How to descale / deep clean your espresso machine

Just like your car needs regular servicing, it’s very important to undertake a regular deep clean of your coffee machine so that it stays in fine working order.

To complete a descale of a domestic machine, follow these steps:

• Complete your full daily clean procedure.
• Fill the machine’s water tank with 1L of cold water and add 50mls of liquid descaler, or dissolve a sachet of powdered descaler in warm water.
• In a fully automatic machine, run a complete cleaning cycle.
• In a manual machine, use the free pour button to run a full cup of cleaning solution through the machine. Open the steam wand and take a quarter of a cup from there.
• Let the machine sit for 15 minutes.
• Repeat the process until the entire contents of the water tank is used.
• Rinse the machine out thoroughly by washing out the water tank, filling it with fresh water and running the full tank through the machine and steam wand.
• If you have a fully automatic machine, just use the cleaning cycle again with a fresh tank of water.

While we recommend that you descale your machine every 4 to 6 months, this will vary greatly depending on the frequency that you use your machine and any significant instructions from your machine manufacturer.

If you are using unfiltered water in your machine, or live in a hard water area, it may be advisable to undertake a deep clean every month.

 

Commercial machines – please note
Due to the complexity of the commercial coffee machines, these deep cleans can only be performed by a certified espresso machine service technician. If your coffee machine is on loan from Merlo, your account manager will schedule your regular six month deep clean and machine service for you.

 

Download and print the domestic cleaning guide

Download and print the commercial cleaning guide