Water In Coffee Grinder

August 15, 2024 5:11 PM

So for some unknown reason, our cleaners today decided to clean our Krups Coffee Grinder (we use it for spices) with lots of water. I can hear water sloshing around in it. Any way I can save this thing? We obviously won't turn it on but I assume it's going to seize up the innards if I can't get the water out.

I know they aren't expensive, but I just bought the thing and don't want to toss it if I don't have to.

posted by oneirodynia to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

I would unplug it and follow this guide to remove the base plate so the water can drain out. I'd then let it sit in a dish rack for a day or two to dry out and then reassemble it.
posted by zippy at 5:23 PM on August 15 [3 favorites]

Note: you can sometimes use a guitar pick to do the job of a spudger.
posted by zippy at 5:25 PM on August 15

After following Zippy's suggestion, I'd put it in a plastic bag with rice and put it somewhere hot. The same thing that used to save mobile phones that got wet will work with other (smaller) kitchen appliances.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:21 PM on August 15 [2 favorites]

Water into motor bearings is a great invitation to rust and seizing of the motor shaft. Apparently this Krupp model is subject to such seizing.

It would be difficult to dry the innards and re-lubricate the bearings without disassembly. The iFixit guide zippy linked to above has some help, but this charming British fellow has shown his experience with disassembling a similar model on YouTube.

If you, or someone you know views labels which read “no user serviceable parts inside” as an open invitation to your troubleshooting and improvisational problem solving skills, and are comfortable with safely reassembling 110 VAC small appliances which are not designed to be taken apart and put back together, please pull out your heat gun and screwdrivers and take it apart, dry it well, re-lubricate the bearings, glue it back together and enjoy it for a long time to come.

If that sounds like something you are not up for, please discard the unit, procure a new one, and ask the cleaners to reimburse you for the cost incurred by their error.

Perhaps a warning note on the grinder to never place any liquids in the cup would be helpful for the future!
posted by tronec at 12:23 AM on August 16 [3 favorites]

I'd put it in a plastic bag with rice and put it somewhere hot. The same thing that used to save mobile phones that got wet will work with other (smaller) kitchen appliances.

That advice is largely deprecated today.

This is a motor-having wired appliance you connect to 120 or 240 volts, so at minimum I'd take it completely apart and stick the parts in front of a fan for a long time but I would actually be pretty wary of using it again, especially if water may have gotten into the motor or created any corrosion. (I'm not especially knowledgeable about electronics and do have some paranoia though.)
posted by trig at 1:42 AM on August 16 [1 favorite]

If you leave it inside a parked car on a warm day, that will be the perfect temperature to fully dry it out.
posted by Lanark at 4:51 AM on August 16

It's not your responsibility to fix this, and if it has water in it, it's probably ruined and, quite possibly, dangerous. I'd ask the cleaners to replace it, or tell them that you will, and deduct the cost from their next cleaning fee. They ought to know that you don't use water to clean an electrical appliance and so, having ruined one of your appliances, it's on them to put this right.
posted by essexjan at 9:05 AM on August 16 [2 favorites]

My instinct would be to bring it to the company's attention, because cleaners absolutely should not be getting water inside electrical appliances (did they dunk it, to get so much water inside?) but I would also stress to the company that I don't want to make a big deal about it and I certainly don't want anyone to get penalized or fired over a $20 coffee grinder. This is something cleaners definitely should not be doing, and that needs to be addressed to avoid future problems, but I'd feel awful if someone lost their job over this.
posted by xedrik at 1:47 PM on August 16

If you don't want the cleaners to get in trouble, talking to the company is not the way to go, even if you say, "It's no big deal." Once you tell the company, you have no control over what they do or say to the cleaners. I'd either talk to the cleaners directly or say nothing.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:26 PM on August 16

The commonly held advice around using rice or silica gel desiccant is fine to try for low-power electronics like cell-phones and laptops, but this is a mains-voltage appliance that has in all likelihood been compromised by the water in a way that it is no longer safe to operate without some knowledgeable repairs. If you're lucky, it'll just not work anymore. If you're not, it could start a fire, possibly after appearing to work fine after a while. You won't really know which is your case without disassembling it to see the damage done. Throw it out, get a new one and leave a note with the cleaners to leave it alone.
posted by Aleyn at 8:16 PM on August 16

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! Seems like we'll probably just toss it.
posted by oneirodynia at 8:35 PM on August 16 [1 favorite]

My idiot cousin once used my coffee/spice grinder to make meat based stuffing…while that in itself did not destroy the thing it was impossible to clean raw meat and fat without getting it too wet…so yes, tossing seems the way to go.

Addressing this with the cleaners will result in people losing pay which will result in them hiding any future accidental damage unless it is impossible to hide. At least in my experience this is a lose lose situation.

You either believe they are careful and made an honest mistake/accidents happen or not. If you don’t trust them with your stuff in general you need a new cleaner.

Just ask them not to clean small kitchen appliances/focus on the microwave/oven etc. Don’t mention the damage.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:33 AM on August 17 [1 favorite]

How'd it work out?

FWIW I regularly use a small amount of water to wash the chiles or coriander or whatever out of my grinder. I dry it casually but am in a relatively dry part of the world. Anyway it's mostly fine. I did have to replace one once in about 10 years, it stopped turning on. Never had water sloshing inside though, that doesn't sound good.

I assume the issue is none of the bearings or motorworks are sealed against liquids.
posted by Nelson at 8:15 AM on August 24