Coffee Machine Cleaning Guide

Start with the right kind of cleaning

A coffee machine has several cleaning jobs, not one. Coffee-contact parts collect grounds and oils; milk parts retain milk residue; drip trays collect waste liquid; and the water circuit can accumulate mineral deposits. These need different treatment.

A rinse is useful, but it is not automatically a substitute for a detergent cleaning cycle. Equally, a coffee-oil cleaning tablet is not a descaler. If the machine requests descaling, follow its separate procedure and our guide to descaling in hard water.

Find the manual using the complete model number before starting. Look for the cleaning schedule, dishwasher permissions, approved chemicals and instructions for removing parts. For the wider maintenance picture, begin with equipment care and repairs.

Complete powered cleaning programmes before switching off for manual washing. Let an automatic machine finish its normal shutdown before attempting to remove its brew unit. Unplug and allow hot parts to cool before handling them, following the model’s safety instructions.

Daily, weekly and monthly routines by machine type

The schedule below is a practical organiser, not a replacement for manufacturer instructions. “Daily” means each day the machine is used. Complete any earlier usage-based cleaning prompt rather than waiting for the next calendar reminder.

Intervals genuinely differ. Philips’ 800 series manual specifies weekly brew-group rinsing and monthly coffee-oil tablet cleaning. De’Longhi’s UK general care guide places removable brewing-unit cleaning under monthly maintenance. Neither schedule should be copied indiscriminately to another machine.

For filter machines, usage can be more meaningful than the calendar. Moccamaster’s European guidance specifies internal cleaning and descaling after every 100 brews, with more frequent attention where water conditions require it.

In a shared workplace, make the routine someone’s named responsibility. A simple opening and closing checklist is more useful than assuming the last person making coffee will remember every part.

How to clean a coffee machine, step by step

Gather the manual, clean cloths, a soft brush, a suitable washing bowl and the approved cleaning product. Keep the milk-cleaning cloth separate from the cloth used on the drip tray.

The sequence below applies across the main machine types. The measured examples are deliberately restricted to compatible parts: they are not universal recipes for a machine’s water tank.

1. Finish the machine’s prescribed rinse or milk-cleaning programme. Follow its display and manual, including the required container size. Keep hands away from hot outlets and steam.

2. Shut down safely and remove waste. After shutdown and cooling, unplug where instructed. Remove used grounds, filters or capsules, then lift out the tray and waste container. Do not pull out a brew unit while an automatic machine is still positioning it.

3. Wash approved removable parts. Use warm water and mild washing-up liquid only where the manual permits it. Brush corners, lid channels and the underside of the drip-tray grid, then rinse thoroughly. Keep the electrical body out of the sink.

4. Clean the coffee-contact components using their specific method. Rinse a water-only brew unit without detergent. For compatible espresso baskets and metal portafilter heads, Urnex specifies a Cafiza soaking solution of 6 g per 1,000 ml of hot water, followed by 30 minutes soaking and a fresh-water rinse. Keep the handle above the solution. Use this only when both the component manufacturer and cleaner instructions permit it.

5. Dismantle permitted milk parts. Separate the intake tube, outlet, connector and removable lid pieces according to the manual. As a model-specific example, De’Longhi’s Magnifica Evo FEB296X/FEB298X EX:2 instructions specify hand-washing the listed carafe components in drinking water at at least 40 degrees Celsius with washing-up liquid for at least 30 minutes, followed by thorough rinsing. Do not apply that temperature or soaking time to unrelated frothers.

6. Dry, inspect and reassemble. Follow the drying instructions for each part. Philips specifies air-drying its brew group rather than drying it with a cloth, which could leave fibres. Check that tubes, lids, trays and seals are properly seated.

7. Complete the specified final rinse. Restore power only after reassembly. Run the manufacturer’s rinse sequence and discard cleaning water. If the instructions require a sacrificial coffee after cleaning, discard that too.

Do not increase chemical strength to compensate for a missed routine. Use the stated concentration, contact time and rinse procedure.

Milk parts and drip trays need particular attention

Milk systems

A clean-looking spout does not prove that the tube and internal channels are clean. Follow the whole milk path, including the intake tube, connectors, frother openings and removable lid components.

An automatic milk rinse and a detergent milk clean may be separate operations. JURA’s S8/S80 instructions require daily milk-system cleaning when milk has been prepared, using its specified cleaner and supplied container. De’Longhi also distinguishes the carafe’s after-use CLEAN function from dismantling and washing its components.

For a manual steam wand, wipe off milk promptly with a clean damp cloth and purge as instructed, pointing the outlet away from people. If performance remains weak, clean the removable tip using the supplied tool and method. Do not enlarge its holes with an improvised implement.

Drip trays and waste containers

Lift off the grid rather than washing only the visible surface. Clean the tray’s corners and the accessible recess beneath it, taking care not to push water into the machine.

Empty trays before their full indicator demands attention when practical. Some machines discharge rinse water internally, so a tray can fill even when little coffee has been spilt. Remove wet grounds regularly rather than leaving the waste container until the next deep clean.

Brew units, espresso groups and filter jugs

Removable and enclosed brew units

The brew unit, also called the brew group or infuser, is the assembly where an automatic machine compresses and brews the coffee.

For a removable unit, follow its release and reinsertion instructions exactly. De’Longhi specifies water-only cleaning for the infusers covered by its guidance, including an approximately five-minute soak. Detergent and dishwasher cleaning are prohibited for those units.

Where the manual provides no user-removal procedure, use the prescribed internal cleaning programme. Do not dismantle the housing to reach an enclosed unit. Add cleaning tablets only at the location and stage specified.

Some removable groups also need lubrication. This is a separate maintenance task: apply only the specified lubricant at the points and intervals in the model’s instructions.

Espresso groups

The shower screen distributes water above the coffee basket. Wipe accessible grounds from it and perform the manufacturer’s permitted rinse.

Backflushing sends cleaning water through an espresso machine’s designated return path using a blind basket or cleaning disc. It is not suitable for every espresso machine. Check compatibility before following the separate guide to espresso backflushing.

Filter jugs and baskets

Wash the jug, lid and filter holder after use rather than repeatedly rinsing away only loose grounds. Moccamaster recommends mild washing-up detergent and thorough rinsing for its carafe and brew basket.

Do not assume that a glass jug, thermal flask and plastic filter holder share the same dishwasher permission. Check each component.

Cleaning products and safe alternatives

Choose products by their stated task and your machine’s instructions, not merely by the words “coffee machine cleaner”.

• Coffee-oil cleaner: for approved coffee-contact parts or the designated cleaning programme.
• Milk-system cleaner: for the compatible milk circuit or removable milk components.
• Descaler: for mineral deposits in the water circuit, using the separate descaling procedure.
• Mild washing-up liquid: a safe alternative for certain removable parts when the manual explicitly permits it, not a general-purpose internal cleaner.

Plain water is the correct option for parts labelled water-only. It is not permission to skip a prescribed detergent programme elsewhere.

Vinegar is not a universal alternative. Moccamaster explicitly advises against it for descaling. Likewise, dishwasher detergent should not be treated as interchangeable with hand washing-up liquid or an internal machine cleaner. Follow the exact component and product instructions, without combining cleaning products or substituting a homemade mixture.

Symptoms, likely causes and fixes

These are cleaning checks, not definitive fault diagnoses.

If the prescribed clean does not resolve the problem, stop repeating chemical cycles and seek manufacturer or service guidance.