Shiny Coffee Carafe

Confession: I don't clean my coffeemaker every month (the way the manufacturer recommends). Honestly, I think I've done the thorough cleaning of the tank less times than I can count on one hand. It doesn't seem all that valuable to me since it's the same thing every day.

The un-lovely 'before' photo. I am guilty of not washing my coffeepot regularly.

But the carafe (the clear, glass pitcher) is something that people, including me, see. I recently read a great tip on how to clean the carafe, submitted by a waitress (see below). My mother-in-law was gracious enough to test this out while she was helping me after the baby was born. She said it was pretty simple and it appeared to just take a minimal amount of elbow grease. Plus, the materials were on hand and are ridiculously cheap. I tried it again last week.

Fill half to 2/3 full with ice, add 1-2 Tbsp salt and a little bit of water and swirl vigorously.

 Instructions:

1. Fill your carafe partway full with ice
2. Add a generous amount of salt--one to two tablespoons
3. Add a little bit of water
   
4. Swirl vigorously and gently shake in a clockwise motion (or counterclockwise)
   
5. Rinse and admire!

Here's a pic of the like-new shiny carafe after swirling and a very quick wash in the sink.

Less than five minutes and I have this beautiful result!

Doing this every other month should keep it looking great, though clearly I wouldn't have to do it that often to achieve the same end result. I really thought there was mineral buildup that wouldn't ever go away. I'm happy to be proved wrong!

I bet this would work on pitchers, flower vases and similar containers with buildup.