Descaling and Cleaning an espresso machine should be done routinely to keep these machines running smoothly. It’s a little more involved than cleaning your drip coffee maker, but cleaning an espresso machine is not difficult. Most manufacturers recommend their own cleaning solutions in their instruction manuals which could make descaling seem intimidating and complicated. And although it’s best to follow their instructions you can still easily descale and clean an espresso machine with vinegar?
It’s best to use white vinegar to clean an espresso machine.
Why You Should Descale And Clean Your Espresso Machine
Without any maintenance you’ll run the risk of clogging water line which will impact the brew cycle or having the mineral deposits affecting the taste of your coffee. Recently, I thought my De’Longhi ECP3630 bit the dust after five years. It’s an entry level machine, but I love it! The pump seemed to be working, but I was getting nothing but a few drips at a time coming out of the portafilter. I had a somewhat disappointing latte after about 7-8 minutes
I descaled the espresso machine with vinegar following the steps below and sure enough I was soon enjoying great tasting coffee again. Not only was it working, but descaling also improved the taste of the coffee. I think it’s one of those times where the taste deteriorated over time and I didn’t notice it as much, but once the mineral deposits were removed I noticed a tremendous improvement in taste.
How Often Should You Descale And Clean Your Espresso Machine?
This depends on how much you use machine and how hard your water is. Some espresso machines even have an indicator that’ll let you know when to descale and clean your espresso machine. But if you don’t have an indicator it’s best to clean your espresso machine with white vinegar every two months.
4 Steps To Descaling And Cleaning An Espresso Machine With Vinegar
As mentioned earlier it’s best to descale and clean an espresso machine with white vinegar.
Before You Begin Descaling And Cleaning…
Empty any coffee grinds out of the portafilter. If there’s water left in the tank run the water through the portafilter into a mug. This will help remove any coffee grounds from the group head. This is the thing that has all the little holes above where the portafilter goes, and it’s a great place for coffee grounds to clog up the machine. If you have an empty tank add some water to the tank and run this cycle once or twice.
Step 1:
Mix one part white vinegar and one part water and fill the tank with vinegar and water mixture.
Step 2:
After the machine is on and heated run a brew cycle into a 16 ounce coffee mug. Empty the mug and repeat until the tank is empty. It’s best not to empty the tank in one cycle so the espresso machine can prime properly and avoid the risk of air getting into the line as the pump continues to run.
Step 3:
After you descaled and cleaned the espresso machine with vinegar and water you’ll want to run 2-3 full tanks of water through the espresso machine. Vinegar is an acetic acid and doesn’t taste very good. Immediately running these water cycles through the espresso machine will clear the tank and water lines of any vinegar flavors.
Step 4:
Take apart the portafilter and clean it thoroughly with warm soapy water. You can dry what you can with a cloth and let the rest air dry.
Clean The Outside Of Your Espresso Machine With Vinegar
Now that we descaled the espresso machine there’s actually even more we could do with vinegar. We can clean the outside of the machine with vinegar! If you have some of your original mixture left over you can put some on a towel and gently wipe down your espresso machine to look shiny and new! If you don’t have any left you can make another small 1:1 mixture. All you need is a enough to dampen part of a towel.
Final Thoughts On Descaling And Cleaning An Espresso Machine With Vinegar
Most manufacturers recommend their own methods to descale and clean an espresso machine. Even though we recommend following their instructions descaling and cleaning an espresso machine with vinegar is another option for you.
Best of all, this is a very quick and inexpensive method to clean the espresso machine if you follow our instructions. After all, following this routine maintenance is much better than having to purchase another new espresso machine.