These days, most people have some variation of an espresso machine at home. Whether you’re brewing fresh beans or using a pod, nothing beats a good latte or espresso to start the day. Keeping your machine clean will keep it running longer and will give you a better-tasting cup. Trust us, you don’t want to wait until the quality of your coffee is compromised.
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Signs That It Is Time to Clean Your Espresso Machine
Espresso Machine General Maintenance:
Depending on how often you use your machine, these should be done daily or weekly.
Water Tank
Remove the water tank. Wash with warm soapy water and a soft sponge. Let dry completely before reassembling. Don’t forget the lid! It’s often overlooked but needs to be cleaned too.
Removable Parts
Repeat the same process with your drip tray, capsule container and cup support. Depending on your machine type, you may have other removable pieces that can be run through the same process.
Steam Wand
If you have a steam wand, make sure it’s cleaned daily to prevent milk buildup and bad odours. Use a soft brush on the inside to really get it clean. If you have the time, soak the steam wand overnight in hot water to really get out any milk buildup.
Outside of the Machine
Use a damp microfibre cloth for the outside of your machine. If you do this daily or even weekly, you don’t need anything harsher than just the cloth. Make sure to wipe down the capsule head if you are using a pod-friendly espresso machine.
Deep Cleaning
Descaling is the process of removing the excess minerals that the water has left behind. Some machines come with their own descaling kits. If not, you can make your own solution. An equal parts vinegar and water solution works great. You’ll want to add it to the water tank of the machine and run your machine as normal.
It’s best to run it through each function your machine allows. Once that’s done, run it through with just plain water for four or five cycles as well to ensure it’s all cleaned out.
A citric acid solution is great for those machines that may have more rubber parts, as the vinegar can wear them down. Two tablespoons of citric acid powder to 1 litre of hot water does the trick- just make sure the powder is dissolved! Run your coffee cycle as usual, and then follow up with a few water cycles to get everything out.
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Espresso Machine Tray
How to Clean Semi-Automatic Espresso Machines
There are quite a few more pieces to clean if you’re lucky enough to use a more professional machine for your daily caffeine dose. The buildup of oil on the metal surfaces can be difficult to get clean if you wait too long. Here are a few tips to keep that espresso machine extra clean!
Daily
Remove espresso grounds from the basket and rinse the basket out. The Portafilter should also be cleaned. You can occasionally deep-clean these pieces with a cleaning powder.
Weekly
Water backflushing helps flush out any leftover residue and oil that is in your machine. Depending on use, you may even do this daily!
Cleaning the other components of your machine, like the shower screen as well as the group head should be done weekly. Wipe down inside the group head before reassembling.
Monthly
Do a backflush with cleaning tablets. There are a lot of products out there for semi-automatic machines and we recommend checking the manual of your machine to see what is best.
Keeping your machine clean can help prolong its life as well as get you the best cup of coffee there is!
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