How to Clean an Espresso Machine (Step by Step)

Skipping it dulls flavor and encourages channeling as oil coats the shower screen. After rinsing, smell the basket: if it smells oily, it needs a soak.

1. 1

   Knock the puck and rinse. The portafilter and basket under hot water straight away.

2. 2

   Flush the group head. For 3–5 seconds with no portafilter attached.3–5 seconds

3. 3

   Purge and wipe the steam wand. With its own damp cloth while warm.

4. 4

   Empty the drip tray. When the float rises; standing water breeds odors.

1. 1

   Backflush with water. Blind basket in, run 5 cycles of 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off.10 seconds

2. 2

   Soak the steam wand tip. For 15–20 minutes in hot water with a pinch of cleaning powder.15–20 minutes

3. 3

   Scrub the gasket groove. In circles with the group brush; packed grounds cause poor sealing.

1. 1

   Add 1/2 teaspoon of Cafiza or Puly Caff to the blind basket and lock it in.

2. 2

   Run the brew for 10 seconds, stop and wait 10 seconds; repeat for 5 cycles.10 seconds

3. 3

   Rinse the blind basket, then run 5 water-only cycles to flush the cleaner.

4. 4

   Pull one blank shot, then a test shot, and taste for any chemical note.

5. 5

   Soak the basket and shower screen for 20–30 minutes in hot water with 1/2 teaspoon of powder, then rinse and dry.20–30 minutes

6. 6

   Inspect the group gasket while the screen is off; replace it if cracked or hard.

Milk protein bakes on fast. Purge for a second or two and wipe straight after steaming. If the jet looks uneven, clear the tip holes with a steam wand brush or straightened paperclip. Still not frothing? See why a steam wand stops frothing.

Every shot leaves oils and fine particles in the group head, shower screen and portafilter. Those oils oxidise into a bitter, stale film. Meanwhile, hot water leaves limescale in the boiler and pipes, which slows flow, changes brew temperature and eventually clogs the machine.

Milk residue in the steam wand is a food-safety issue as well as a flavour issue, because warm milk feeds bacteria quickly. Cleaning therefore has three separate targets: oils (group and basket), milk (steam wand) and minerals (descaling). Each needs a different product.

• Espresso machine cleaner (powder or tablets): dissolves coffee oils in the group head via backflushing with a blind basket on machines that allow it.
• A group brush: loosens grounds from the shower screen and gasket between backflushes.
• A puck screen: a thin metal screen keeps the shower screen cleaner by catching fines. See are puck screens worth it.
• Descaler matched to your machine: use a citric or lactic descaler rather than vinegar, and follow the machine's descale cycle. See how to descale a coffee machine.
• Water filter or low-scale water: a cartridge or lower-mineral water cuts scale buildup.
• Steam wand purge and wipe: purge and wipe immediately after every use, then soak the tip weekly.

For the full care schedule, see espresso machine maintenance.

Compare options in the cleaning tablet guide; for a full calendar see espresso machine maintenance. Machine hard to keep clean? Easy-access drip trays and removable shower screens help; see best espresso machines.