So you made your coffee and you drank it too! While making coffee in a French press gets you some really tasty coffee, it also leaves you with a bit of a mess.
To ensure quality coffee in every brew, it’s important to know how to clean a French press properly. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to clean a French press.
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Cleaning a French press regularly, will ensure pure and pristine coffee every time.
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Step 1: Remove the coffee grounds
Step 1: Remove the coffee grounds
The first step in cleaning a French press is to remove the coffee grounds. Although this sounds like an easy task, it can be somewhat of a pain. Gently tap the bottom of your beaker over your compost or garbage to get the majority of the grounds out.
Some grounds may get stuck, so use a spatula or wooden spoon to scoop out the remaining bits. Never use a metal spoon to prevent scratching or breakage.
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Step 2: Disassemble & wash
Rinse the beaker and the coffee plunger of any extra grounds. You can also remove the beaker to rinse the outside and between the press stand.
Disassemble your French press into its separate components; the lid, the coffee plunger, the french press filter screens, and the disks.
Naturally, the grounds will get trapped between the three disks. Separate them and give a thorough rinse to prevent any build-up from occurring. If you wish to, wash your beaker with light soap and use a soft sponge to give it a scrub. Some coffee aficionados prefer not to use soap and instead just give the press a gentle rinse or use baking soda to prevent altering the taste of the coffee.
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Step 3: Scrub clean
Using a soft cloth, sponge or brush, gently scrub all your French press parts including the plunger and filter screen making sure to remove any remaining coffee residue. Once scrubbed clean, give all components a thorough rinse to ensure no soap stays behind. If this happens, the soap will alter the taste of your coffee.
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Step 4: Air dry or towel dry
Carefully lay the separated coffee press parts on a towel or drying rack and leave standing to air dry. Or if you prefer, towel dry.
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Step 5: Put your French press back together
Putting a French press back together looks more complicated than what it actually is. Simply start by sliding your cleaned beaker into its holder.
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Step 6:Â Reassemble the filter screens and plunger
Place the retaining disk on a flat surface. This piece has a screw that attaches to the plunger.
Next, place the mesh filter screen on top of the retaining disk, followed by the spring disk. From top to bottom it should have the spring disk, mesh filter with the retaining disk on the bottom. Refer to the picture as reference.
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Step 7: Screw the french press filter and disk into the rod
Once properly stacked, tightly screw the lid and rod duo into the disks and filter.
Voila! Your press is ready for use and you’re now ready for your next cup!
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General tips for cleaning a French press
Aside from our step-by-step guide on how to clean a French press, here are some general cleaning and care tips for you:
- Always use coarse ground coffee to start. Fine to medium ground coffee will give you a gritty cup and can clog the filters.
- After use, clean with a soft cloth, sponge, or nylon brush. Avoid harsh scouring or metallic pads as they can scratch the beaker, leading to cracks later on.
- Coffee grounds can easily be discarded into a compost bin rather than putting them down the sink. A few grounds down the sink is fine, but any more and you risk clogging the sink. Plus, composting helps the environment!
- Do not use steel brushes, hard cleaners or polishing powder as they will scratch the surface of the glass or even plastic or stainless steel.
- You can use a French press for hot coffee or cold brewing
- When not being used for a long period of time, dry thoroughly and place in a plastic bag or a kitchen cupboard for storing.
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The best way to clean a French press may just be the simplest way to do it, by hand. This is the best way to keep your French press in good condition for brewing coffee.
When you disassemble the press and open up the layers of the filter mechanism you will clean it best. Sometimes coffee grit can get stuck in between the filter layers. Also by washing it by hand, you will ensure you don’t break any beakers. So if you do use a dishwasher for the glass beaker make sure you only place it on the top rack.
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French press replacement parts
French presses will wear and tear over time. Luckily, there are replacement parts such as French press filter screens, beakers, and coffee plungers available to replace your worn parts.
Beakers can break with one slip, but the great thing about them is they’re universal in size and can fit in just about any standard press. This rule also applies to filter screens as well. We suggest replacing your filter screens one to two times a year to keep things fresh.
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How often should I replace the coffee press french press filter screen?
In general, you shouldn’t need to replace the filter screen that often, unless it frays or teats from frequent use and cleanings. If you use your French press regularly, your screen should last you over a year without issue, sometimes much longer. Also, the screen should be replaced with quality 18/8 stainless steel french press filters when due.
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Next up: How to make coffee in a French press
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Hello, I love my new madrid French press but so far I haven’t figured out how to remove the glass from the protective chrome and I don’t want to be too rough, out of fear of breaking the glass. is there a tip on how to take it apart?
