Cleaning a small (home) espresso maker

[_kaj_]

Hey all,

Turns out directions say I need to clean, or de-calcify my espresso maker (DeLonghi EC270). My gf's sister, who owns a cafe, gave me some "Clean Express Espresso Machine Cleaner" but it seems as if this stuff is made for commercial machines and is meant to be backflushed through the machine. Will is also do the "trick" on my small espresso maker, or do I need some special detergent/de-calcifier etc?

I've probably pulled around 60 shots on my machine in the last 2 months, but haven't done ANY cleaning yet. I think it's overdue. Any opinions, and advice is highly appreciated!

Thanks!

_kaj_

 

[shadow745]

There are two main types of cleaning/descaling agents to be used with espresso machines...

Backflush detergent is used for backflushing/parts cleaning and shouldn't be ran "through" the machine. Your machine doesn't have a 3-way solenoid and can be damaged if you try to backflush. You should be able to use it to clean your portafilter, basket(s) and shower screen if it can be removed.

A descaling agent is just that, a solution that should be put into the water tank and ran through the internal parts of the machine to remove scale buildup. Buy some citric acid, dilute accordingly and run it through your machine. Then run several tanks of fresh water through to rinse. You can also buy a product such as Dezcal, Durgol, etc. for descaling, but citric acid is much cheaper and just as good. Don't try cleaning parts in citric acid as it can discolor some machine parts depending on material. Later!

 

[_kaj_]

Backflush detergent is used for backflushing/parts cleaning and shouldn't be ran "through" the machine.

got it - thank you. not gonna do it.

A descaling agent is just that, a solution that should be put into the water tank and ran through the internal parts of the machine to remove scale buildup. Buy some citric acid, dilute accordingly and run it through your machine. Then run several tanks of fresh water through to rinse. You can also buy a product such as Dezcal, Durgol, etc. for descaling, but citric acid is much cheaper and just as good. Don't try cleaning parts in citric acid as it can discolor some machine parts depending on material. Later!

I'll head out to one of thousands of pharmacies and see if they have. Otherwise I wouldn't know where to pick up Citric Acid otherwise. Otherwise I'll check out the products you recommended. Thanks!