Why descaling?
Several reasons can explain the need for descaling. Indeed, the first thing to think about is of course hygiene and taste, but that’s not all: by dint of using a coffee maker, the lime contained in drinking water tends to settle on the walls and in the pipes of the coffee maker after boiling and thus prevents the water from flowing well. It goes without saying that if it is not removed quickly, the longevity of the coffee maker may be compromised. It is, therefore, necessary to descale regularly!
Descaling, how often?
Here it is at the very least complicated to give an exact frequency. We can just recommend that you do it as many times as possible, especially if they use a coffee maker is daily. Most coffee machine manufacturers suggest descaling your coffee maker twice a year, but it depends heavily on the level of lime in your water. It will thus be necessary for certain regions, to clean your coffee maker up to 1 time per month.
For this reason, more and more people make their coffee with mineral water or filtered water (such as Brita systems).
Now let’s see how to descale the coffee makers in general, as well as the process specific to certain particular coffee makers.
How to descale your pod/capsule coffee machine?
You can descale your homemade coffee maker by following two main methods:
using white vinegar
using specialized descaling products (see below for the different brands).
Note that it is interesting to use these two methods alternately. In these 2 cases, it will be a question of making several cycles of cleaning. The whole process takes around 30 minutes, which may seem long but often saves you from buying a new machine!
For the descaling of a Tassimo: The maintenance of a Tassimo coffee maker requires that you follow very specific instructions. In fact, you must first remove the water container and the filter from the jar. Then extract the T-Disc, fill the jar with 500ml of water, and add the descaling product. In this case, a descaling tablet is recommended such as this one from Bosch.
In addition to these prerequisites, it is recommended to put the T-Disc taking care to orient the barcode down, and put under the beverage outlet pipe, a container with a minimum capacity of 500 ml. A long press on the start/stop button must then be made to start the descaling program. The program runs automatically for 20 minutes after which the tank must be emptied.
Then it is necessary to rinse the container with water. It will be the same for the machine. And to do this, you will have to open and close the T-Disc processing unit and then press the start button once more. In total, this will have to be done 4 times. Finally, open the processing unit to remove the T-Disc and store it in the space provided for this purpose behind the coffee maker. In doing so, you will have perfectly descaled your coffee maker which can be used again.
For Nespresso and Senseo: Descaling your coffee maker is like using a specialized descaler made of 100% citric acid! (because Senseo does not recommend using white vinegar ). It will be necessary to pass twice (2 cycles) the solution thus obtained in the coffee maker leaving a used capsule inside, as if you wanted to prepare a coffee. It will pass through all the places where coffee usually passes and will leave your coffee maker clean. You will only have to rinse it for optimal descaling (2 cycles are also recommended). See this article for Senseo
Dolce Gusto: Descaling this coffee maker is done in the same way as that of the two previous coffee makers. Except that the mixture of water and descaler must be inserted in the hot drink position. A good rinse is added and voila.
What if I did everything in white vinegar?
Please note that some brands, like Senseo, no longer guarantee your machines if you descale with white vinegar! In addition, with white vinegar, it is important to rinse well after the procedure so as not to leave an odour/taste of vinegar in your coffee.
If you want to clean with white vinegar, the general process will be as follows (in 2 cleaning cycles + 2 rinsing cycles):
Fill the water tank of the coffee maker with 50% white vinegar and 50% water
Turn on the coffee maker
Let it flow for the equivalent of a cup and stop the coffee maker. Leave for a few minutes, while the vinegar takes effect in the machine.
Restart the machine to use the remaining water/vinegar content in the tank.
Repeat the same operation.
Then rinse the tank and fill it with water. Then start the machine 2 to 3 times with pure water to rinse it completely. Do not hesitate to rinse again if you still smell a slight smell of white vinegar!
So this is how to descale your coffee makers. Do as much as possible to extend the life of your machine.
source https://www.tbestcoffeemakers.com/how-to-descale-your-coffee-maker-with-or-without-white-vinegar/
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