and figured I'd give it a try...it took 3 times to keep it consistently brewing...but what an easy solution!

Jun 18, 2019

Descale message
by: Joe

The message came on and Keurig was not doing anything. And then I came across this post, and I said why not what's the worst that can happen. This works and thank you.

May 30, 2019

I'm a Believer Too!
by: Stephen

I, too, am a believer!!! I cannot express enough my appreciation - after what I thought was a harmless de-scaling I was convinced (as was my wife) that I had ruined the machine. I burped the baby and presto, magic, it was back to its old sane self. Huge thanks to Selena and this great site!

May 05, 2019

b65 descale msg
by: Anonymous

wow- I had run several almost a gallon of white vinegar with several cleansing cycles. descale msg would not go out. called Keurig told me to use paper clip in all three holes in the needle 4-5 passes. still no go. Turned my baby bottom side up and administered 4-5 hard slaps and voila- msg gone. Thanks for the tip!

Apr 16, 2019

WOW
by: PeechTreeFarm

Yep... frustrated beyond belief with error message. THANK YOU--- spanking that naughty machine was very satisfying! I have hot brew again.

Feb 25, 2019

Thank you!
by: Jenny

Oh my gosh! Just like everyone else, I was ready to toss the thing. So turning it upside down and spanking it was not only satisfying, lol, but fixed the problem. Thanks for the advise!

Oct 30, 2018

Great Fix
by: Leo B

I used your slap and burp method and it worked PERFECTLY!!!

Mar 11, 2018

Spanking does NOT fix it.
by: Anonymous

Granted spanking often gets my keurig going again...but don't fool yourself that it is a fix. You're merely treating a symptom. It will happen again and again. I'd love to find a site that tells me what fails. Is it a design flaw? A mineral blockage? I'd rather not reinvent the wheel...surely someone has already opened one up and found the offending issue.

Editor's Note: The problem is an air bubble in the water pump. The spanking dislodges the bubble.

Mar 10, 2018

Spank that bad boy
by: Anonymous

It worked for me too!!

Mar 03, 2018

Must have coffee
by: Bev

I tried everything I could this morning to clear that descale message on my Keurig brewer, even turned it upside down & tapped it on the bottom. Nothing worked. After a hour I finally went to the QT & bought a cup of coffee. I was determined to fix this so I repeated everything again & this time when I turned it upside down, I hit the bottom firmer several more times than the first time. Those slaps solved the problem. Thanks everyone!!!!

Feb 27, 2018

Turning it upside down works!
by: Donna in NJ

I decided to clean my 4 year old Mini plus according to the instructions with vinegar since I have very hard water. Up to this point it worked fine. Now the water was refusing to come out and there was a funny sound. I went online to buy a new one, but saw this Coffee Detective. Turned it upside down, hot water spilled out (ouch!) and slapped it. Still a funny sound, but better. Slapped it again, and now it works fine. Thanks!!!

Feb 22, 2018

Dang - success!
by: Karen

My hubby and I tried it all. We got it to the point it would deliver 1/2 cup of coffee at largest setting. He was ready to toss it into the recycle pile and I said "let me check again online". Swat it? Spank it? Ok, whatever. Whacked it hard a few times, it made one cup of joe and stopped. So I whacked it on the lower right side and could see it trying to spew. Dang. It works now!!!!

Feb 19, 2018

Had given up and ready to buy a new one
by: Debi

I cannot believe that simply turning a Keurig machine upside down and slapping it on the bottom would fix a problem I have been working on for two weeks. But it does work. I still cannot believe it So before you throw it in the trash turn it side down and give it a good spanking.

Feb 07, 2018

worked
by: Anonymous

after cleaning with vinegar yesterday, turned on to use, was making very load noise. Did the spank method, working again, thanks for the tip

Jan 20, 2018

Yes indeed it works!
by: Storm

After leaving in vinegar for 12 hours, it only helped a bit. We were even getting the alarm to PRIME the Keurig as it was not even drawing water anymore. Figured nothing to loose trying this.

OMG ... it's running quiet and like new again. Brewed the fastest cup of coffee we've had in months.

I'm guessing is dislodges some airlocks as well as buildup of scale. Who cares either way ... IT WORKS!

Jan 11, 2018

Now it says ready to brew and all the cup icons are missing
by: Anonymous

I gave it a couple of good whacks on the bottom. I was able to get one solid cup of coffee. After it finished brewing, the 5 cup size selection icons have disappeared. It says "ready to brew" but it doesn't do ANYTHING. I have unplugged it. I have changed default size in the menu. I have nothing left to try. Spanking it broke my machine, I guess. I think I am going to try "spanking" it with a baseball bat, Office Space style, next. Thanks for convincing me to somehow disable my coffee maker!

Jan 06, 2018

Smacking it Worked
by: Suzanne

I must admit, I didn't believe it either....my husband watched as I smacked it across the sink. Worked like a charm....working like brand new! Thanks!

