Cleaning the coffee machine with citric acid

It is known that the most delicious coffee is made in a coffee machine. The taste and smell of this drink directly depends not only on the quality of the device, but also on the proper care of it. A large amount of limescale, oil, and other residues remaining after preparing coffee beans significantly affects the quality of the coffee. In addition to this, regular cleaning of the coffee machine with citric acid or a professional product is an important guarantee of its long-term work. That is why it is extremely important to know how to clean the coffee machine from scale at home.

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General recommendations

Before proceeding with cleaning, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the instructions for use of the device, since each model has its own characteristics:

• Often, decalcifiers come with a coffee machine - special tools to remove dirt and scale inside the coffee machine.
• Sometimes you can find on sale pills for removing coffee bean oil. They are added directly to the device, where they dissolve with water and wash the most inaccessible parts of the coffee machine.

In addition, you should take into account the technical features of the device, because some models have specific functions that greatly facilitate the descaling process. And in our separate review we talked in detail about descaling tablets for coffee machines.

It is recommended to pay attention to the following points:

• Some models have a special sensor that is triggered when the device needs to be cleaned. It is believed that cleaning the coffee machine is necessary after every 200-300 cups of drink. As a rule, the sensor responds to cleaning only with special capsules or decalcifiers designed for this model. Plus, it shows when it is necessary to add water during the cleaning process.
• Models equipped with a removable coffee brewing unit are best left to descale regularly. These are drip and geyser-type coffee makers. And the frequency of cleaning directly depends on how often you brew coffee. A fairly common cleaning of the coffee machine with citric acid is not needed here - you just need to rinse the removable part with running water without using detergents, and then dry thoroughly.
• If the coffee machine is a carob type, then first you need to make sure that there are no beans or ground coffee inside. Particular attention should be paid to the holder (this is the horn itself) - it is best to clean it with a hard sponge and soda.
• The cappuccino machine is usually not cleaned separately. In this case, it is enough just to start the device idle only on one water - hot steam will remove all traces of scale and oil.

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Cleaning the coffee machine with special tools

Cleaning the coffee machine with decalcifiers is the easiest method to remove dirt, scale and oil inside the machine. In this case, it is only important to purchase the product that is most suitable for your model and type of coffee machine.

For almost all models of coffee machines, the process is similar:

1. Before cleaning, check to see if any coffee, used capsules or cake are left in the device.
2. Pour a liter of warm water into the coffee machine, add the cleaning agent there. In this case, read the instructions to find out how many tablets you need to use at a time.
3. Plug in the appliance, place a container and drain about half a glass of hot water from the equipment.
4. Turn off the coffee machine for about half an hour. After this, turn on and drain all remaining water.
5. Before making coffee for the first time after cleaning, it is recommended that the machine be left idle so that no remaining cleaning agent gets into the drink.

Important! Some models feature an automatic cleaning function. Therefore, it will be enough for you to make sure that there is no coffee in the device, add a cleaning agent and start a special mode.

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Descaling the machine with citric acid

Among the most common methods for cleaning coffee equipment at home is the use of citric acid. This is an affordable, cheap and extremely effective way to remove even the most stale scale.

Such a substance does not dissolve the sealing tubes, and also does not contain toxins that harm the human body. Just a small amount of powder is enough to qualitatively clean the heater of the coffee machine.

Important! It is strongly not recommended to use other acids used in everyday life - acetic, formic, etc. They have a much greater destructive force, so after a few procedures the rubber sealing elements begin to break down.

Important! The taste of the drink depends not only on the method of its preparation, but also on the quality of the grains used. Follow the link to learn aboutthe best varieties of coffee and tea.

Stages of cleaning the coffee machine with citric acid:

1. Learn how to clean your coffee system model. So, for example, there is a big difference in how to clean a Bosch or Nespresso coffee machine, which produces only capsule-type models. A big plus will be the availability of automatic cleaning.
2. Dissolve citric acid at the rate of: 30 grams of powder per 1 liter of water. This will be enough to remove even heavy scale.
3. Pour the dissolved acid into the coffee machine. Remember to make sure that there are no coffee or used capsules inside the equipment.
4. Further the process may vary. If your coffee machine has an automatic cleaning or decalcification function, start it. Otherwise, start the device in the mode of making coffee or cappuccino in water with citric acid.
5. After cleaning the unit, it must be washed up to four times to completely remove the cleaning agent from all parts of the device.
6. Cleaning in this way is recommended once every 3-6 months, depending on the frequency of preparation of coffee and the hardness of the water in your area.

Important! If you have a capsule-type coffee machine, it is not recommended to use citric acid for cleaning. In this situation, it is advisable to purchase a store decalcifier for such models. That is why it is undesirable to clean the Delonghi Nespresso coffee machine from limescale with citric acid.

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Stock footage

The taste and aroma of coffee depends on many factors. So, scale and oil accumulating in the coffee machine can significantly degrade the quality of the drink. In addition, contaminants inside the coffee machine reduce the operating time of the device, increase the risk of breakdown. Therefore, it is extremely important to clean equipment in time to avoid such problems.