How to Descale Your Coffee Machine Without Fucking It Up

Your coffee machine does a fair bit of heavy lifting.

Water goes in. Coffee comes out. You become slightly less unbearable in the morning.

But every time water runs through your machine, minerals can get left behind. Over time, that shit builds up.

It's called scale, and if you ignore it long enough, your coffee machine can start running slower, heating inconsistently and generally behaving like it wants an early retirement.

The good news?

Descaling a home coffee machine isn't difficult.

You just need the right descaler, some fresh water and about 20–30 minutes.

Here's the DHC no-BS guide to getting it done.

What is coffee machine descaling?

Water contains naturally occurring minerals.

When your coffee machine heats that water, those minerals can gradually build up inside the machine's boiler, thermoblock, pipes and water system.

That's limescale.

You usually won't see it because it's happening inside the machine, but eventually you might notice:

• Slower water flow

• Inconsistent water temperature

• Your machine taking longer to heat

• Strange noises

• Reduced steam performance

• Coffee not tasting as good as it normally does

Descaling helps remove that mineral build-up and keeps water flowing through your machine properly.

It's boring maintenance.

But it's considerably less boring than paying someone to repair your coffee machine.

What you'll need to descale your coffee machine

You don't need much:

• A proper coffee machine descaler

• A decent-sized jug or container

• Fresh water

• Your coffee machine's manual

• About 20–30 minutes

What coffee machine descaler do we use?

At DHC Coffee Co, we like to use Cafetto Liquid Descaler.

It's made specifically for removing scale build-up from coffee machine water systems and it's bloody easy to use.

[SHOP CAFETTO LIQUID DESCALER]

Whatever descaler you choose, make sure it's actually designed for coffee and espresso machines.

Don't start pouring random shit from underneath the kitchen sink into your machine because someone on Facebook reckons it works.

Before you descale your coffee machine

One important thing before we start:

Not every coffee machine uses exactly the same descaling process.

Some home espresso machines have an automatic descaling program.

Others require you to manually run the descaling solution through the group head, steam wand and hot-water outlet.

So use this guide to understand the general process, but always check the manufacturer's instructions for your particular machine before starting.

Your machine's manual gets the final say.

Now let's get into it.

How to descale a home coffee machine

Step 1: Remove the water filter

If your coffee machine has a removable water filter inside the water tank, check your manufacturer's instructions and remove it if required before descaling.

You generally don't want to run descaling solution through a water filter unless the manufacturer specifically tells you to.

Step 2: Add your coffee machine descaler

Empty the water tank and add your descaling solution according to the instructions on the product.

We use Cafetto Liquid Descaler, so follow Cafetto's recommended amount and dilution instructions.

Add fresh water as directed and return the water tank to your machine.

Don't just think:

"That looks about right."

Follow the instructions.

We're descaling a coffee machine, not making cordial.

Step 3: Start the descaling process

If your coffee machine has an automatic descaling mode, follow the manufacturer's instructions to start it.

The machine may automatically control where the descaling solution goes and how long the process takes.

If your machine requires manual descaling, put a decent-sized container underneath the group head and begin running the descaling solution through the machine according to its instructions.

The aim is to get the descaling solution through the internal water system so it can break down the mineral deposits that have accumulated inside.

Step 4: Run descaler through the steam wand

If your machine's descaling instructions require it, move your container underneath the steam wand.

Open the steam or hot-water control and allow some of the descaling solution to run through the wand.

This helps get the solution through another section of the machine's water system rather than only cleaning the path leading to the group head.

Step 5: Flush the hot-water outlet

If your espresso machine has a separate hot-water outlet and the manufacturer's descaling process includes it, run the descaling solution through there as well.

On many traditional home espresso machines, you're essentially working through the different water paths:

Group head → steam wand → hot-water outlet.

Your particular machine might handle this automatically or use a completely different sequence.

Again:

Check the bloody manual.

Step 6: Rinse your coffee machine properly

This part matters.

Once the descaling process is finished, remove the water tank and rinse it thoroughly with clean water.

Refill it with fresh water.

Then follow your machine's rinsing procedure to flush fresh water through the areas that have just been descaled.

Depending on the machine, that may include:

• Group head

• Steam wand

• Hot-water outlet

You want the descaling solution completely flushed out before you make another coffee.

Don't half-arse this bit.

Unless your preferred tasting notes are chemical lemon with a lingering finish of regret.

How often should you descale a coffee machine?

There's no magic number that works for every machine.

How often you need to descale depends on things like:

• How often you use your coffee machine

• The hardness of your water

• Whether you're using filtered water

• The type of coffee machine you own

• What the manufacturer recommends

Some coffee machines monitor usage and automatically tell you when it's time to descale.

If yours does, that's a fairly solid hint.

Don't keep dismissing the warning for six months like a check-engine light.

If your machine doesn't have an automatic reminder, check the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule.

Regular preventative maintenance is a hell of a lot easier than waiting until scale starts causing problems.

Descaling vs cleaning a coffee machine: what's the difference?

This catches a lot of people out.

Descaling and cleaning aren't the same thing.

Descaling deals primarily with mineral deposits and limescale inside the machine's water system.

Cleaning deals with coffee oils, grounds and residue around the brewing system.

If you have a machine that can be backflushed, that's another important part of keeping the brewing side clean.

So no — descaling your machine doesn't mean you can forget about cleaning it.

And cleaning your group head doesn't mean you've descaled your machine.

Your coffee machine needs both.

We'll cover how to clean and backflush your coffee machine in another DHC guide.

Can you use vinegar to descale a coffee machine?

We don't.

There are plenty of home remedies floating around the internet, but our preference is pretty simple:

Use something that's actually designed for the job.

We use Cafetto Liquid Descaler and recommend following both the descaler's instructions and your coffee machine manufacturer's instructions.

Your coffee machine probably cost you decent money.

This isn't where we'd try to save five bucks with whatever happens to be sitting next to the salad dressing.

Does descaling make coffee taste better?

Potentially, yes.

Scale can affect water flow, heating performance and the overall operation of your coffee machine.

And water temperature and flow are fairly bloody important when you're trying to make good espresso.

Descaling isn't going to magically turn shit coffee into good coffee.

But keeping your machine clean and properly maintained gives your coffee a much better chance of tasting the way it's supposed to.

For the other half of that equation, start with [DHC COFFEE BEANS].

Shameless plug.

Moving on.

How do you know when your coffee machine needs descaling?

Your machine might tell you directly with a warning light or maintenance message.

Otherwise, possible signs can include changes in water flow, heating or steam performance.

But ideally, you don't wait for the machine to start struggling.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule and stay ahead of it.

The DHC version

You don't need to obsess over your coffee machine.

Just look after the bloody thing.

Use a proper coffee machine descaler — we use Cafetto Liquid Descaler — follow the instructions for your particular machine and rinse it properly afterwards.

Twenty minutes of maintenance is considerably cheaper than a new coffee machine.

More importantly, it'll help keep the machine doing the one job you bought it for.

Making damn good coffee.

No BS. Just damn good coffee.

DHC Coffee Co.
coffee for the people.