Vinegar.
Besides filling the air with vinegar odor, it just does not work very well.
Our tests show that vinegar simply is not strong enough to remove all of the
hard-water deposits from your coffeemaker.
Sulfamic-acid-type cleaners.
These are marketed in two forms, a powder and a liquid. The liquid is
the same as the powder, except dissolved in water. In either case, sulfamic acid
is a strong acid. It is corrosive and it is irritating to the skin and mucous
membranes. In our tests, sulfamic acid took twice as long as CoffeeBreak® to
dissolve hard-water deposits. Even worse - note this - when sulfamic acid is
dissolved in water, it changes its form and turns into something called ammonium
bisulfate, which is used in hair-waving preparations. Before all of the sulfamic
acid is turned into ammonium bisulfate, an equilibrium mixture is established
which contains ammonium sulfamate, widely used as a weed killer.
Citric acid.
Normally marketed as a powder in foil or plastic pouches. The
consumer dissolves it in water before using it to clean a coffeemaker. Citric
acid is a non-hazardous, natural product. It goes great in oranges and lemons!
But what happens if you clean a coffeemaker with it? Our tests show that its
cleaning power is substantially inferior to CoffeeBreak's. The reason may be
this: Citric acid can combine with hardwater deposits in your coffeemaker to
form something called calcium citrate, which is insoluble in water and does not
wash out of your coffeemaker. This just replaces the hard-water deposits with
another pot-clogging material. This problem can be overcome by using enough
citric acid to solubilize and wash the insoluble calcium citrate out of the
coffeemaker. But how do you know how much citric acid to use? When is enough
enough?
Other cleaners.
There aren't any, as far as we know. Your choices are listed
above.
CoffeeBreak® --- effective, safe, convenient --- it's worth
it!
The above data are based on tests and experience which
Singerman Laboratories believes reliable, and are supplied for informational
purposes only. Singerman Laboratories disclaims any liability for damage or
injury which results from the use of the above data and nothing contained
therein shall constitute a guarantee, warranty or representation by Singerman
Laboratories with respect to the data, the products described or their use for
any specific purpose.
