Can You Use Rice To Clean Your Coffee Grinder?

Like any kitchen appliance, you will eventually need to clean your coffee grinder, especially if you use it regularly. If you're one of the many individuals who consume around five cups of this steamy beverage per day, per Drive Research, then it's fair to say that you'll probably be cleaning out your grinder often. One popular example of a cleaner people use is rice. Yes, you can use rice to clean your coffee grinder, with the method often being touted online. However, it doesn't come without risks. For some people, these risks may outweigh the benefits.

Whether or not you use this hack will depend on what you want to get out of it. For example, it may be useful if you're looking for a one-time, quick, and easy cleaning solution. However, it may not be the best fit for other scenarios. Below, we'll take a look at these pros and cons in more detail, so you can make an informed choice on whether you should use rice to clean your coffee grinder or not.

If you're looking to remove any strong smells from your coffee grinder, then rice can help to do the trick. Of course, this makes it quite useful if you're looking to eliminate any lingering scents in your kitchen. On the other hand, you can always opt not to use it if you enjoy the smell. The choice is yours. If you do try this method, it shouldn't require too much rice either — only a couple of tablespoons. This makes it an incredibly cheap and easy way to clean your coffee grinder, especially if you want it done quickly. In addition, you can also find other uses for any leftover coffee grounds that may accumulate that can help you to clean other areas of your kitchen. This will reduce how much waste you produce when cleaning it out.      

However, this isn't the only way that rice can work to clean your coffee grinder. As well as scents, it also helps to clean out any leftover waste that is still sitting inside the internals of your machine that you may not be able to reach with a sponge. Of course, this saves you from having to disassemble the entire appliance, which would be very fiddly indeed. However, as it turns out, opting for the cheaper option may come at a cost. By using this method, you could potentially end up causing yourself more hassle and costs in the long term. 

Although rice can help to combat any scent issues that you may be experiencing, there are some other factors to consider. For starters, the firm and starchy nature of the rice could cause your coffee grinder to function incorrectly, as they may affect the inner workings of the device, such as the burr discs. This may impact its abilities and make it much more challenging for your coffee grinder to do what it was designed to do: make a good cup of coffee. Likewise, it may make it difficult to clean, meaning that you'll have to spend a lot of time trying to rectify the problem or having to replace it. Of course, nobody wants this, so it's something to keep in mind if you want to try this hack or use it often. 

Instead, you could always try using a pipe brush, stiff cleaner, or specially-made products such as Urnex Grindz pellets to help clean your coffee grinder. Likewise, another option is to just let the smell eventually disappear on its own. Either way, you have plenty of other options at your fingertips, whether you decide to use rice or not. Now, it's time to weigh up your options.