Ninja Coffee Bar: DEEP CLEANING/Enhanced cleaning [SOLVED]
The Ninja coffee bars are great devices but they do require descaling and sometimes the normal descale clean does not alleviate the clean light coming on. Thankfully, there is a longer deeper cleaning option available! (See below)
Oddly, Ninja seems to make it very hard to find their deep “enhanced cleaning” instructions for the Nina Coffee Bar. I checked their FAQ and support pages with minimal success.
Finally, I found the full instructions! š Here they are for your reference:
ENHANCED CLEANING STEPS FOR YOUR NINJA COFFEE BAR
Applicable to all CF080Series and CF085Series
Cleaning is recommended before or as soon as the Clean button illuminates. Cleaning your Ninja Coffee Barā¢ is recommended to keep your brewer brewing hot, rich, and smooth coffee. The Clean button will illuminate when your Ninja Coffee Barā¢ senses there is a calcium build up on your machine, which could be affecting the flavor of your coffee. To clean your machine and keep the same great taste of NinjaĀ® coffee, follow the directions below:
- Select the carafe size and set the carafe in place beneath the brew basket.
- Use a descaling solution or powder and follow the directions on the package and fill up to, but not exceeding the Max Fill line (43 oz.)
- Press the Clean Button to activate the clean cycle; after one minute press again the Clean Button to manually pause the clean cycle.
- Let the cleaning solution rest for 30 minutes in your brewer. Note: This will allow cleaning solution to break up any calcium buildup.
- After 30 minutes, Press the Clean Button to activate the clean cycle; after one minute press again the Clean Button to manually pause the clean cycle.
- Let the cleaning solution rest for another 30 minutes in your brewer. Note: This will allow cleaning solution to break up any calcium buildup
- Press the Clean Button once more to resume and complete cleaning cycle. Note: A full clean cycle will take approximately 65 minutes.
- Fill the water reservoir with fresh water up to, but not exceeding the carafe line (43 oz. Max Fill line). Run 2 or 3 clean cycles with fresh water to rinse using clean button to execute rinsing. Discard the water in the carafe after each cycle. Please take special care to thoroughly clean the carafe and water reservoir to remove any cleaning solution that could affect the flavor of your coffee
Source:
http://www.sharkclean.com/manual/CF08X_Enhanced%20Cleaning%20Instructions.pdf
I hope these steps are helpful to you and that they keep your Ninja coffee bar in tip-top shape š -J.D.
- https://www.jdhodges.com/blog/ninja-coffee-bar-deep-cleaning/ (23)
- ninja coffee maker cleaning instructions (15)
- ninja coffee bar cleaning instructions (11)
- ninja coffee bar clean light stays on (8)
- ninja coffee maker cleaning problems (7)
- ninja coffee bar cleaning problems (4)
- ninja coffee bar clean light (4)
- ninja coffee maker (4)
- ninja coffee bar cleaning (4)
- cleaning the ninja coffee bar (3)
Thanks for the information
Thank you for your comment Ziaul. I am very glad the Ninja cleaning info was helpful š
Have a great week!
-J.D.
Thanks for this info. I followed the procedure, 2 days later the light came back on. When I called Ninja I was told that they are aware of a problem with the sensor and are no longer replacing machines with this issue. I was told to just clean it on a regular basis and it should be fine. I will never buy anything else from Ninja.
Hi Marsey!
Thank you for the update from Ninja.
I am sorry to hear they Ninja not have a better answer for you, but at least they are admitting that the sensor is defective!
Best regards,
-J.D.
Same here.. I was told same and I haven’t had the machine 6months.. So now I have a machine I can’t set a clock on or set a brew time.. Complete waste of money.
Hi Gwen,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am sorry to hear that you had the same experience š
It would be nice if Ninja would offer a free replacement for all their customers impacted by these issues.
Best regards,
-J.D.
My ninja coffee bar is having the same problem apparently alot of them are having. I have extensively cleaned it multiple times and my cleaning light is still on and the fact that ninja made a defective product and won’t replace it when the fault was their own is poor customer service. As a customer we pay for specific features that can’t be utilized because of the defect. This is my second ninja product the first was the juicer and it had issues as well. I won’t buy another ninja product. I’ve had 3 friends that were going to buy the ninja coffee bar and I talked them out of it. I will continue to do so until something is done to resolve the issues us current customers are having.
I just went through two days of cleaning the machine. Finally go the flush cycle to clear the light. This morning I made a pot of coffee and the light came on again. Makes a good cup of coffee, but the headaches associated with it are not worth it. Will be going back the Cusinart Grind and Brew.
I’ve followed these steps THREE TIMES and the “CLN” light will not go out!!
I suspect that whatever mechanism in the machine detects the buildup of calcium is defective.
The machine makes coffee just fine, it’s just it won’t stop saying “CLN”.
