How often do you deep clean your machine?

JammyDodger

So, here’s a question. How frequently does everyone clean their machines?

I don’t mean just the outside, I mean really clean it. I’m talking water reservoir and dropping the shower screen as a minimum. The reason for asking is I thought I was doing well at cleaning, put my water tank in the dishwasher weekly and back-flushed daily. Then I decided to do the shower screen and by the power of all that is holy I had no idea it could get so gunky back there. There was a layer of brown… er… matter about 1mm thick behind the shower screen and the gasket/lower brass parts of the shower block were completely gross! I think I last cleaned it six months ago, which is a hard lesson for me to learn. I’ll be taking down the shower screen and lower brass at least monthly from now on.

Anyone else brave enough to share their tales of grime? @DavecUK you can’t have been a saint with cleaning all your life, was there ‘an event’ like my shower screen debacle above? How about you @Cuprajake, have any machines in your history been more difficult to clean than others? Any tips or tricks?

MediumRoastSteam

JammyDodger - https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/threads/coffee-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness.26511

Rob666

I used to do it monthly but it was pretty clean. I now do it three monthly or thereabouts and I still don’t find any nasty artefacts.

Cuprajake

Welllllll

The e61 require more cleaning than the lever because they vent back through the group and take all the crud with them

My e61 routine is :

Make my two coffees. Flush the group into my pot, back flush with water, this is religious after every coffee session.

The screen comes down once a week, my water is practically inert so bacteria can’t really grow in it, the tub gets a monthly clean.

The levers :

Finish making coffees, flush the group into my pot. After every shot.

Tub once a month

Shower screen on the Evo after 5-6 weeks

I really don’t like using chemicals on the machine.

JammyDodger

Cuprajake ah that’s really interesting, thanks Jake. I’ve never used a lever or an E61-based machine, so it’s good to know about their different cleaning requirements. I think I’m lucky with the DE1 as it has a separate water path for clean and dirty water. They’ve also just changed the upper and lower brass parts of the group head from brass to PPS, which aside from being less of a heat sink and thereby making temperature profiling more accurate, is also easier to keep clean.

Dusk

I probably don’t clean mine as much as I should but seeing as I usually make my coffee first thing in the morning, I’m generally not in a mood to be making extra work for myself!

Ernie1

Weekly I’ll empty and wipe out the water tank with a damp kitchen towel while it’s connected, remove/clean screen and dispersion screw, backflush with water and drain 500ml from steam boiler.

Monthly I’ll remove water tank and wash in the sink with washing up liquid and backflush with pulycaff.

I’ve mentioned this before but on previous machines I had to wash the tank weekly properly as the ambient warmth made it smell like a fishbowl after a week.

The Linea Mini tank is under the machine and can remain connected via hose so doesn’t get warm or grimy.

MattH

Ernie1 how do you clean it still connected - I assume its a bit different to the micras. I have to pop out the top tube so I can slide out the whole tray and then remove the lid

Ernie1

MattH

I think it must be different, mine pulls all the way out with the tube connected, actually quite a long way out. The tube connects to the lower left rear.

MattH

Ernie1 Aha - yes mine goes into the top near the front - there is a small lid to pour into. You can pull the sealed tray out a bit - but to remove completely you pull out the tube.

Interesting how they changed up the internal workings to shrink it down.

james65477564

When It gets dirty It is time to upgrade?

Ernie1

@MattH

This is how it is on the Mini (Not my photo). Pulls all the way out.

MattH

Ernie1 It all makes sense 👍

JammyDodger

Thanks everyone for the replies, my next question is can anyone recommend a good group head cleaning brush? I have the typical Pallo group brush with nylon bristles, but they’re so stiff I feel like I’m in danger of breaking something if I press hard enough to get them to flex, and if I don’t it feels like I’m just running a bit of plastic against the group. Any tips or suggestions?

Ernie1

I use this which assuming you’ve got a 58mm grouphead works really well. I mainly like it for the built in screwdriver though.

I used to just use some folded up damp kitchen towel, cleaning cloth, toothbrush, whatever, doesn’t need to be fancy.

Pompeyexile

Every time I make a coffee on the Sage Dual Boiler, once I have knocked out the puck I immediately wash wipe and rinse the portafilter and basket in hot water. I then wipe the shower screen rinsing the cloth until no coffe residue is on the cloth this usually takes about three rinses and wipes and then flush some hot water through the grouphead. Dave is right the worst build up of coffee residue from the puck - on the Sage anyway - sits tucked away in the space where the lugs from the portafilter sit so every now and then I also use a stiff brush to dislodge them.

I will admit I only take the shower screen out about once a month so looking at Dave’s video I think I’ll change that to once a week. As for the water tank I empty and clean that once a week - never have it full - and backflush with Puley once a month too.

Sage shower screen after two weeks…

No excuses less than ten minutes to do.

james65477564

Pompeyexile Have you tried using a puck screen, I don’t think they make any difference to taste but they dramatically improve cleanliness of the group?

MediumRoastSteam

They do help, but bear in mind they take headspace and it’s likely you’ll have to lower your dose or face the puck screen hitting the shower screen. They do get quite dirty too, so a soak in Puly every week or so, depending on usage is very important.

I’ve tried, but my favourite is an aeropress paper on top of the puck. Works wonders for cleanliness.

dndrich

Interesting. I have an Elizabeth that I use for 2 shots a day every day. I use Cafiza and the automatic back flush regimen that comes with the machine religiously every 2 weeks. Good tap water and the Lelit filter. I just pulled my screen, as I last pulled it at least 6 months ago if not longer. Looked very clean. One nice thing about a solenoid machine is that cleaning is so easy.

Cuprajake

So this is about a week’s use with my back flush routine