Making coffee at home is a nice and convenient way to keep you alert and working, whether it’s in the morning or later in the day. Avoiding the expensive costs of coffee shops and brewing your very own pot is nice as long as you can take care of it. This not only includes keeping your materials stocked up but also descaling your machine.
It wouldn’t be uncommon if you have not heard of descaling, but this does not make it less important. By learning why and how to descale your coffee machine, you’ll be able to better prepare coffee for yourself and maintain a decent standard of quality.
In This Guide...
Descaling Is Easy And Inexpensive
If you’ve never done it before, hearing about descaling might make you worried about going through some unnecessary hassle. Thankfully, doing a deep clean through descaling is a simple process. Make sure you are regularly cleaning out your machine and look at your manual before doing anything. Once you’re ready, use the following steps:
- Empty the carafe/pot: ensure that any grounds are removed and that any coffee has been rinsed out
- Start the cleaning solution: fill half of the carafe with water and the other half with white vinegar, then pour this into the water chamber
- Start a brew cycle: run a cycle (without any coffee grounds) and let the hot solution go into the carafe until it is half full, then stop it
- Let the solution sit: leave the machine for an hour or so. If you descale often, you’ll be fine without the wait
- Finish off the solution: complete the brew cycle, pour out the solution, and rinse out your carafe
- Run a water brew: run a complete cycle three times with just water, leaving some time between each one for the machine to brew. Make sure any remaining vinegar or smells are gone before brewing coffee.
As you can tell, descaling your machine is simple and requires very little hands-on time. After all, most of the work is done by the machine and doesn’t require you to be there. Now that we’ve established the ease of descaling let’s discuss its importance.
Descaling Improves The Quality of Your Brew
Continuous use of your coffee machine results in a build-up of calcium and limescale. While this is not toxic, it certainly has an impact on the performance of your machine.
Never Descaled and Still Haven’t Noticed?
The truth is, you may have gotten used to the change in taste and increased length of brew time over time. However, the chances are that after a descale, you will notice an improvement in:
- Taste: a build-up of limescale will limit the heat your coffee machine can reach, reducing the extraction of flavor from coffee beans
- Time: a coffee machine in need of descaling will be inhibited and work slower than it should
- Noise: just as extra time is needed to pump out that brew, so is the extra effort needed, resulting in rattling parts that create unnecessary noise
- Electricity: as you may have guessed from the last two items, your machine will require more electricity to work, raising your electric bill a little bit higher every time you use it
As you can see, descaling improves not only your coffee itself but also your experience surrounding the coffee, making it more efficient and less frustrating.
Can Descaling Prevent My Coffee Maker From Breaking Down?
Along with weakening basic functions, a lack of descaling can break your coffee machine completely. The build-up of minerals does not just slow down your machine but can also lead to yeast, mold, and parts that become broken beyond repair.
While rinsing your carafe and basket will help keep your machine clean, you should try to descale the machine once every three months. If you use your coffee maker heavily, then it’s encouraged you do it more often. Be aware of any changes in your brew to estimate when your machine is in need of a descaling. Otherwise, your brewer could be in danger of irreparable failure.
Descale Your Coffee Machine Today!
Just like any other machine, your coffee machine needs to be kept in good condition if you expect it to work properly. This is especially true since you’re consuming your coffee, thereby potentially putting your health at risk if you’re not careful.
Whether or not you brew coffee once in a while or multiple times a day, be sure to descale your coffee maker when you get the chance. Given how simple the process of descaling is, you should have few issues doing so. On the other hand, not finding time could mean disaster for your coffee machine and difficulty for your health.