How to clean and descale coffee machines? Descaler, lemon, baking soda, or vinegar?

Although you can’t see it, the water you use to prepare your coffee contains calcium and magnesium salts that, when dry, clog the internal ducts of your coffee maker, affecting its performance and reducing the quality of the drink over time.

Do you want to know how to avoid it? It’s easy and cheap…

It is only necessary to carry out preventive cleaning and periodic descaling to optimize the useful life of your coffee machine.

So that you can repay your coffee machine for all its effort, below I show you the most recommended products to descale coffee machines. You can’t miss what’s coming!

When should I descale my machine?

The frequency between descaling can vary depending on the hardness of the water and the number of daily services prepared.

For example, Nespresso advises descaling its machines every 600 coffees or every 6 months (at least) on its customer service website. However, De’Longhi recommends descaling every 3 months for proper maintenance.

The good news is that most espresso machines already have a descaling warning so you don’t have to keep an eye on them. In addition, many super-automatic coffee machines carry out automatic self-cleaning cycles after each service, guaranteeing their good performance for longer.

Steps to descale an espresso or capsule coffee machine

Now I will leave you the general procedure with which you can remove the scale from the interior of most capsule coffee machines and espresso machines. But I remind you, the ideal is to take a look at the manufacturer’s manual, as there may be certain variations for each type of machine.

1. Turn off your coffee pot.
2. Check that the filter holder does not have coffee residues or that the coffee maker is not loaded with capsules.
3. Prepare the cleaning solution using 2 parts descaling product to 1 part warm water. Pour the mixture into the water tank and wait approximately 10 minutes to enhance the dilution.
4. Place a container at the coffee outlet.
5. Turn on the coffee maker and let it pump only half of the descaling solution so that it passes through all the internal ducts of the system.
6. Turn off your machine and wait 10 to 12 minutes for the mixture to exert its descaling action.
7. Turn on the coffee maker and let it pump out the rest of the descaling solution.
8. Discard the water from the container, empty and wash the drip tray very well.
9. At the end of the process, rinse your coffee maker with clean water and repeat this step 2-3 times.

What is used to descale a coffee maker?

The descaling process, in addition to being necessary, is very simple. You will only need two things:

1. Clean water and a container.
2. Descaling solution: Composed mainly of citric acid that can be commercial (brand or generic) or homemade.

Are you surprised that you can create a coffee maker descaler at home? Well, if possible! And the reason is simple, citric acid is an organic acid present in some natural resources (especially in fruits) such as lemon, orange or tangerine, to name a few.

It is considered one of the best natural preservatives and antioxidants, it also has descaling, antimicrobial and odor neutralizing power. Other household products used to clean coffee pots include vinegar and baking soda.

4 cheap products to thoroughly clean your coffee machine

Without further ado, I will show you 4 of the most common procedures to clean a coffee maker, the first being the most recommended and the last being the one that does not enjoy as much credibility.

With descaler for coffee machines (recommended)

The commercial descaler is the #1 method par excellence. It could not be different, it is a product specifically designed for this purpose and it is the option recommended by the manufacturer to guarantee the proper functioning of the coffee maker.

No other product or ingredient meets the quality standards.

You can find it in various presentations, for example, to decalcify Nespresso the firm offers a liquid format; the Bosch brand markets anti-lime tablets to descale Tassimo coffee machines, while Krups is committed to the powder format.

They are all equally valid. If you want my recommendation, for example, the Delonghi Ecodecalk is the N°1 universal descaling liquid in sales. In addition, it is 100% ecological and is not only valid for descaling Delonghi coffee machines, but it is also valid for other brands.

But how much do commercial softeners cost?

We see it with an example, the Ecodecalk has a price of €18.38 and is enough for 5 cleanings (about €2.5 per service). Most capsule and espresso coffee machines are descaled about 4 times a year (depending on use), which costs about €10. Without a doubt, it is a more than acceptable investment.

Now, if you want to give generic products a chance, Mercadona ‘s Bosque Verde descaler is also a good and economical product. It has been receptive by consumers as it is a universal product compatible with different appliances such as coffee machines, washing machines or irons; the best, at a very low price that does not exceed €3.

ith lemon juice or citric acid

If you want an eco-friendly method, free from the use of commercial chemicals, then lemon juice will be your best ally. The technique is very simple, you just have to mix 2 parts of lemon juice without residue with 1 part of warm water.

Among the natural decalcifiers, it is the most effective. It is justifiable, its citric acid content has a powerful descaling property that sweeps away limescale. In addition, it is antifungal and bactericidal, therefore, it purifies the water that passes through the internal ducts of the coffee maker.

In relation to its position within this ranking, it rises one position above vinegar. And it is that, the lemon juice is rinsed more easily, therefore it leaves less residue inside the system of internal hoses of the coffee maker.

With baking soda

Baking soda is another effective method for external cleaning of coffee machines. The technique is simple, it is based on preparing a paste of baking soda and rubbing it on the outside of the coffee maker with the help of a cloth moistened with warm water.

You can use a small brush to rub the paste into the inside of the water tank to remove limescale buildup.

• eye!
  However, it is not recommended to descale coffee machines with baking soda because it contains tiny solid particles that have high abrasive power and can worsen limescale deposits in the internal ducts of the coffee machine.

with white vinegar

This is one of the most entrenched methods of household cleaning in popular culture thanks to its wide marketing and price. In addition, the corrosive power conferred by acetic acid allows it to remove any dirt.

If you want to clean the coffee maker with vinegar, you just have to fill the water tank with equal parts of water and the product and start the descaling process.

• Note:
  Although it is the most popular method, it is the least recommended; and the manufacturers clearly warn it in the instruction manuals, even to the point of voiding the validity of the guarantee.

Do not use decalcifiers with a sulfonic or acetic base for any reason, since in this case, the guarantee loses all validity. The guarantee also becomes invalid if descaling is not carried out regularly.

The biggest problem with using vinegar to descale coffee machines is that its corrosive effect puts the internal aluminum components at risk, in addition, its characteristic smell and taste can be difficult to eliminate, altering the quality of the drink.

Conclusion: the best method of descaling coffee machines

It is clear that the descaling process is essential to extend the useful life of your coffee maker and also maintain the authenticity of your drink in each cup, which is why manufacturers recommend it.

As if that were not enough, despite the fact that it is a procedure feared by many, it is simple, fast, and cheap, since it does not require a large list of materials and the coffee machines are very intuitive when executing the procedure.

To conclude, I must emphasize that alternative methods can be used as emergency resources, but not as a usual technique. Therefore, the descaler for coffee machines is the most recommended option with the intention of guaranteeing good long-term results.