The newer machines (cf091 and above) will automatically do that procedure when you press the clean button. It will automatically run the 60 minute cleaning cycle and then the display with change to “flush” and will run an 8 minute flush cycle.
BUT… That is not the problem… This is a message I left on the Ninja FB page today.
I got the Ninja Coffee Bar (CF091) in late Feb and was amazed at the machine. The “Clean” light came on in late march and I ran the clean cycle using white vinegar as per instructions and the light went out. About 2 or 3 weeks later it came back on so I did a clean again. Then within a week the light again came on. I cleaned it a 3rd time and it came back on in about 2 or 3 days.
I called your company and they had me run the clean cycle again and it came back on the next day. I called again and they told me that there was a problem with the machine so they sent me another one to replace mine in May.
I started using that one and after about a month the light came on again. I cleaned it using white vinegar and again the light went off. About a month later it came on again so I cleaned it again. Three weeks later it came on again so I decided to try the Brew Rite Coffee Pot Cleaner. The light went off and came back on in a few days. I called again on Thursday, Aug 10th and was told that I needed to clean again and this time to run it through 2 additional flushes to make sure the sensor was clean.
Well I did it that evening and the light went off. I made coffee on Friday morning and then again this morning. The light came back on after brewing the coffee.
I just called and this time I was told that the sensor was probably bad and the light will stay on, so I need to learn to live with it!!!
Since I got the Ninja I only use water that has been softened (much less minerals than normal water) and also filtered with a Brita filter. There should be minimal mineral deposits in the machine with the type water I have SO I just don’t understand why the sensor (on a machine that’s only 3 months old) could be bad. And then to be told that I just need to “Live With It” really upsets me.
This is my first complaint but there will be many more on Amazon, Bed, Bath and Beyond and other sites that sell this machine. People need to know how Ninja stands behind the machines and what to expect if you have a problem.
Unbelievably horrible customer service and people need to know before they by this machine.
Hi Tim,
Thank you for sharing your Ninja experience. I appreciate the detailed info and I am very sorry to hear about your poor customer service experience with Ninja š
Best regards,
-J.D.
I have had the same issues and will tell my family and friends to not use the ninja products. You know, Iām going back to my simple drip coffee maker.
Does your coffee still taste good? Its a little orange light, who cares, like really? If a little orange light is really going to wreck your day I think you got bigger issues then just the orange clean me light, put some tape over it and clean it regularly every 3 months.
You bought this thing to make coffe and other fancy coffee things, if it still does these then sweet frick all wrong with your coffee maker. My orange lights been on forever. Who cares still makes good…actually fantastic coffee also in all honesty havnt cleaned it yet either.
Always someone bitchin about something or nothing really.
I have same problem even used CLR solution per instruction, better same with light makes good coffee bad service some techs even said there is no sensor
Hi same thing happened with mine. Iāve had it abou 4 months and cleaned it when the light went on. Now the light never goes away and Iāve cleaned it twice ugh. Now I wonāt know when it really needs cleaning. Sometimes all the water doesnāt empty out of the reservoir either. Seems like after I cleaned it the water works but clean light is still on. Grrrrr
Iām having the same problem. Iāve run the clean cycle 7 times in the past 3 days, which takes 4 hours each time, with a descaling solution. I donāt know what FLUSH means. It just flashes but doesnāt do anything. And my coffee tastes terrible.
Hey Kelly, seven full cycles is definitely overkill and I’m not surprised your coffee tastes off after all that descaling solution. The “Flush” step means running plain water through the machine to rinse out any remaining cleaner. Fill the reservoir with fresh water, press Clean, and let it run a complete cycle without interrupting it. You may need to do two or three plain-water flushes to get the taste back to normal. Going forward, one enhanced clean cycle with the pause-and-soak method should be all it takes.
Everything that you said happened, happened to me exactly, with the exception of calling customer service. I have cleaned, descaled, cleaned, descaled, cleaned cleaned cleaned! The light still comes on either the next day or the day after. I also used filtered water. So I am just going to ignore the light…maybe put a piece of black tape over it and just do a maintenance once a month. I really like the Ninja coffee system, just this part of it is aggravating!
I have the same problem – i am now on Ninja coffe bar #3 – and it will be my LAST. Mine was purchased in January of 2018, by March (after cleaning several times before) the clean light kept going on after i cleaned and flushed several times. I give up – this coffee machine is one expensive piece of crap! Onward and upward to something better!
Thank you for sharing your past experiences, Sue. I hope that since then you found a coffee machine that is perfect for you. š
Best regards,
-J.D.
Same here….it still brews…but it’s annoying….let me know what brand you go with….I like the idea of filling the water in the container and not having to pour water into the back of the machine…so I’m looking for another one that will do that…good luck!
I have the same exact problem! Every detail you wrote is exactly my experience with Ninja. I am baffled.