Hi Julia, the best way may be to wet the french press housing with a bit of water to help it come out. There are two little black rubber knobs that hold it in place, you can put a dab of soap on them and it should help the beaker slide right out. Be careful not to press the bottom too hard with your thumbs, if the glass breaks from too much pressure it could create a risk of getting cut. Gentle pressure and a bit of soap and water. Its important for the beaker to be fairly snug, normally, so that it doesnt slip out during normal use. Good luck and if we can help with anything please dont hesitate to let us know!
I really appreciate this post about cleaning a French Press. I?ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again
Hi, I have trouble taking apart the disk, screen and plunger. what can I do?
Hi Blake,
Thanks for reaching out. Can you explain to me in more detail where you are having trouble disassembling it?
Thanks!
thank you very much! i just bought my first french cup coffeemaker, an insta cuppa and if not for your picture i never would have figured out how to get the filter apart.
now i see they have two wire meshes, which is apparently why they claim to have a superior four part filter system. i just tried it for the first time today and it was almost impossible to press the plunger. from watching videos i think i should be able to do it without a problem, but i had to lean on the thing with all my weight and it took some time, i almost thought it wasnt going to go all the way. should i just discard the extra screen?
i used a coarse grind, but still there seemed to be sediment and a little very fine powder, but maybe because i tried to pull the plunger up and then resumed trying to get it to go all the way down. do you think that the grind is the reason i could hardly use the plunger?
also it seemed to me that even though i preheated the press the coffee was not very hot, is that normal? i hope to make this thing work for me. it has been almost twenty years since i had a real cup of coffee, but i wasnt too happy with the taste, and i will have to experiment with different brands also. i hate to invest in a coffee grinder so i can use my own beans until i can at least make a cup of something with what i have.
Hi Salima, all great questions!
In your filter system, you only require 3 parts – the cross plate on the bottom, the mesh filter in the middle and then the spiral plate on top. We would recommend to remove the 4 layer (the extra mesh) which could be causing the excess pressure you are feeling when plunging the coffee.
When using the plunger to push down, there should be some resistance, but not so much that you feel like you have to put your body weight on it to push down. This can cause too much pressure within the press and you may end up with a coffee disaster all over your kitchen – which we definitely don’t want 😉
Coarse grind is the best to use for a French press – the coarser the better! Naturally you will get some sediment at the bottom of the French press regardless of the movement of the plunger. This is because the brewing method involves no filters between the water and coffee grinds. If you still love the taste of your French press coffee, but are not a fan of sediment, running the coffee through a filter before pouring it into your cup is a great solution!
If you are unsatisfied with the overall taste of the French press coffee, we would also recommend trying the pour over method! It’s a great alternative to regular filtered coffee, but with great flavour (and no sediment).
We hope this helps & thanks again for all the great questions!
Cheers!
My lovely new 1.5 liter Madrid came with a stainless washer in the plunger assembly. I was in a hurry to rinse the components out of the box and forgot where that washer was originally installed. I’ve been placing it between the mesh filter and retaining disc and the coffee has been great but I’d like to know if this is the right position for it. Thanks.
Thanks for the question! If you could send us an email to sales@grosche.ca with a photo so we can visualize what you’re talking about, we can help you out to make sure it is all set up right. Thanks!
I have trouble screwing filter and disc into rod. Any suggestions?
Hi Marilyn, it could be that the “shoulder nut” that connects the rod to the screen parts is stripped. But dont worry, we have you covered. Check out our universal filter and rod kit set that will get your French press back to ship shape in no time:
https://grosche.ca/product/replacement-filter-screen-and-rod/
I have trouble trying to screw filter and disc into rod. Any suggestions?
I never used to take it apart at the filter, just rinse it out. Eventually it plugged up. So I guess I should clean it properly now. who knew .
Do you have a shatterproof French Press? I have broken my coffee press glass a few times now and I would prefer to get a shatterproof french press so I dont have to deal with that any more.
Since Im lazy I dont unscrew the screen filter of the French press every time I use it, but I do use mine daily. I probably wash that every 3 or 4 uses by taking it apart. Has worked well for me so far, without giving me any trouble.
French Press is the best coffee maker. With it I can make coffee better than electric coffeemaker and Starbucks.
whoa1h this blog is great i love reading your posts about coffee. Keep up the great work! You know, a lot of people are looking around for this information, you can aid them greatly.
Making coffee and tea is indeed a bit of an art. Thanks for sharing it and for helping those in need. Phillip.