How to Clean a Coffee Grinder

Co-authored by James Sears

Last Updated: February 15, 2021 References

Grinding coffee at home is a must for avid coffee drinkers, but your home grinder builds up dust and oil from coffee beans. To keep your coffee tasting fresh, clean your grinder out on a monthly basis, at a minimum. Blade grinders can be cleaned with rice and a damp cloth. Clean burr grinders by removing the burrs and brushing them down, as well as using a vacuum and a dry cloth.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cleaning a Blade Grinder

1
Measure ¼ cup (59 ml) of uncooked white rice into the grinder. Buy a package of white rice at your local grocery store, or use rice that you already have on hand. Make sure to use white rice for cleaning purposes. Use ¼ cup (59 ml) to ⅓ cup (79 ml) depending on the size of your grinder.^{[1]
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- Measure the rice and pour it into the grinder.
2
Run the grinder for about 1 minute. Plug the grinder in and turn on the power. Turn on the blade and let it grind the rice for at least 30 seconds and up to one minute. This will turn the rice into rice flour.^{[2]
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- The rice cleans the grinder by soaking up oils and residue left in the grinder by coffee beans.
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3
Dump the rice flour out. Shut the grinder off and unplug it. If your grinder has a detachable hopper, take it off of the base. If not, take the whole grinder to the trash can. Dump the rice flour into the trash can.^{[3]
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- Even if you use rice flour on a regular basis, don’t use this flour because it is contaminated with old coffee residue.
4
Wipe the grinder down with a damp cloth. Get a paper towel barely damp with warm water. Carefully wipe down the inside of the grinder. Get all of the crevices. Be sure not to cut yourself on the blades as you wipe down the grinder.^{[4]
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- Rinse the paper towel and wipe the grinder more than once if necessary.
- Be careful not to get the grinder soaking wet, as some of the moisture could stay inside it. Get the cloth just wet enough to wipe up the remaining flour.
5
Allow the grinder to dry. Never use your grinder for coffee beans when it is still wet from cleaning. Dry it off with a cloth and allow it to air dry completely before you use it again. It may be helpful to dry the grinder upside down to make sure no moisture settles into it.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Cleaning a Burr Grinder

1
Vacuum or blow air inside the grinder. Use a vacuum that has a wand attachment to clean out your grinder. Unplug the grinder and set the vacuum up close to it. Poke the wand around the inside of the hopper and around the burrs to remove as much of the coffee dust as possible.^{[5]
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- If your vacuum has multiple attachments, use the one with the narrowest end that will help you get the nooks and crannies of the grinder.
- If you want, use a can of compressed air to blow dust out of the grinder instead of sucking it out with a vacuum.
- If you are in a hurry, or don't have a vacuum or compressed air handy, blow in the grinder a few times to dislodge any leftover grounds. Be careful not to blow anything into your eyes.
2
Remove the hopper and wash it by hand. If your grinder has a removable hopper where you load the beans, take this off and wash it separately. Wash the hopper and lid by hand with warm soapy water. Make sure you rinse it thoroughly to get all of the soap residue off of it before you use it again.^{[6]
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- Allow the hopper to air dry upside down. If you are in a hurry, dry it with a lint free cloth or a paper towel.
3
Take one of the burrs out. On most coffee grinders, either the inner or outer burr can be removed. It may require a tool that came with your grinder. Check the manual to find out how to remove the burr. Take out whichever one comes out most easily.^{[7]
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- If neither one comes out easily, you’ll have to clean them while they are in the grinder. Be careful using tools to take the burr out.
- Make sure the grinder is unplugged for safe cleaning.
4
Scrub the burrs with a toothbrush. Use a toothbrush or brush made for coffee grinders to carefully scrub all parts of the burrs. Scrub the one you’ve taken out first and then scrub the burr that is still in the grinder. Get all the cracks and crevices of the burrs, anywhere you can reach with the brush.^{[8]
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- Use a brush with stiff bristles, but make sure they are not metal. Metal bristles may damage the burrs.
5
Tip the grinder over and shake grounds out into the trash. After you have scrubbed the burr in the grinder, dump loose grounds into the trash. Scrub again and dump it out again if any more grounds seem to be stuck in there. Repeat this process as necessary.^{[9]
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6
Wipe inside the grinder with a dry rag. Take a dry, clean wash cloth and wipe all parts of the grinder where the beans go. Wipe the burrs themselves carefully, and also wipe the chute and catcher where the coffee grounds fall.^{[10]
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- The “dry” cloth is important. Never use a damp rag to clean the grinder. The metal parts will corrode if moisture gets into them.

Expert Q&A
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Question

Can you wash a coffee grinder?

James Sears
House Cleaning Professional
James Sears leads the customer happiness team at Neatly, a group of cleaning gurus based in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. James and the team have nine years of experience and offer green cleaning, interior and exterior window washing, and general apartment cleaning services. He provides transformative cleaning experiences by reducing clutter and renewing your home environment. James is a Trustee Scholar at the University of Southern California.

James Sears

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

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Avoid using water to clean your coffee grinder. About once a month, wipe out your coffee grinder with a paper towel or microfiber cloth. However, since a grinder has a number of metal parts, you want to avoid using water to clean it, as this will eventually lead to rust.
Question

Someone said I could use bread to clean the grinder. Is that true?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Staff Answer

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Yes, bread is a useful choice that can both clean and deodorize the grinder at the same time. Use 1 to 2 slices of bread, pulled into small pieces. Add the pieces slowly, operating the grinder after a few pieces are in place. Tip out the crumbs into the compost bin, then repeat with the next pieces until all of them are used up. This is a good way of cleaning the grinder if you've used it for anything other than coffee, such as nuts or spices, as it'll remove both odors and pieces of the food, making the grinder clean for coffee again.