Hi June,
Thank you for your comment. I am sorry to hear that you are having the same issue that Tim had š
I hope your coffee maker is working well for you in other respects and that you have a good week š
Best regards,
-J.D.
I have a CF087 that I cannot get the light off! I have ran a cleaning cycle with vinegar 2x. I have yet to see the flush light and the clean light is still randomly flashing off and on while the screen displays no time but only telling me it needs cleaned.
Annoying. Any help would be great!
Hey Jeni, sorry for the late reply! The CF087 is a bit different from the CF080/CF085 series this post was written for, so the steps may not map exactly. That said, the key trick in the enhanced cleaning is the pause-and-soak method: press Clean, let it run for one minute, then press Clean again to pause it, let it sit for 30 minutes, repeat, then let it finish the full cycle. If you’ve just been running a normal uninterrupted clean cycle, try that approach and see if it finally clears the light.
so i bought the ninja bar . no problems at all up until a week ago . now it wont work at all . will not clean , will not brew . just sits there with lights on and will not perform any functions . no clean . no coffee!! NO COFFEE!!
THANK YOU!!!! These instructions worked! Why-oh-why doesnāt Ninja include them WITH the coffee bar?!? One single, stinkinā page. Even a note as to where to find the instructions online would have been helpful. None of the other instructions I found online worked. Yours did. Finally!
Hi CajuntaUno,
Thank you for your kind comment. I am very glad these steps worked for you!
Have a great day and enjoy you Ninja coffee bar š
Best regards,
-J.D.
Iām curious if you have a new machine? thatās had the clean cycle that runs for 60 mins by itself or if itās an older model?
this is our second machine and the light keeps coming on, after cleaning!
Hey Kris, the post was written for an older model, but Ninja has kept the same basic cleaning logic across the lineup. The longer 60-minute auto-clean cycle on newer models is essentially the same idea as the manual pause-and-soak steps here. If the light keeps coming back after cleaning, the most likely culprit is mineral-heavy tap water. Brewing with filtered water or running a vinegar cycle followed by two full water-only flush cycles tends to keep it at bay longer.
Add me to the list of people for whom the clean light will not go off. I only use filtered bottled water in my machine, so there should not be mineral buildup. It seems that it’s setup to sell lots of the descaling solution.
Hi Dana,
I am sorry to hear you are having the same problem.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the Ninja coffee bar.
Best regards,
-J.D.
Me too with two of them
Me too
I have the same issues and now I have to continuously press the button to get the machine to finish brewing the coffee…it cycles about 8-10 times to make a pot. Not happy
My Ninja Coffee Barās light continues to turn on after three consecutive cleanings following the instructions. I dedicated a half a day of my time to following 8nstructions and cleaning it several times to have the light back on. It is only 2 months old and we only use water from our osmosis water system. It seems I am not the only person having the same problem. The Ninja Coffee Bar System is an expensive coffeemaker to be encountering this cleaning light problem.
It seems we are only receiving an, āI am sorry to hear you are having the same problemā from Ninja. Not happy at all with Ninjaās Coffee Bar!
Do these steps work for all machines?! we are on our second machine because of this stupid light….it comes on usually every week or every 2 weeks! we have the bigger model with the stainless steel carafe
Hey Kris, these steps are specifically documented for the CF080 and CF085 series, but the pause-and-soak technique should work on most Ninja Coffee Bar models including the larger carafe versions. If the light keeps coming back every week or two, that usually means either very hard water in your area (in which case a water filter pitcher for your brew water helps a lot) or the descaling solution isn’t sitting long enough to break up the calcium. Try the full enhanced cycle with two 30-minute soak pauses and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks for the information. I tried it and I was able to make one more full carafe of coffee before the light came back on. I cleaned it again and – same thing. I loved this coffee maker that I’ve had for only 45 days(!) but now it’s just a expensive frother. It now sits in its box in my laundry room. I’m back to my $20 Mr. coffee- he has never let me down!
Hi ninja people I love your coffe bar .unfortunately after the clean light stays on for a month it just stops working at all.i have bought 4 coffe bars in 6 months average bar lasts 6 weeks. I have tried every cleaner and every 3 days the light is back on.Great idea great coffe.Customer service sucks and why not just solve the problem.
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am very sorry to hear that you have been having trouble with Ninja coffee makers š
If you want to try an alternative brand, I recommend the Moccamaster with a permanent filter. They seem to not have the reliability issues that are plaguing the Ninja Coffee Bars.
Best regards,
-J.D.
Hi, It have had the Ninja Coffee Bar for a little over a year. The last 6 months or so we would wake up to water or coffee all over the counter, cabinets and floors!
The water seems to be stuck, if that’s the right word, all through the coffee bar! In the top, under the reservoir, inside the metal where the buttons are! I have cleaned and cleaned. I stayed up till 3 this morning, again, testing the bar out. Decided to fill with water, unplug, and told my husband to just plug it in and push the button.
