What cleaning products should I use to clean my espresso machine?

What cleaning products should I use to clean my espresso machine?

Wondering about what cleaning products you need for your coffee machine and how often to use each product?

Here's a quick run down on the products we sell, how to use them and what frequencies.

TEVO® Mini Espresso Machine Cleaning Tablets

Use for: Backflushing group heads and cleaning internal parts/brewer units in automatic machines.

How:

For Automatic machines- Insert one tablet into the cleaning chamber of your automatic machine and follow the instructions in your machine’s user manual to run a cleaning cycle.

For traditional espresso machines- Insert a blind filter or rubber disk into the portafilter, insert one tablet into the portafilter and run a water through the heads for 10 seconds, allow the machine to rest for 20-30 seconds and repeat until tablet has dissolved, flush thoroughly with fresh water.

When: Daily (for commercial use) or weekly (for home use).

Bonus Tip: In commercial environments, remove your shower screens daily and clean, also clean around your head seals with a head cleaning brush, this will ensure you have removed as much residual coffee as possible.

Milk Frother Cleaner Tablets (Blue)

Use for: Cleaning milk lines and frothing systems.

How:

  1. For Automatic machines- Dissolve one tablet in warm water (~75 °C). Run through milk system, then flush with at least 1 L of clean water.
  2. Parts- Can be soaked for 30 min and rinsed thoroughly with clean water. 
  3. For steam wands-  place one tablet in a jug of cold water and heat with frother, allow steam wand to soak in mixture and rinse thoroughly.

When: Daily, to prevent milkstone (hard deposits of milk build up) and blockages.

Cafetto MFC Blue (1 L Liquid)

Use for: Sanitising and removing milk fat build-up in automatic milk frothers.

How:

  1. For automatic machines- Squeeze bottle to measure 50 mL, mix with 1 L warm water, run through frother. Rinse with 1 L clean water. 
  2. For steam wands- measure 50 mL, mix with 1 L cold water and heat with frother, allow steam wand to soak in mixture and rinse thoroughly.
  3. Parts- can also be soaked for 30 min and rinsed thoroughly with clean water. 

When: Daily, or after heavy use.

Cafetto Renew Descaling Powder (6 × 25 g sachets)

Use for: Removing scale deposits from boilers in home espresso machines, kettles, and coffee brewers.

How: Follow the instructions in your machine's user manual. Dissolve one sachet in 1 L warm water. Run part of the solution through the machine, let sit ~15 min, then complete the cycle. Flush thoroughly with clean water.

When: Every 1–3 months depending on water hardness and usage.

NOTE: If you suspect you have a lot of scale build up in your machine, consult a technician before descaling to prevent damage

Simple Care summary:

Daily: Espresso tablet clean or  water backflush without chemicals (low use only) + milk system clean (Blue tablets or MFC Blue).

Weekly: Deep clean backflush with tablet.

Monthly/Quarterly: Descale with Renew Powder (depending on your machine's manufacturer instructions and water hardness).

Want to see how we use some of these products in our coffee cart? watch the video below:

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