Coffee machine - convenient equipment that allows you to drink a cup of strong delicious coffee in the morning without spending a lot of time. When purchasing such a device, you need to understand that you will have to take care of it quite carefully, because coffee heavily pollutes the internal elements, which is why plaque forms in the car in a short time. Failure to remove dirt and scale in time can cause the machine to malfunction, which can cause serious damage.
Basic care steps
Cleaning the coffee machine from scale is a mandatory measure for caring for it. Often, experts and experienced users advise to carry out decalcification - a series of actions during which most of the limescale is removed. This puts the coffee machine back into working order, so it is very important to learn how to carry out this process correctly. During decalcification, the scale is softened with the help of specializedmeans that allow it to dissolve as quickly as possible.
When studying the question of how to descale the coffee machine, one must not lose sight of the fact that it is not recommended to clean the equipment mechanically, as this can lead to even greater damage. One wrong move can damage one or more parts of the machine, causing it to completely fail.
What is used for cleansing
Precisely because of the fact that when cleaning the coffee machine from scale, it is impossible to mechanically influence it, when decalcifying, it is advised to use specialized tools. This will help to gently deal with pollution. Descaling tablets for coffee machines are very popular. Substances that are part of them interact with potassium s alts. The resulting chemical reaction leads to corrosion of the scale layer, which breaks up into separate parts and crumbles.
Descalers for automatic coffee machines Melitta and others created by various major manufacturers are very popular on the market. Among them are Saeco, Delonghi, Bosch and others. These products are available in both tablet and liquid form. Many owners of coffee machines recommend using branded products because of their safety for he alth and good results when used. You can use products, including descaling tablets in coffee machines, when cleaning coffee makers of various types, including automatic ones.
Best descaling products
One of the best products on the market is Melitta Liquid Cleaner. Its shelf life is not limited, it is easy to use. It is recommended to use the product when cleaning the coffee machine from the remnants of dairy products. The cleaner was produced in Germany and is considered an absolutely safe product for he alth. Users note the effectiveness of the product in different types of coffee machines: automatic, carob and capsule.
Saeco cleaners are also characterized as one of the best. These products have a fairly simple composition, but you need to be careful about the choice - some liquids are quite expensive and enough for just a couple of cleanings.
DeLonghi purifiers are as popular as their coffee machines. The cost of these funds is not small, so manufacturers produce them in whole sets - this is both convenient and economical. One container of half a liter of liquid is enough for about five cleanings. There are also separate products from DeLonghi for cleaning the machine from dairy products, the containers are smaller in volume and more expensive. The products of this company are characterized by antibacterial properties and can disinfect the device - unpleasant odors will disappear, and pollution will disappear.
Bosch also launches its own line of coffee machine descaling cleaners, both in tablet form and in liquid bottles. Both options work very effectively, but the pills are more expensive. After using Bosch productsthe coffee machine must be thoroughly rinsed and the water must be passed through the coffee maker several times without making a drink.
Timely cleaning of the coffee machine
It's not enough to know how to descale your coffee machine - you need to know exactly when to do it. There are frequent cases when, due to scale, the body of the device itself is damaged, and not just its internal parts. It is necessary to carry out descaling constantly, avoiding the accumulation of a large amount of it.
Experts recommend doing this procedure monthly. This advice should be used if hard water is used in making coffee. If it is soft, you can clean the car a little less often. So, under favorable conditions, the device is cleaned after two hundred cups. In the event that you descale the coffee machine, but not in time, the consequences will be disastrous and you will still have to change parts of the device or the entire device.
Manual cleaning machine
When cleaning with your own hands, you need to perform a number of mandatory actions:
- The right cleaner is selected, which is suitable for specific equipment. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with its composition and features and carefully read the instructions for use.
- Remove the water filter from the machine.
- Pour about one and a half liters of water into the device.
- Add your chosen cleanser following the instructions.
- Turn on the coffee machine and drain up to 150milliliters of water.
- Install the "cooking" program and let the machine run for five minutes in it, as soon as the device turns off, you need to drain half of the water.
- Reconnect the machine and repeat the same steps until the liquid in the coffee machine is completely drained.
- Refill with purified water and repeat all the steps again.
- Wash the container where the liquid is poured, remove all settled scale.
- Rinse the water filter with the same product, rinse, install in the right place in the coffee machine.
As soon as all these steps are completed, you can make coffee again.
Automatic cleaning of the coffee machine
Modern equipment often has an automatic descaling function. This mode allows the owner of the equipment to save time, but you also need to be able to use it. As a rule, you can read about it in the instructions for the equipment. There are a number of universal recommendations, following which you can avoid machine breakdowns.
- Only clean water should be filled into the machine.
- Machine descaling agent must be poured or immersed in the appropriate place, as indicated in the instructions.
- After turning on the automatic cleaning mode, you need to leave the device and do not touch it.
- After ten minutes, the scale should separate from the walls and settle, after which the appliance must be turned off, the water and cleanser should be drained.
- Care must be taken to remove the remnants of the cleaner - it is necessary several timespour water and bring to a boil.
- After all these actions, you need to brew the drink several times, and without drinking. Just pour it out as it may contain cleaner residue.
Frequency of descaling
Automatic descaling of the coffee machine should ideally be done once a month. Some experts recommend doing this every 200 servings of brewed coffee. In addition to internal cleaning, you need to monitor the cleanliness of other components - the body, the cappuccino maker and the tray, as well as the containers where waste is dumped. Pay attention to cleaning the coffee machine from dairy products, because because of them, a huge amount of bacteria accumulates on the equipment.
Cleaning the coffee machine with citric acid
A popular way to clean with citric acid. The procedure is very fast and attracts people because you do not need to spend a lot of money on professional products. With this method, the machine is first cleaned of lime, and then the rinsing process takes place twice. In this purification option, you need to add a few tablespoons of citric acid to the water in the container and wait for it to dissolve completely. Next, you need to either select the automatic cleaning mode, or perform manual cleaning. The substance begins to act after a few minutes, after which it is necessary to turn on the machine so that it seems to make coffee, and leave it on until the water runs out. After completing these steps, you must turn off the device and rinse it with water,and then rinse twice. Rinsing is carried out in the coffee mode for five minutes.