Well, he got up this morning and water was all over the counter, cabinets and floor, again. It’s ruined my cabinets!
We’re on SS and this was allot of money and can’t afford to buy another.
Also when I pick up the reservoir there is water all underneath it.
This just isn’t right.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Thanks
Hi Pam, what you’re describing (water pooling under the reservoir, leaking onto the counter) sounds like a hardware failure rather than a descaling issue. The cleaning steps in this post won’t fix a physical leak. Given that it’s ruined your cabinets and keeps happening, I’d contact Ninja support directly at ninjakitchen.com even if your warranty has expired. They’ve been known to offer replacement units at a discount, and there may be a known defect on your model. It’s absolutely worth pushing them on it.
I am having the same problem. After cleaning it several times the clean light stays on..
My Ninja clean light keeps coming on immediately after I do the cleaning. Today I did the deep clean enhanced with the same results. I have had issues with this machine since I first bought it. I only use filtered water. I’m about ready to send it back for service. Not a happy customer at all.
Was going to write in but it seams like there a lots of other people with the same problem. My machine is a replacement for the first one that quit, light comes on in 3-4 days after cleaning.
Same instructions same outcome, heard of this before, think there a name for it,good advertisement beats good products most of the time
Was looking for a fix like many others.
Worst coffee maker I ever bought , we use distilled water only wife has cleaned with vinegar but clean light comes on ever 2-3days going back to a mister coffee
I can attest to Tim’s August 2017 post above. I am on my second machine through Ninja since buying new in October 2016. In both machines, I can go about 4 to 5 months without seeing the Clean light. I marked on my calendar to do monthly vinegar cleans and these did well until that light comes on. Ninja states you should clean every 100 cycles, so I was ahead of the curve. The light then will go away for a day or two and I’m again chasing the light for months. As Tim said as well, this second machine is a newer model and does the 60 minute clean cycle and is sort of an automatic version of your description. Yet the light still returns. In March of this year I contacted Ninja out of frustration with my light chasing, they had me clean and contact again. The light returned in 3 days and I reached out as instructed. This time I was told, “If you are still able to brew no need to worry about clean light.” Their concern is if you get the Clean Light and can not brew. If they light just keeps returning, I’m told to ignore. I’ve used Vinegar. I’ve used Descal. It never changes.
Hi Lucas,
Thank you for your detailed account! I am very sorry to hear that you had the same issues as Tim š
It sounds like Ninja’s eventual response to these issues is to just ignore the light.
I hope your week is going well in all other ways, and thank you again for taking the time to comment š
Best regards,
-J.D.
You can’t ignore the light! You can’ brew any coffee with it on.
My clean light came on so I cleaned it per instructions, light came on again. Cleaned it again. Now it won’t run cleaner or water or anything through it, just keeps flashing flush. Not impressed, and I used to love Ninja products…
Hi Teri,
Bummer that you are having the same clean light issue š Hopefully your Ninja Coffee Bar is still working in all other respects?
I think most people have just given up on the cleaning at this point and they use it “as is” with filtered water.
Have a great day and thank you for taking the time to comment š
Best regards,
-J.D.
I am quite satisfied with my Ninja Coffee Bar but must comment on the cleaning cycle. Ninja’s contention that the machine needs cleaning because of scale buildup is nonsense! I only use reverse osmosis filtered water, which is essentially distilled water with NO impurities. I am positive that the coffee bar does NOT have a scale sensor (way too expensive) but just turns the cleaning light on after so many cycles of brewing. If you use filtered, bottled or reverse osmosis water, just run the cleaning cycle with your water (without vinegar or descaling agent) just to get the warning light turned off.
Hi Haiko,
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you, for everyone that uses filtered water… it seems that Ninja just has a bad (or nonexistent) sensor.
Thanks again and have a GREAT week!
Best regards,
-J.D.
Wouldn’t it be a whole lot simpler to just hold in the clean button for five seconds to run the built-in clean cycle, as explained in the owners manual?
Hi Ed,
Thank you for your comment.
I think most people do that first. The issue is that it does not resolve the issue (i.e. the clean message/light never goes off) for a lot of people .
Best regards,
-J.D.
This a terrible machine. The clraning messages will not go away. No matter how many times I clran it . I even went out and got some special cleaning powder ( extra expense) Viniger Worked fine on any other Coffee Mashine.
Hi Doris,
Thank you for your comment. I am sorry to hear about the problems with your Ninja Coffee Bar š
I have also tried extensive cleaning, and eventually just decided to use it while ignoring the cleaning message.
I always use filtered water and I think it is just a bad sensor?
Anyway, I hope everything works our for you one way or another!
Best regards,
-J.D.
I bought a Ninja and first thought was, “What a flimsy machine for the price they charge!”. From the first pot it only fills the carafe about 2/3 while leaving water in reservoir. I cleaned the machine and it still says “clean”. What a scam selling cheap quality material coffee machines that don’t work properly. A coffee machine for half the price works much better. This one is going in the trash. I’ll never purchase Ninja again.