Jan 05, 2018

Thankyou
by: Anonymous

I cannot believe this Worked ? Thankyou for 2018 Happy Newyear.

Dec 31, 2017

Never In My Wildest Dreams
by: G'ma

Buying a new Keurig was on the list for today. We have been down to a dribble, waiting forever for a cup of coffee. I gave the machine a thorough vinegar soak with "cleaning" vinegar (double strength) and washed everything I could reach with vinegar.....worked pretty good for about a day and then back to waiting forever for a cup to fill. Came across your site and thought, as others have, this sounds pretty crazy but why not !! My son turned it over the sink and spanked it vigorously. We didn't see anything fall away into the sink so I thought it didn't work. Just brewed a test cup and it's like a new machine again. Thank you Coffee Detective !!

Dec 27, 2017

OMG It Worked!
by: Mike S.

Did it for giggles. Figured no way, but I was getting frustrated and thought "why not?"
Did as it instructed, spanked it hard so that the top opened up. Shut it while upside down and it started spouting out water. Turned it back over and the water kept coming out. Plugged it back and it's good as new! Still running de-scale solution just as a precaution.

Dec 22, 2017

It worked!
by: Ella

I actually thought all the comments were fake, but figured I had nothing to lose. It worked! Thanks!

Dec 16, 2017

This is insane :))))))))))))
by: I am Laughing

Was about to go to Bed bath and Beyond for a new one. Had tried cleaning nozzle with paper clip . No luck . Read about burbing
. Laughed but said what the heck . Tried it . IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nov 15, 2017

Sweet!
by: Smileysmile

I can't believe this worked. I read all the testimonials after the article figuring they were fake. But they are true. My Keurig wasn't doing anything except displaying "brewing". I beat the hell out of it two or three times and sure enough it's back to life! I was hugely surprised. Thank you!

Oct 18, 2017

Burping our Keurig K55 Worked!
by: R.E.T

Was ready to go buy a new one and came across your post! My husband gave it three hard wacks, we put it back together and was shocked...it works again!!! Who would of ever thought that burping a Keurig would fix it!

Oct 18, 2017

Thanks for the info
by: Ali C

I will try the spanking method later tonight (since I just made coffee and it was painfully slow, so still have hot water in the machine--- it took 5 cycles set to large to brew a 10-oz cup!). I hope it works otherwise I'm going back to a regular coffee maker because a Keurig is so expensive!

Sep 21, 2017

Yes it works!
by: Anonymous

I thought my Kurig was a goner. Tried this and it worked. I did konk it on the top since I was only getting spurts of water after the several spankings and it started working like a charm. Glad I found this post. Thank you.

Sep 04, 2017

check the pod bottom piercing area
by: Sabrina

so i did all of the above suggestions about ten times..nothing worked. then i examined the pod itself and realized the bottom wasn't pierced and noticed that somehow the mechanism in the bottom part of cradle had deteriorated and chipped off (where the bottom pin was) and the bottom part of the pod was not getting the normal "piercing" for the coffee to flow out of. i took a small knife tip and carefully made a small slit and my machine brewed perfectly.

Sep 02, 2017

spanking
by: Anonymous

just did it works great

Aug 27, 2017

It works!
by: Happy in Ohio

No coffee for breakfast this morning. Tomorrow I'm golden! Thanks for the advice. It worked!

Aug 24, 2017

this is not a joke it really worked
by: Kelly Univ Hts Ohio

THANK YOU - this really really worked.

Jun 27, 2017

Not Brewing
by: Anonymous

Thanks for the burping advice and it worked like a charm...

thanks again!!

RG

Jun 23, 2017

Seriously?!
by: Anonymous

Brand new keurig -4 days old- stopped brewing. We followed the spanking instructions and it worked!

Jun 23, 2017

AMAZING!
by: Anonymous

OMG This really worked for me!!!!! Thank you so much.

Jun 17, 2017

Keiurog
by: Anonymous

Worked awesome!! Thank you!!

Jun 09, 2017

Worked
by: Anonymous

This totally worked!!!! Thank you for the advice.

Jun 07, 2017

I can't believe it!
by: Anonymous

Our Keurig was displaying "Brewing" but nothing was happening. Gave it a good spanking and voila! Thanks!

May 26, 2017

Worked great!
by: Anonymous

Worked like a charm! Thanks for your post

May 23, 2017

This worked like a charm!
by: Robert

Have a Keurig at work - the first one that did this ended up getting 'operated on' and trashed, lol.

Next one - we descale it and it just stopped working. We suspected it was just clogged.

So we poked it...
Didn't get it working
Then we spanked it good, and gave it another good poke.

After that - some nice, hot and wet coffee poured forth.

Thanks!! :)

May 12, 2017

Didn't work for me
by: Anonymous

This didn't work for me. As with just unplugging, I get one good cup out and then it stops pushing water through. Glad it worked for everyone here.

