Coffee Maker Neglect and Guest Abuse

Public Service request:

I'm pretty sure that most households have a coffee maker. And most of us who own them, know how to operate them. I'm not sure how other people do it in their household but I like to CLEAN mine once in a while. The coffee pot gets rinsed out after every pot that's brewed and washed with soapy water at least every few times. Some of you might wonder where I'm going with this because you probably do just as well at that part, or even better, but that's not what concerns me. It's the OTHER parts that need to be cleaned that are being neglected.

I was recently at a friends house who offered me a cup of coffee. While she washed out the coffee pot in the sink, I started to put a new filter and scoop of coffee grounds in the top. The compartment was absolutely disgusting. I gently (so not to cause offense) asked her for her wash cloth and cleaned it out the best I could before loading it up again. After that, I watched as she opened the lid on the back and started to pour water in.

OMG! My beautiful, sweet, intelligent, wonderful friend, who keeps her house spotlessly clean, was going to pour water into THERE and make coffee out of it to serve it to me? her guest? If it hadn't been clear that she saw nothing wrong with it and was going to have a cup herself, I would have wondered what I had done to deserve such treatment. Fortunately, I came along to educate her and save this tragedy from happening. She took the criticism well and admitted that it probably hadn't been cleaned all year. After some scrubbing and more scrubbing and 2 run throughs with vinegar water and then clear water, her coffee pot was ready to go.

She laughed at herself as she enjoyed the 1st cup and said that it even tasted better. Yes, honey, that's because it was made with water that didn't have stagnant water pond scum floaties in it. Ewwwwwww!!! I am serious, people, if you have not taken a look lately to the back section of your coffee pot before (or after) you dump the water in or you have not cleaned out the section that holds the filter and coffee grounds, please, PLEASE do one of three things. Either throw that bitch out and buy another coffee maker, pay some serious attention to cleaning it and run some vinegar water through it afterward to get to the stuff on the inside too or hang a sign over the coffee maker with a disclaimer so your guests are at least informed of what they are about to consume. This is your DUTY as a host or hostess.

As for me, I almost had to learn my lesson the hard way and from now on will sneak-a-peek before I say "Yes, I'd love a cup" because you just never know.