Hi Jalena,
I am sorry to hear about the issues you experience š
I do wish Ninja had made their machine more rugged and with a cleaning light that worked properly. However, in my opinion, there ARE a couple really nice aspects of the machine:
#1 permanent filter (i.e. filter that works well and does not need to be replaced, saves on cost and waste)
#2 ability to specify brew type (regular, specialty, etc. which I use regularly to make lattes and other drinks)
With that being said, I am sorry that Ninja has not met your expectations and I hope you find a perfect coffee maker!
Best regards,
-J.D.
I found the permanent filter did not reduce waste that much as I was using a lot of water to clean it. Yeah, I wasn’t using paper filters, but cleaning it wasn’t exactly convenient.
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your comment! I usually dump the used grounds into a small tub that I keep in the sink, then when the tub is full I empty the grounds into the garden as compost. For removing remaining residue off the filter, you are correct that some water is used. However, I did not find it to be excessive. Also if you have a greywater drain for irrigation then that is a great use of such water.
Have a GREAT day Amanda and thank you for sharing your thoughts š
Best regards,
-J.D.
I loved my Ninja Coffee Bar at first. Then the clean light came on—and forever after, it came on every 2-3 days, and it would not brew while that light was on. It was a very expensive paperweight.
I have a very basic Keurig now. It has its own water filter, I use reusable pods, and it works like a charm.
Hi Dianne,
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you found something that works reliably for you!
Best regards,
-J.D.
PS if you still have your Ninja and you want to try a tip to fix it, check out Matt’s Ninja fix listed above š
My Ninja coffeemaker is having the same problems. Six months old and the clean cycle will not go off. I canāt bypass it and it will not make coffee.
My Ninja coffeemaker is having the same problems. Six months old and the clean cycle will not go off. I canāt bypass it and it will not make coffee.
Hi….SAME HERE ….. SOOOOO UPSET cln light will not go off ….ONLY used bottled water in this thing…… only now dripping but does fill my cup…..I researched this coffee for a good week against a whole lot of other ones……Hate it Hate it…. family members wonāt use it cause they think it is dirty…..AND this was a moving to Florida gift for me…Really is it that hard to make a reliable coffee maker…AND it wasnāt CHEAP
Hi Bonnie,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you can find a better coffee maker in the future!
Best regards,
-J.D.
I use my Ninja coffee bar for a about a week and the clean light came on. No matter how many times I clean it the clean light never goes out. š¢ I have looked at all the fix the clean light videos and called Ninja. The light never goes out. I was going to buy a second one for our vacation home but not going to happen now!
I have had my ninja coffee bar since January 2017 (or close to there anyway, maybe I got it in February or March of ’17).
Anyways, I’ve been having the same issues with the cleaning light coming on very frequently. I live in Wisconsin and there’s no water softener in my apartment building so I’m putting some pretty hard water in this machine, making frequent cleanings a necessity. However, when the cleaning light comes on a mere 2 days after I run a cleaning cycle per the machine’s instructions, I knew I had to do something different.
I use a cleaner/de-scaler for drip coffee machines that I find in the local grocery store. What I did for my Ninja was I put the cleaning solution in at full strength (undiluted) for the first portion of the cleaning cycle – making sure it was pure cleaning solution that was ran through the machine and was sitting in there dissolving minerals for 30 minutes. I would then add enough fresh water to complete the cycle. When the first 30 minutes was up and the machine ran more solution through, I couldn’t believe the amount of minerals that came out of the machine, even though I just “cleaned” it two days prior per the machine’s instructions.
More mineral deposits came out when the cycle completed. I ran the flush cycle and then an additional brew cycle with fresh water. The cleaning light turned off and stayed off for around a month.
I follow this procedure on or around the 1st of every month whether the cleaning light comes on or not. And since I’ve been doing this, I’ve only seen the cleaning light 3 times. The only issue with taking this rather drastic cleaning method is that it can take several rinse cycles to make sure all the cleaning solution has been washed away.
I hope this information helps other Ninja owners once again enjoy great tasting coffee!
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for the great Ninja cleaning tips! I am very glad you found a solution that worked so well for you š
Enjoy your delicious coffee and have a GREAT day!
Best regards,
-J.D.
Thank you, Amanda! I bought my Ninja in March of last year. Then the clean light became constant late last summer, despite regular cleaning. It allowed me to make coffee, so I just ignored the light. In October or so, the dreaded ā5 beepsā began, and no coffee unless I was standing over it constantly pressing the button. Somehow (I found so many different ideas online that I donāt remember exactly what worked – and maybe whatever it was might just have been a fluke!), I managed to get it to actually make a pot while I was out of the room! It continued to work until just after Christmas, and then it went back to needing my full attention again. I tried every trick I could find… nothing worked. Canāt tell you how many times it escaped being launched into the back yard…
Yesterday, I found this site and Amandaās solution in the comments. Hallelujah, it worked! I didnāt see much in the way of scale or debris, but I think the way this is designed that it doesnāt take much to block it – just tiny pieces of scale in the wrong place gums up the works. Thanks again, Amanda!
