Trial Purpose:
To evaluate K-cup cleaners on the effectiveness of their descaling performance.
Date Run:
02/09/2020Experiment Procedure:
To test the descaling performance, two k-cup cleaners (Clean N’ Brew Cleaning Cup and Urnex K-cup cleaning cup) and water were run through different Keurig coffee machines to determine the flow rate. The flow rate was determined by measuring the volume of liquid dispensed in a graduated cylinder over the time it took for the liquid to decant. The flow rate was determined before cleaning using water, while cleaning using the cleaning pod, and after cleaning using water. During this process, visual observations were recorded. A second run was done looking at just the cleaners and their flow rate.
Trial Results:
Test of cleaners
| Flow Rate mL/sec | ||||||
| Product/Machine | Before | Visual | Clean | Visual | After | Visual |
| Clean N' Brew/Machine 2 | 7.87 | Clear water | 7.09 | Transparent light brown water | 8.07 | Clear water |
| K-Cup Brewer Urnex/Machine 3 | 7.5 | Clear water | 7.19 | Transparent light blue water | 7.5 | Clear water |
| Water/Machine 4 | 7.69 | Clear water | 7.5 |
Clear water |
7.5 | Clear water |
Gravimetric Results
| Flow Rate mL/sec | ||||
| Product/Machine | 1 | 2 | 3 | Average |
| Clean N' Brew/Machine 2 | 6.25 | 6.11 | 6.32 | 6.23 |
| K-Cup Brewer Urnex/Machine 3 | 6.53 | 6.50 | 6.82 | 6.62 |
| Water/Machine 4 | 7.71 | 7.74 | 7.81 | 7.75 |
Success Rating:
A cleanliness study, addressing only various analytical techniques.Conclusion:
Clean N’ Brew seemed to clean just as well as Urnex and water. Clean N’ Brew K-Cups use apple cider vinegar and a small cotton ball to soak whatever residue is left in the Keurig. K-Cup Brewer Urnex used sodium bicarbonate and sodium percarbonate, which decants a blue liquid that bubbles up a lot. These things should be taken into account when choosing one to use.