May 05, 2017

When slapping quit working....
by: Coffee Kate

I had been using the "slap it on top of the head" method for a couple of years. This morning, slapping, grounding, and disconnecting it from all its media favorites did not make it wasn't to do what it was told to do... time out hasn't worked in a long time. So.... I had to resort to a full on spanking. Thank you. This aggressive method of discipline still works (on this appliance and maybe still on kids). My Keurig is now being a good little Keurig and is doing what it is told to do.

Yay!!!

May 02, 2017

It's a Miracle and Moneysaver
by: Anonymous

I live in an area that has a lot of lime in the water. i use tap water in my machine. I knew that I should descale regularly, but forgot to do it before I left for 4 months. Alas my Keurig was not working when I returned. White vinegar would not go through. Cleaning the needle with a paper clip did nothing. Came upon this post and after 3 times it worked! A miracle---$2.00 worth of white vinegar and a little rough justice and I saved at least $150.00 in a new unit

Apr 23, 2017

Amazing!
by: Chris christel

Used your method twice, no luck. Tried a third time, put a towel on the bottom and used a HAMMER (what have I got to lose, I'm already looking at buying a new unit) and walla now it works. Amazing!!!

Apr 18, 2017

My keurig
by: Carme

My says de scale I did and still running noting canes out the I get coffee maybe if drops is driving me crazy . What to do , do I need a new one ?

Apr 16, 2017

worked thanks
by: Anonymous

worked for me also thank you!!!

Apr 07, 2017

Slapping works!
by: Croomester

I had tried running vinegar through but there was no flow. A couple (actually 3-5) vigorous slaps over the sink, and hey presto. Guess I don't need to go to Bed bath & beyond today! Thanks!!!

Feb 13, 2017

It Worked!
by: Anonymous

No visit ideas ever seem to work for me so I went into this method with skepticism but nothing else had worked so why not. Turned it upside down, hit it a few times and tried it, guess what, it is pumping water again, go figure. Thanks.

Nov 29, 2016

Fabulous!!
by: Anonymous

Finally!! Worked like a charm!! I spanked it big time!! Wow!! So silly this worked!! I'm grateful, thank you!!

Oct 13, 2016

Slap Slap Slap
by: Anonymous

Wow this really worked! I gave our Keurig a good couple le of slaps and it started dripping again! Thanks

Jul 28, 2016

THIS WORKS
by: Anonymous

Good spanking overturned in the sink and coffee flowing again! thanks! :)

Mar 22, 2016

Stepped it up a notch!
by: Jimmy Five Fingers

Was not sure if I was slapping it hard enough although my hand stung like hell, so I slapped it with a 12 inch 2 by 4!

Works fine now!

Jan 18, 2016

Piece of Junk!
by: Anonymous

I've had my Keurig a little over 2 years; a retirement gift so I could have coffee and read the paper. After a couple of weeks I went back to my old standby--Nescafe Instant--strong and wakes me up. Didn't think much of it but I hadn't made 25 K-cups in it but it's past the warranty so I'm stuck with a gift that cost over $100 and it won't work...bought new filters, spanked it, cleaned it with vinegar, all to still no coffee. Over the holidays I visited my sister in AZ and she has a Keurig that you add water one cup at the time and I so enjoyed it I decided to use it again. Still no coffee coming out or water...I have a "Mirror" brand percolator, circa 1950-something. It still works after 60 years so I'm going back to it! Just because your old enough to be retired doesn't mean you should be! Made a great potful the other day--the whole house had the aroma of fresh perked coffee!! What a morning!

Nov 19, 2015

Impressed
by: Anonymous

So mine wouldn't work after descaling. I tried everything. Paper clip every angle I could and still nothing. A few good spanks and she went right back at brewing!! I am going to give it a good spanking every now and then. Only word of advice, after I spanked mine I turned it right side up and a bunch of very hot water spilled out all over me. So just be sure to hold it over the sink!! Thanks for this tip! You saved my mornings and my kids the torture of me not having my morning coffee.

Aug 23, 2015

thanks
by: Cheryl

thank you for the burp your keurig advice! I'm back to brewing!!!

Apr 19, 2015

Shut the front door!!
by: Stacy

I smacked that sucker and it's working like a champ!

Feb 19, 2014

IT works!
by: Anonymous

Having the exact same problem as everyone else. Descale showed, used vinegar, still the water wouldnt flow. This morning, cleaned needle with toothbrush AND burped it, banged it about 10 times very hard and so far i have 3 full cups of coffee! I WAS skeptical!! not sure if it will continue to work but OMG!!! Amazing! Try it!

Dec 23, 2013

HOLY COW!
by: Anonymous

Thought we were going to have to buy a new one right before everyone came for Christmas morning and son of a gun spanking worked!!

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