What was Amanda solution ? I have 3 coffee bars that have the exact same problem ! { bought 1 ninja sent me 2 replacements }
Hey Karen, sorry for the late reply! I don’t have Amanda’s specific solution on hand, but the approach that works most consistently is the enhanced cleaning method in the post: press Clean, pause after one minute, let it soak 30 minutes, repeat the pause-and-soak once more, then let it run to completion, followed by two full water-only flush cycles. If you’ve been running straight-through clean cycles without the soaking pauses, that’s the most common reason the light keeps coming back.
I second Amanda’s approach, and I can say that white vinegar is just not strong enough in many cases. I blasted 50% white vinegar through my machine repeatedly, but the Clean light refused to go off. I used CLR, but a dedicated descaler solution or espresso cleaner would probably be preferable. As Amanda noted, there’s a lot more mineralization in these Coffee Bar machines that vinegar doesn’t seem to budge.
Dear Eric,
Thank you for sharing your Ninja experience. I am glad you were able to eventually get your Ninja coffee maker working properly!
Best regards,
-J.D.
Oh yes. The same problem. And when the clean light comes on the clock doesnāt work so the auto start in the morning feature doesnāt work either.
This has to be a defect! I soften my water and then it passes through a reverse osmosis system ( to remove the salt) then I steam distill the water. Lastly I polish it with a pur pitcher. And still it says I need to clean it! Poor system! Luv the coffee when it works
So glad I found this page! I helps to know I a, not alone. I am moving to a new home and will NOT be taking this coffee maker with me. It is not worth the aggravation!
I like most everyone here, am having the problem of not being able to set an automatic brew time because I get the CLN code on the clock. I understand the problem but am very frustrated with Ninja’s response in not dealing with the defect the KNOW exist. I called customer service today because I can’t even get my light to go out. She actually said to me ‘do you really need to use the clock?’ and ‘just ignore the light if you’ve cleaned it’.
I will NOT buy another Ninja product.
My clean light wonāt go off. It is a pain. I use filtered water and there is no build up. A friend of mine has the same one and itās crusty and dirty, but her light goes off, go figure!
I have cleaned my Ninja and the light is continuously flashing. I have gone by every instruction I can find and can not solve the problem.
Have tried all the hints so far mentioned. My cleaning light stays on all the time and cannot use my timer or have my time displayed. Lots of money paid for a defective machine that only worked correctly for 6 months. Shame on you Ninja.
Cleaning instructions printed on the back of the machine. At least they are in mine.
However, fallowing these instructions will give you nothing: the light till on after 5 consecutive cleanings!
I’m going to just cover the light up with a small piece of black tape. But has anyone else had an issue with coffee not being hot enough? I do put cold milk into cup with sugar and let the coffee pour over that and I also put very cold water into reservoir is that why my coffee isn’t hot.. although when it was newer it was hot even though I did the same thing?
Hi Gerard!
Thank you for your comment. I generally find the coffee to be hot enough, but I generally wait at least 3-4 minutes before doing a specialty brew (even though the machine will run it earlier). Have you tried letting the machine “warm up” for a few extra minutes? This seems to let the water heat up enough.
That is my experience, though I could be mistaken as I often heat my (specialty brew) coffee back up in the microwave after I add milk.
PS one other tip for extra warmth is to pre-heat your ceramic coffee cup in the microwave for 10-20 seconds before putting the coffee in. A cold coffee cup can really sap the heat from a liquid š Whereas a warm coffee cup can keep the heat longer š
Best regards,
-J.D.
****POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO HELP THE LIGHT ISSUE****
****LIKE TO SEE A FEW OTHER PEOPLE GIVE THIS A TRY AND REPORT BACK****
**** YOU NEED TO HAVE AN AIR COMPRESSOR, A SMALL ONE IS JUST FINE .. DON’T NEED MUCH PRESSURE AT ALL***
For all those of you with the Clean Light Issue… I can’t guarantee this will help, but I tried this and so far, it’s been about a week+ and I haven’t had a problem yet. Prior to that, I was having major CLEAN light issues, I could not get it to turn off to save my life, Long Clean Cycles, Short ones, Start them, Stop them, Restart Them…same results, Light would still be on. Then it started to reallly act up. I couldnt get the clock to display sometimes, and then when it would finish a Clean cycle, it would just keep beeping and beeping and beeping. I’d have to unplug it. So here’s what I’ve tried, maybe it will help maybe it won’t little to soon to tell yet.
