Aussie mum find maggots in coffee machine after not cleaning drip tray for four days

An Aussie mum has elicited a mixed response after discovering something “gross” in a small puddle of water in her coffee machine.

A Sydney mum has warned coffee machine owners after finding maggots breeding in a puddle of water on returning home from a four-day trip away.

Sharing her “gross” discovery while seeking cleaning advice on Facebook, the woman revealed she had forgotten to empty the drip tray before leaving for her holiday, returning to find the insects making themselves at home in the water.

However, not everyone was as disgusted by the find, assuring her that the maggots were harmless.

The woman made the discovery after leaving a pool of water in her machine for four days. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith.

“This is proper gross,” the mum posted in the cleaning advice group.

“We didn't empty the coffee machine drip tray before going away for 4 days. Upon return, there were maggots in the water.”

She went on to explain that despite her best attempts to clean the machine, there were still maggots in hard-to-reach crevices.

“I emptied the drip tray and it’s in the dishwasher but I can see a maggot (and I’m sure there’s more) in parts I can’t get to.

“What can I do? I’m so grossed out. It’s not a cheap machine, so I don’t want to chuck it,” she appealed to the group.

Responding to her plea, many were unfazed by the discovery, recommending she leave the maggots be.

The woman said she could still see maggots in hard-to-reach places of the machine. Picture: Facebook.

Maggots are the larvae of winged insects, most commonly flies.

While certainly unpleasant, accidentally ingesting maggots is generally not a cause for concern, according to Medical News Today.

In some cases, maggots can lead to health complications such as bacterial poisoning, salmonella, or E. coli poisoning.

“As gross as it is, wait for them to turn into flies and they’ll crawl out,” one woman responded to the coffee machine dilemma.

“I wouldn’t worry to be honest. Flush some hot water through before drinking it, but the maggots would only be in and around the dirty water tray. In a day or two any larvae you haven’t found yet will have either died or grown into flies anyway,” another wrote.

Many assured her that maggots are nothing to worry about.

Several people recommended regularly cleaning the drip tray to avoid future infestations, and giving the machine a deep clean.

“You will be fine. Get a descaling solution through it. The run just boiling water will 100 per cent kill all the bacteria,” one woman said.

Her account prompted others to share their own horror stories, with one revealing she’d once found a “floating cockroach” in her coffee machine.

“I went to change the filter in my coffee machine and opened the back compartment to find a floating cockroach. So we had been drinking roach juice in our coffee for god knows how long!” one woman said.

“I had a maggot in the little viewing window of my bread machine for 20 years until it died (the machine that is!)” another wrote.

Originally published as Aussie mum find maggots in coffee machine after not cleaning drip tray for four days