When making coffee at home, have you ever encountered the coffee taste that feels spoiled, but the coffee powder is obviously fresh; if you use a semi-automatic espresso machine, have you ever encountered the dilemma of coffee powder/coffee grounds accidentally falling out?
Have you ever thought that our coffee machines are moldy?
How can it get moldy? Let me share some of my cleaning tips, also a handy step-by-step guide on how to clean our coffee makers better.
Why Does Your Coffee Maker Get Moldy?
We all know that coffee powder, coffee grounds, or instant coffee powder, are very good bacteria culture substances. If you often go to Starbucks, you will see baristas taking out some coffee grounds and letting customers take them away for free. Others suggest that instead of throwing away coffee grounds, you can use them to make flower soil, and that's when you should know how nutritious coffee grounds are.
Exposed to moisture-rich air in the red, with the right temperature, coffee grounds can grow mold spores in a few days. So, let's think about the two core conditions for these coffee powder or coffee grounds not to become moldy:
1. dry
2. remove bacteria
We all know that bacteria are all over space, and only by keeping it dry can inhibit the rate of bacterial reproduction (of course there are other extreme temperatures, which we will not consider for now). If we want our coffee machine to work properly, we must clean the powder chute of coffee grounds immediately every time we make coffee.
How to Clean Your Coffee Maker?
If you ask a coffee lover how he cleans his coffee maker, most likely he will answer:
Uses a brush to brush off the residue on the brew head after each day of use;
Uses a special powder to clean the water distribution screen;
Uses a backwash to clean the coffee maker's pipes;
Sprays it empty and wipes it down after each use.
This is indeed a more complete cleaning, but if you want a deep cleaning, this is not enough.
First of all, as far as daily cleaning is concerned, we often clean coffee boilers: for example, the operation of backflushing, which is to rinse the extraction pathway in the direction to let the dirty water out of the coffee machine. But we rarely pay attention to how to clean steam/hot water boilers.
Why clean hot water boilers too?
First of all, we need to know: how is the scale created in the steam and hot water boiler?
This boiler is to provide steam and hot water to the coffee machine. The pressure of the whole boiler is usually around 1.3 bar, under this pressure, the boiling point of the water in the boiler will exceed 100°C. This provides a large amount of steam for the coffee machine, and after the water is converted into steam, the concentration of minerals and salts in the water in the boiler will increase, thus accelerating the generation of scale.
Besides, the water in the boiler has been repeatedly heated and evaporated, and this process results in the production of limescale.
Secondly, let's be clear: what are the effects of limescale production?
The presence of limescale is widespread, from boiling kettles to water heaters, as long as they are used they will have limescale production. Some articles have reported that limescale can cause stones in the body. However, the fact is that a small amount of limescale is not harmful to the body and the components in limescale are dissolved by stomach acid and excreted from the body.
However, we should note that the accumulation of limescale will cause the heating effect of the coffee machine boiler to decrease, thus affecting the heating element. At the same time, the accumulation of limescale will make the taste of the water in the boiler change.
How to prevent and eliminate limescale from coffee machines?
Add a water softener: A water softener uses ion exchange resin or TAC nanocrystal technology to remove calcium and magnesium ions from the water, reducing the hardness of the water and preventing limescale.
Flush the large boiler: Regular flushing of the large boiler with drainage/water injection can bring some limescale or water crystals out of the coffee machine's boiler.
Special agents to deal with limescale: every 6 months to clean a large boiler, daily use can be soaked with a special powder for 20 minutes to soften the limescale. Also, major manufacturers usually recommend not to use vinegar or other harsh agents for cleaning, as this may cause a residue of taste in the boiler.
How Often Should You Clean Your Coffee Maker
When coffee has become our daily drink, a variety of specialty coffee machines, capsule coffee machines, and even the common Moka pots, French press pots, etc. have come into our homes. If someone asks: How often do you clean them? I think, not every family can do everyday cleaning, if you buy a fully automatic, can be a key to starting independent cleaning, then it is great. If not this function, how often do we want to clean it? Do we still need to clean as deeply as the above-mentioned?
For me, for home use, then deep cleaning, once a year is good. So, in other cases, how often should we clean it? Next, I share some steps that must be cleaned regularly as well as to be maintained so that we can prolong the use of our coffee machines.
💡Clean the dirt regularly
The coffee machine needs to be cleaned regularly, you can choose to use a professional cleaning agent, if there is none, you can also use vinegar. First of all, prepare two cups of water and 50ml of vinegar, introduce it into the coffee machine, follow the coffee-making procedure of dripping a cup and leaving it for 20 minutes, then start so that all the water in the water tank of the coffee machine can be used up. After turning off the machine for five minutes, continue to follow the above steps with water 1 or 2 times again.
💡Pre-maintenance
During the use of the coffee maker, its maintenance work should not be neglected, because it can reduce some of the losses caused by improper operation. After installation, you should also check if the power cord is connected properly and observe if there is any damage or cracking to avoid any danger in use. You can also rinse the pot with boiling water to disinfect it before use to keep the coffee machine clean and hygienic.
💡Parts cleaning
The filter and the filter screen of the coffee machine are very important things to clean. When cleaning, we first soak the filter and the filter screen in water for a while and then wash it back and forth with water, both front and back. Attention! Do not use hard objects to scrape and clean the filter and screen, otherwise, it will easily cause damage and affect the use of the coffee machine.
💡Daily maintenance
In daily use, we can place the coffee machine in a ventilated, dry room, and be careful not to move it too often to prevent damage caused by external impact. If not used for a long time then pay attention to turning off the power.
Some Doubts
- No water coming out of the brew head
Boiler malfunction➡️Check for clogged boiler
Water outlet hole or line is blocked➡️Clean the water hole or line
- Drainage system is leaking
The drain line broke➡️Replace the drain line
- Coffee is not hot
The heater has scale➡️Clean or replaces the heater
The pressure switch is faulty➡️Adjust the pressure switch
- The flow rate is too fast
Water pressure is too high➡️Adjust boiler pressure
- The flow rate is too slow
Water filter clogged➡️Replace the water filter
Brew filter too dirty➡️Clean or replace
Blocked pipe➡️Clean the pipe