First, just use Vinegar to clean it, Def no CLR, and even the special cleaning tabs and solutions don’t seem to work much better. So, when I clean it, I’ll fill up the reservoir with I’d say 3/4 of Vinegar, then top off with water to the MAX FILL CLEAN LINE. Press the Clean button. Let it start and run for about a 1 min. then press the clean button again (puts it on pause), let it sit for 30 mins to an hour, the do the same thing again, press the clean button, runs for about a minute. then press the clean button again to pause. Wait for about 30 mins to an hour. Now hit the clean button and let the cycle finish. Now it should be showing FLSH (must be done within 15 mins after the CLN completes – if you miss it, then you have to re-rerun the clean cycle again). If you do, you just press CLN and let it run to completion. You must catch the FLSH within that 15 min window remember ! For Flush, remove the water tank and fill it all the way up to the top to the MAX fill line (not the MAX CLEAN LINE), all the way up to the top. Leave the Selector (coffee size) alone. With the tank back on, the the pot back in place, just press and release the Clean Button and the Flush Cycle will run until it finishes.
In a perfect world, when that finishes the CLEAN LIGHT Should be off. Now here’s something that I’ve just tried, and like I said so far so good, but well see. I don’t promise you won’t do something bad to the Ninja by accident, so proceed with caution. During the repeated clean and flush, the the light would stay on, so during the middle of one of the CLN cycles, I would basically stop the process and unplug the Ninja. Remove every thing that’s removable. Take the coffee bar outside, or in the garage. HOT WATER… SO BE CAREFUL. I’ve done either or and a combination (I mean sometimes, I’ll dump the water in the unit first then blow pressure trough the intake nozzle for the water tank). So, basically what I do is to hold the coffee maker, with a firm grip on it, tip it on its side, slowly (HOT WAS COMES OUT OF THE WATER HEAD ABOVE THE COFFEE FILTER BASKET) of tip it on it’s side, now with a finger, push down on the spring-held “stopper” or seal where the middle of the water tanks sits down in and feeds the water in. Now, when you push down on that, it’s gong to open the system and start to tip the coffee marker farther upside down, you see the water start to rush out from the where it brews out off into the grounds. HOT WATER .. Be Careful. So now twist and shake while holding the stopper in, and get all that water shaken out. Now, with the air compressor and a nozzle, set the coffee make down, and push the stopper down, and put the tip of the AC nozzle down in that stopper and squeeze the AC trigger. I don’t know how big your Compressor is, but I would error on the side of caution here. Don’t use full blast of air on this step, coul maybe damage something. I turned my AC down quite a ways and give repeat shots of air . Do that a good number of times… then if you’d want repeat that cycle, just run again, part of a clean cycle (if the light doesn’t want to go off), and stop it and empty and air compressor blow the stopper being pushed down. That’s it. Hopefully you’ve ended at a spot where the CLN light is off. so Put it back together…and brew, guys and gals… .! Brew away !
Hope this works for others… Let me know please !
Hi Matt,
Thank you for the detailed instructions and the cool air compressor tip!
My wife and I recently cleaned our water faucet filters using a similar method (air compressor to remove some fine mineral residue) so I am very curious to try this on the Ninja.
Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Best regards,
-J.D.
Can CLR be used on the Ninja coffee machine? I live in Calgary and we have hard water and I also have the clean light come on frequently.
Dear Christine,
Great questions! The CLR brands FAQ says not to use CLR in espresso machines, therefore, I would be hesitant to use it on your Ninja.
Best regards,
-J.D.
I’ve used clr in my coffee bar and haven’t had a prob. As long as you run a few brews to clean it out.
Hi,
so I’ve tried all the cleaning tips that come with the instructions. I’ve spent a huge amount of time trying to get this coffee maker to work right. I managed to get the clean light off now, however when I run water through it for the final cleaning step as described here, the coffee maker runs for about a minute, beeps and then turns off. The only way to get a cup of coffee out of this stupid machine is to press the brew button over and over again till I get some semblance of a 1/2 pot of coffee. Also now the warmer is kicking off every time the maker stops.
What a piece of junk. I’m going to give it one more shot tomorrow with the air compressor thing as described here but if that doesn’t work i’m going to fling this piece of crap into my pool and let the pool sweep run over it repeatedly until it is a mangled plastic glob caught up in my pool filter. What a crappy coffee maker. Back to Peets tomorrow and then Target or Costco for something that works better. I”m pretty much DONE!
Hereās a new wrinkle: My clean light comes on and goes off at seemingly random intervals. I havenāt used it in several days (weāve been drinking tea lately). Iāve cleaned it twice in the last 2 weeks with no change. Iām going to try a different cleaning procedure. Fill the reservoir with the recommended distilled water/vinegar solution and run it through using the smallest cup setting pausing perhaps 15 minutes between cycles.
