Removing Stuck
Plunger from French Press

by Annie
(Santa Cruz, CA)

Question:

Removing the plunger the first time after receiving it. Having a very difficult time trying to figure out how to remove the filter plunger from the carafe, before using it for the first time. I just received mine and can't figure out how to take the plunger out! HELP!!

Answer:
Usually removing the plunger isn't much of a problem. But yours seems to be stuck. Try running cold or hot water over the plunger and the body of the unit, and then try removing it. It seems you have some suction holding it in, and you need to break the suction. I think using hot water would do the trick, but if not, try running cold water and then trying again. If neither one of those work, you could try to using some type of lubricant to break the seal. Maybe cooking oil, melted butter, spray on spam, or something similar. You want to stay away from WD-40 or similar products because of the contamination once you get it open. But if all else fails, you might want to go that route. Otherwise, maybe someone else has had this problem and will respond.