Descaling your coffee machine is essential for obtaining a good espresso.
In fact, the limestone tends to stick to the boiler and to the pipes of the machine, thus negatively affecting the performance of the machine .

All this results in a really poor coffee and, over time, it could even ruin the coffee machine completely, forcing us to throw it away and buy a new one.

Once we have therefore identified the best My Espresso Machine for our needs , it is important to descale it effectively and periodically to always keep it at its maximum. Let’s see how to do it.

How to remove lime scale from the coffee machine

To remove the limescale and therefore descale our coffee machine, we have two different options:

• Use specific chemicals
• Relying on natural products , among which we prefer vinegar in particular , but citric acid or bicarbonate also work

Remove the lime scale with chemical declares

If your choice falls on a chemical product, I strongly advise you to follow the instructions given on it both in terms of procedure and quantity to use. These products are in fact quite aggressive, and the last thing we want is to find traces of the product inside our coffees.

So make sure you follow the dosages and rinse your coffee machine properly.

Remove limescale with vinegar

To clean the coffee machine with vinegar — or other natural products — instead, follow this procedure.

1. Fill the machine tank with half vinegar and half water
2. Turn on the machine and start making it do cycles as in the preparation of a coffee, but without inserting pods or capsules inside. Some coffee machines have a continuous delivery mode designed specifically for cleaning, which allows you to finish the entire tank without having to press the delivery button continuously. Check the instruction manual.
3. Once the tank is empty, remove it (if possible) and rinse it. At this point fill it completely with plain water .
4. Now all that remains is to do as in point two : without pods or capsules inside, operate it until the tank is empty, in order to rinse it properly.
5. Done ! Your coffee machine should now be clean of limescale.

During this process, it is not recommended to use absolute vinegar, as it risks damaging some components of the machine. If you have not descaled your coffee machine for a while, it may be necessary to carry out a second cycle.

The taste of the vinegar should go away, but if you still smell it, you can do a second rinse .

How often to descale the coffee machine

The answer to this question changes according to the use we make of our coffee machine.

Usually, with regular use – more or less 3/5 coffees a day – the coffee machine should be descaled about once a month.

If your use is more intense, you will clearly have to clean the limescale more often, perhaps even once every two weeks.

Why does limescale form in the coffee machine?

The water contains many minerals, such as bicarbonate, calcium and magnesium, which in contact with the high temperatures released by the boiler – the heating element of the coffee machine – tend to react, forming limestone.

The limestone itself is not toxic, but it sticks to the boiler and internal pipes, creating encrustations , thus acting as an insulator and therefore not allowing the water to reach the temperatures necessary for the preparation of an excellent coffee.

Furthermore, the limestone could even alter the flavor of the drinks obtained .

Conclusion

Descaling your coffee machine is really essential, both to preserve its correct functioning over time and to obtain a coffee that is of good quality and excellent flavor.

We hope this article has helped you to remove limescale from your coffee machine, allowing you to get the best coffee possible.