I took apart a Ninja CF-087 coffee bar… I’m pretty sure there is no ‘cleaning sensor’. The only wiring connected to the controller board are: 3 wires to a flow meter (-/+ power and flow rate signal), 2 wires to the heater element/pump, 2 wires to the heater temp sensor, 2 wires to the drip stop switch sensor.
This strongly suggests the clean light / CLN message is completely based on software count of cycles used, and it is only reset if you run a clean full reservoir of water though by pressing the CLEAN button when the display shows FLSH after running the cleaning cycle. The FLSH message only displays I think for 15 minutes after the main 60 minute or extending 4 hr cleaning cycle completes, but you have to be around to refill the tank and press CLEAN to run the follow-up flush in order to reset the internal count.. if you come back after the flush msg has gone away and just run a regular full caraffe brew to flush out the system (or run the flush by pressing a regular brew button instead of the clean button), it will not reset the cleaning interval counter.
I can add that vinegar does NOT work to clean it with. I used vinegar and saw almost nothing in the output indicating it was cleaning. I ordered cleaning solution from Amazon and followed this directions. Water was so dirty so it cleaned it good. No more issues so far !
Just add the clean lite to the many things in life to ignore! Or you well go crazy!
Same problem as the others. Only one user and only once a day. I repeated the clean process this time for two days. Light will not shut off!!!!
Seems like to me that most people that have a prob with the clean light staying on are the ones using bottled water. I have pretty hard water where I live and never had a prob with it. I only use tap water and cleaned it twice with white vinegar and once with clr. I’ve owned mine for a full year. I’ve never had the clean light come on and have had no probs with it
Hi! I am reading all these possible solutions but they dont apply to my machine. I have a clean button but it doesnt have the option to deep clean. There is no display option on the clock. I am at a loss as to how to get the clean light to go off. This was a gift a few years ago and never had a problem until last month.
Hi Michelle, if your machine just has a single Clean button with no display menu, you’re most likely working with a simpler model that only runs a basic clean cycle rather than the enhanced deep clean. For those, the trick is to run the cycle, then immediately run a second cycle with plain water to flush, and repeat that water flush once more. If the light still won’t go off, it may be worth contacting Ninja support since some models have a reset sequence (like holding the Clean button for a few seconds) that isn’t documented anywhere obvious.
I have replaced my Ninja Coffee bar coffee maker 3 times. The problem is after some time it will stop making coffee unless you babysit the coffee making pushing the start button every 5 seconds. The last 2 coffee makers started doing this and the clean light did not come on. My first coffee maker after the clean light came in I cleaned and rinsed it twice and I could not get the clean light to turn off. I am running the clean cycle now trying to descale the lines. Seems to just have paused not for over 30 min with nothing happening but I will give it time and hopefully I can make a normal pot of coffee again. This is very frustrating.
Iām happy to read these comments because I was starting to think I was insane. Thatās a whole other story in itself.
First ninja got smashed in the street, the beeping wouldnāt stop and you couldnāt brew at all.
Finally, after trying everything that everyone else has posted I smashed it to smithereens. (Felt kinda good)
Second, fancier ninja, clean light kept veering itās ugly red glow.
I only use vinegar, no tabs. Always run 2 flush cycles.
Red light still on, but could brew. Shocker!
That lasted 6 months.
3rd and last Ninja, I bought it last Christmas and here I am a year later and 2 months ago, around Halloween red light district is on full time. It still brews.
I clean it once a month.
No way there is even a sensor in there, itās just a malfunctioning light. Mine is clean and still brews for now with its little ET heart light, kinda like it belongs on the land of misfit toys.
Friends come over for coffee & see the red light, nobody says anything about it. I just assume they think their being poisoned.
I bought my machine two years ago and only use it once a day. I cleaned every time I got the ācleanā message. Then a couple of weeks ago I started having the same problems everyone described here. I called Ninja and they told me that my machine was ātoo oldā already (2 years?) and it was āoverusedā and I was offered a 30% discount to buy a new one…. otherwise I had to ignore the clean sign and continue using the machine.
I told them that when you pay so much money for a coffee maker it should last forever. And I asked for a different solution. They told me to press the ācleanā button for like 10 seconds and that will make the cleaning process last 4 hours instead of 1. I did that using vinegar and the clean sign went away it but came back the next day. Today I bought a descaling solution (I only could find the Keurig one) and Iām repeating the process. I used the entire bottle first, press the clean button once, got the flush sign immediately, pressed the button again and then added all the solution again to the reservoir but this time I added water and I pressed the button for 10 seconds. Now Iām waiting 4 hours….
Fixed…. So I had the same issue with my ninja which I bought used. I used vinegar probably 10 times, cleaning solution 6 times and did the deep clean at least 4 times. The light would come on after 1 day. I just used the same cleaning solution this week and all of a sudden a bunch of gunk was in the bottom of my catch glass. Cleaning light has been off for a week now. I guess it was just really stuck on the sensor…. not sure. Anyways, be patient, ignore the light and clean biweekly with the deep clean.