TransWikia.com

It is possible to completely dissolve coffee grounds while cleaning a metal filter?

Coffee Asked by mxxk on December 2, 2020

After months of use, the metal filter used in my French press coffeemaker now has small traces of coffee grounds stuck between the mesh fibers which cannot be removed by brushing either side. Seeing the advice in How do I effectively clean a metal Chemex filter?, soaked the filter in 5% vinegar for multiple nights, but unfortunately the grounds remained embedded in the mesh.

Before trying alternative methods in the linked post, I wanted to check with folks here to see if any were particularly effective, especially before applying any of them method to clean a metal, cylindrical cold brew filter, which would be more difficult to replace if damaged than the metal mesh of a French press:

  1. Soak filter in vinegar (acetic acid) solution
    • The recommendation seems to use a solution of 1 part vinegar, 1 part water. Any drawbacks to using pure vinegar (which itself has low acidity, 5% in my case)?
  2. Soak filter in lemon juice (citric acid) solution
  3. Soak in bleach
    • Any concerns about damaging filter?
  4. Soak filter in baking soda
    • Any advantage to combining baking soda with vinegar for the soaking solution?
  5. Boil filter in water
    • For cleaning a cold brew metal filter which is not designed to withstand temperatures that high, any concerns about the metal deforming or joints coming loose?
  6. Boil filter in vinegar
  7. Boil filter in water with teaspoon of Urnex coffee equipment cleaning powder
  8. Massage soap through filter
  9. Use an ultrasonic cleaner
  10. Use a high-pressure water stream, such as from a Waterpik, to force the coffee grounds out of filter holes

One Answer

I'm not a chemist, but I'm confident that you won't be able to dissolve coffee dust using conventional cleaning methods. I think the chemical solutions you describe are primarily aimed at dissolving oily residue.

If fine grounds are stuck in the filter, I'd try to remove them mechanically. In this case, I think air pressure from a compressor could push them out.

Answered by JJJ on December 2, 2020

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP