Black+Decker Coffee Maker CLEAN or CL Light: 4 Fixes by Model

CLEAN or CL Is a Brew Counter, Not a Fault

CLEAN or CL on a Black+Decker coffee maker, the "clean light" many Black and Decker owners search for, is a descaling reminder, not an error. It appears after 60 brews, and on the thermal CM2046 also when the machine senses scale. It goes away once the Auto Clean cycle has run with white vinegar. How you start that cycle depends on the model: a CLEAN button on some, a long press of the power button on others.

That difference is where most people get stuck. The CM1331 and CM4200 manuals start the cycle with a button marked CLEAN. The CM1110, CM1231 and CM2046 manuals start it from the power button, held for 4, 3 or 5 seconds. A normal press of that button starts an ordinary brew, which isn't the Auto Clean program.

Black+Decker's manuals give no button combination that clears the message without cleaning. Several models, including the CM1160 and the 5-cup CM0700, have no clean reminder at all and are cleaned with vinegar by hand once a month. Both methods are below, model by model.

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What Triggers CLEAN or CL

Auto Clean models count brews. Here is what each manual says you'll see, and when.

A message that means "running", not "due": on the CM1231, a blinking CL means Auto Clean is under way. The same goes for CLEAN scrolling continuously on the CM1110. If that appeared right after you pressed the power button, you held it long enough to start a cleaning cycle. See the FAQ.

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Try This First

• Find your model number on the manual's cover or the label on the machine. The start button and the vinegar amounts change with it.
• Check your vinegar. The 12-cup recipes below use 5 to 6 cups of plain white vinegar for one cycle. Have enough for two.
• Set aside an hour. Auto Clean takes 45-60 minutes and pauses for about 30 minutes in the middle. The pause is part of the cycle.
• Empty the basket. Take out the old grounds. The CM1331, CM2046 and CM4200 steps put a fresh paper filter in the basket.
• Leave the machine plugged in. On the CM1331, unplugging resets the brew counter. More on that in Fix 4.

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Auto Clean Settings by Model

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Fix 1: Start Auto Clean With Your Model's Button (Works About 60% of the Time)

The CM1331 and CM4200 manuals say the message stays "until you run the Auto Clean system", so the fix is that program, not vinegar poured through a normal brew. Auto Clean works differently from a brew: it sends part of the vinegar mix through, holds the rest inside for about 30 minutes, then finishes. Starting it takes the right button, held long enough.

Signs it's this one: CLEAN or CL is showing and you haven't yet run a full cycle, or you "brewed" vinegar with a normal press of the power button.

1. Empty the carafe and the brew basket.
2. Mix the solution. For the CM1110, CM1231 and CM1331, combine 6 cups of white vinegar and 4 cups of cold water in the carafe and pour it into the reservoir. For the CM2046, pour vinegar into the reservoir up to the 5-cup mark on the water window, then add cold water to the 12-cup mark.
3. Put a basket-style paper filter in the brew basket and close the cover. The CM1331, CM2046 and CM4200 steps call for one. The CM1110 and CM1231 steps don't mention a filter.
4. Make sure the carafe lid is in place, and set the empty carafe on the plate.
5. Start the cycle:
   • CM1110: press and hold On/Off for 4 seconds. The button's light stays on steadily and CLEAN scrolls through the display continuously.
   • CM1231: press and hold On/Off for 3 seconds. CL blinks once per second.
   • CM1331: press CLEAN. CL is displayed, the Start/Power button lights and the word CLEAN scrolls across.
   • CM2046: press and hold POWER for 5 seconds.
   • CM4200: turn the serving dial to the position shown in the Auto Clean section of your manual, then press CLEAN. The word CLEAN is displayed.
6. Leave it alone. The machine brews part of the mix (about 5 cups on the CM1110, CM1231 and CM2046), holds the rest for about 30 minutes, then brews the remainder. The whole cycle takes 45-60 minutes. The CM1110, CM1231, CM1331 and CM4200 books say the coffeemaker shuts off automatically at the end.
7. Empty the carafe and throw away the paper filter.
8. Flush with fresh water before making coffee. Fill with cold water (to the 12-cup line on the CM2046 and CM1331) and run a full brew. The CM2046 book suggests repeating this to remove the vinegar smell and taste. The CM1110 and CM1231 books point to their first-use routine: two full water cycles, with a 15-minute cool-down between them.

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours, mostly waiting
Cost: A few dollars of white vinegar
Success Rate: About 60%
Difficulty: Easy

⚠️ Safety: hot vinegar steams. Keep the lid closed during the cycle and let the carafe cool before you carry it to the sink.

Common mistake: a short press of the power button. That starts an ordinary brew, with no 30-minute hold.

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Fix 2: Run the Cycle Again if CLEAN Comes Back (Works About 20% of the Time)

One cycle doesn't always shift heavy scale. The CM2046 manual says so directly: "If your machine is heavily calcified, the 'CLEAN' warning may remain activated after cleaning. In this case, repeat cleaning." The CM1110 and CM1231 troubleshooting tables agree that more than one cleaning cycle may be required.

Signs it's this one: you ran a complete cycle and the message returned, or the machine still brews slowly or leaves water in the tank.

1. Let the machine cool after the first cycle.
2. Mix a fresh batch of vinegar and water.
3. Start Auto Clean again with the same button as in Fix 1.
4. Let it finish, including the 30-minute hold.
5. Flush with a full reservoir of fresh water, twice if the vinegar smell lingers.
6. Brew a pot of plain water and watch it. A full reservoir should now empty completely.

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours per cycle
Cost: A few dollars of white vinegar
Success Rate: About 20%
Difficulty: Easy

On the CM2046 the reminder has two triggers, the count of 60 brews and sensed calcification, so it isn't tied to the count alone. On the CM4200, scale has a second symptom: a flashing CHECK WATER warning when the tank holds enough water. Its table lists "needs cleaning" as a cause.

If the message survives several complete cycles, stop there. The manuals offer nothing beyond repeating the clean, so the next step is customer service.

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Fix 3: Clean by Hand on Models Without Auto Clean (Works About 15% of the Time)

The CM1160, CM1060, CM0700, DCM600 and single-serve CM618 have no Auto Clean and no reminder. Their manuals recommend cleaning with vinegar once a month. On the carafe models the method is a manual version of the same idea: brew half, soak, brew the rest. The CM1160's troubleshooting table sends a slow brewer to this method.

Signs it's this one: no CLEAN button and no clean message, and the machine is brewing more slowly than it used to.

1. Pour white vinegar into the reservoir to the mark in the table, then add cold water to the second mark.
2. Put a paper filter in the basket (the CM0700 can use its permanent filter), close the cover and set the empty carafe on the plate.
3. Turn the coffeemaker on and let about half the mixture brew into the carafe.
4. Turn it off and let it soak for at least 15 minutes. The 5-cup manuals say this softens the deposits.
5. Turn it on again and brew the rest.
6. Turn it off, empty the carafe and discard the filter.
7. Fill with cold water to the rinse mark and run a complete brew cycle. Repeat if the vinegar smell or taste remains.
8. Wash the brew basket and carafe.

Time: About 45 minutes
Cost: A few dollars of white vinegar
Success Rate: About 15%
Difficulty: Easy

CM618 single-serve: fill the travel mug about one-third full with white vinegar, add cold water "to the MAX line", as the manual puts it, and pour the mix into the reservoir. Put the mug on the mug rest, press START and let it run until it shuts off. Repeat with a new solution. The manual says not to reuse the first. Then brew plain water through. Its manual adds that excessive steaming or a prolonged brewing cycle is a sign that cleaning is due.

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Fix 4: Don't Rely on Unplugging to Clear It (Works About 5% of the Time)

On the CM1331, unplugging can make the reminder vanish without cleaning anything. Its manual explains why: "If the unit is unplugged, the counter that keeps track of reminding you to clean your coffeemaker will reset to 0." The count restarts, and the scale is still there.

Signs it's this one: CL stopped appearing after a power cut or after the machine was unplugged, but brewing is slow, or you unplug the machine after every use and have never seen a reminder.

1. Treat a reminder that disappeared after unplugging as still due, and run Fix 1.
2. If you unplug the machine routinely, or your home has frequent power cuts, clean it once a month. That is the CM1331 manual's own advice for those cases.
3. Watch for scale without the reminder: slower brewing, water left in the reservoir, or less coffee than the amount of water you put in.
4. With hard water, clean before 60 brews. The CM1110 and CM1231 books say you may, and the CM1331 and CM4200 books allow an early clean too.

Time: 2 minutes to check, an hour to clean
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 5%
Difficulty: Easy

Only the CM1331 book says what unplugging does to the counter. The other manuals are silent, so don't assume the count survives a power cut on those models either.

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Is It Fixed?

Run a full reservoir of plain cold water with a paper filter in the basket and no coffee.

• The display shows the clock, with no CLEAN or CL before or after the brew.
• The reservoir empties completely.
• There's no vinegar smell in the carafe. If there is, run one more water cycle.

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When DIY Won't Work

• CLEAN or CL stays on after several complete cycles. The manuals give no further step. Call Black+Decker customer service on 1-800-465-6070, the number in the current manuals.
• The machine won't brew at all. The manuals describe the message as a reminder, and none says it stops a brew. If nothing happens when you press the button, work through our Black+Decker coffee maker not working guide.
• It leaks from the base, trips a breaker or smells of burning. Unplug it and stop using it.

Don't open the housing to reach the scale. Every manual warns that a tamper-resistant screw closes the outer cover and that there are no user-serviceable parts inside. The warranty in the manuals is two years in the United States and Canada, with proof of purchase, and the remedy is a replacement product. It excludes damage from misuse, abuse or neglect.

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Prevention

• Run Auto Clean when the message appears. Don't brew around it for weeks. The CM4200 manual warns that a machine left scaled may "permanently cease to function".
• Clean monthly on models with no reminder, and on a CM1331 that gets unplugged between uses.
• Use cold filtered or spring water. The CM1110, CM1231 and CM2046 books say filtered water limits the excess minerals that hurt machine performance, and the CM1331 book recommends it too.
• Skip softened water on the CM1110, CM1231 and CM1331. Their tables list it as a cause of basket overflow.
• Flush every cleaning cycle with fresh water before the next pot of coffee.
• Stick to white vinegar. It's the only cleaner the manuals name.

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FAQ

How do I reset the clean light on a Black+Decker coffee maker?

By running the Auto Clean cycle to the end. No manual read for this page gives a reset button or a button combination for the message. Start the cycle with your model's control (CLEAN on the CM1331 and CM4200; power held for 4, 3 or 5 seconds on the CM1110, CM1231 and CM2046) and let it shut itself off.

Why does my Black+Decker show CL right after I press the power button?

You probably held the button long enough to start Auto Clean. On the CM1231, holding On/Off for 3 seconds begins the cycle and CL blinks once per second while it runs. The manual gives no way to cancel the cycle. It brews part of what's in the tank, waits about 30 minutes, then finishes and switches off.

Can I cancel Auto Clean once it has started?

The manuals don't describe a way to cancel it. They say only that the cycle takes 45-60 minutes, and most add that the coffeemaker shuts off automatically when it's complete. If a cycle with vinegar gets interrupted, run fresh water through before you brew coffee.

Can I use descaling solution or citric acid instead of vinegar?

Black+Decker's manuals name white vinegar and nothing else. They don't forbid other products, but they give no amounts for them either. Vinegar in the stated amounts is the documented method. Our vinegar, tablets and citric acid comparison covers what other makers allow.

Will my Black+Decker still brew with CLEAN showing?

The manuals treat it as a reminder. On the CM1110 it scrolls three times at the start of a brew, and on the CM2046 it blinks before each brew until you descale. Neither book says brewing is blocked. Scale itself is what eventually stops a machine, so don't put the cycle off.

How often should I clean a Black+Decker coffee maker with vinegar?

Once a month on models without Auto Clean, according to their manuals. On Auto Clean models, the CM1110 and CM1231 books say every 60 brews, about every 2 months, or sooner with hard water. The CM2046 book gives both figures: monthly, and at the 60-brew reminder.

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Related Guides

• Black+Decker coffee maker not working: power, timer, water and overflow fixes
• Descale light won't turn off (all brands): how other brands end their cleaning cycles
• How to descale any coffee maker: what each brand's manual allows
• Descaling tablets vs vinegar vs citric acid

Sources: Black+Decker use and care manuals for the CM1110 Series, CM1231, CM1331, CM2046 (thermal), CM4200 Series, CM1160, CM1060, CM0700, DCM600 and CM618.