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"#1 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"#144, have any machines in your history been more difficult to clean than others? Any tips or tricks?

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.

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 [URL=https://i.imgur.com/UdjRwPA.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/UdjRwPA.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Shower screen on the Evo after 5-6 weeks I really don't like using chemicals on the machine.

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!

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.

@"Ernie1"#p47489 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

@"JammyDodger"#p47485 - https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/threads/coffee-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness.26511 https://youtu.be/WN9SbM9r1Fg

@"MattH"#p47490 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.

When It gets dirty It is time to upgrade?

@"Ernie1"#p47507 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.

@"Cuprajake"#p47487 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.

How often do you deep clean your machine?

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

Waitforme

@Cuprajake

I thought the chamfered edge of the gasket went uppermost ?

Ernie1

Waitforme

That’s how I always put it in too, chamfer at the top.

Cuprajake

It does lol

Cuprajake

I must have put it back the wrong way last time I cleaned it 🫣

Ernie1

Easily done, I think I only noticed once as the seal didn’t seem right. I guess it’s because the inner edge of the group head is chamfered.

Pompeyexile

I have used a puck screen before and couldn’t get on with it which I guess was down to not thinking about the chuffin obvious of reducing the amount of grinds…Doh! But, I do also like the idea of trying an Aeropress paper disc too, so I’ll give that a go.

skylark

Can i quickly ask how people here with stainless cased machines keep it looking good? My Elizabeth gets a wipedown of the case after each shot session but is still looking like its come off the ocean bed when it dries. Is it rust? I use the Weiman (?) stainless steel wipes which worked brilliantly on my old Sage BE yet seem to do diddly squat on the LE’s case. Does the stainless finish need ‘conditioned’ at all as its looking real manky now …. what’s the workflow involved here, i assumed it would be a wipedown and pat off with a microfibre but thats not working for me. A rub with some oil maybe?

PortafilterProcrastinator

skylark Photos would help, but on my Minima I use a damp stainless steel e-cloth and dry microfibre cloth. If it needs a more thorough clean I use Method stainless steel cleaner.

Del_UK

skylark

This stuff is pretty magical on my Bianca.

MediumRoastSteam

I use zero water and works wonders.

DavecUK

For the group and shower screen every 3-5 days….I drop the screen and thoroughly clean, or I can taste it.

With the body of the machine, if it’s really dirty I find a polar solvent is best used first…e.g. water with a touch of washing up liquid…go over gently with a Microfibre…..then move to a stainless steel cleaner like method….or non polar solvents like Isopropyl.

simonc

Not that I do anything other than microfibres on my Minima but for stainless bbq and sink this clay cleaner is amazing. It really does clean as well as the video and causes water to bead so less sticks to it.
[Ecoegg 300 g Clay Hard Surface Cleaner, White https://amzn.eu/d/fmF36nM](Ecoegg 300 g Clay Hard Surface Cleaner, White https://amzn.eu/d/fmF36nM)

skylark

Well now. I tried Method SS cleaner on the front plate and surprisingly considered its tried and tested by others here, it didnt improve matters. Is it actually possible that the front plate is of a different stainless steel to the rest of the cabinet as mine is starting to look tarnished all over tantamount to rust. Its difficult to photograph but is just mottled in many placesas though its been sandblasted and allowed to dry, hmmm!

DavecUK

skylark Well now. I tried Method SS cleaner on the front plate and surprisingly considered its tried and tested by others here, it didnt improve matters. Is it actually possible that the front plate is of a different stainless steel to the rest of the cabinet as mine is starting to look tarnished all over tantamount to rust. Its difficult to photograph but is just mottled in many placesas though its been sandblasted and allowed to dry, hmmm!

You need to be careful with brushed stainless and clean it with cleaners that prevent it staining…the brushed surface is a little more prone to it. certain cleaners may promote it as well.

MediumRoastSteam

One reason why I only use water/distilled water to clean.

skylark

Good advice but i’ve never cleaned this case with anything other than a wipe over of warm water and, more recently given that it looks like a dogs breakfast to me anyway, a stainless weinman wipe, and now a slosh of Method cleaner. Nothing has helped and its looking like i’ll have to live with it. I suppose what i’m asking, does this sound normal to be tarnishing (?) up on only the front plate? Are other LE fronts as spick and span as the rest of the bodywork? May just be my paranoia eh. I’m going to give it a good old chrome clean soon, in for a penny ….

MediumRoastSteam

skylark does this sound normal to be tarnishing (?) up on only the front plate

To put your mind at rest, even on my machine (Elizabeth) which never saw anything other than water or 75% alcohol gel at times (used once, but makes no difference really), the front plate seems to be different from the rest of machine. Water cleans everything else spotless. But the front panel does look different, tarnished as you say.

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