{"title":"How to Clean and Descale an Espresso Machine","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/adulting/how-to-clean-an-espresso-machine","category":{"slug":"adulting","name":"Adulting"},"creator":{"name":"Joe's Fine Coffee","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6aWC7KBLbFh_QwdX33US-w","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv-7CIkjgD4"},"tldr":"Clean and descale your home espresso machine in 8 easy steps. Backflush with a tablet, run a descaler, and clear mineral buildup for better-tasting shots.","totalDurationSeconds":310,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["portafilter","single-wall filter basket","rubber cleaning disk","large bowl","drinking glass"],"materials":["espresso machine cleaning tablets","coffee machine descaling solution","replacement water filter","filtered water","microfiber cloth"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Gather Your Cleaning Supplies","text":"Set out everything before you start so you are not hunting for parts mid-cycle. You need the portafilter, the single-wall filter basket, the rubber cleaning disk, a backflush cleaning tablet, descaling solution, and a fresh water filter for the tank.Most espresso machines ship with a starter pack of cleaning tablets and descaler, but those run out. When they do, you can grab refills online for a few dollars. Any espresso-machine cleaning tablet and any coffee-machine descaler will work, not just the brand-name ones."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Soak the New Water Filter","text":"Drop the new water filter into a glass of warm water and let it sit for about five minutes. This wakes up the carbon and rinses out the loose dust so it works properly once it goes in the tank.Start this at the very beginning of the clean. By the time you finish backflushing and descaling, the filter has soaked long enough to install at the end. It is an easy step to forget, so soak it first."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Build the Backflush Stack","text":"Load the portafilter in order: the single-wall filter basket goes in first, then the rubber cleaning disk sits on top of it, and a cleaning tablet drops into the dimple in the center of the disk. The disk has no holes, which is what forces water back through the group head instead of out the spout.This blind-basket setup is how the machine cleans itself. The trapped pressure pushes the dissolved tablet up through the shower screen and washes out old coffee oils you cannot reach by hand."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Lock It In and Start the Clean Cycle","text":"Seat the portafilter in the group head and twist it firmly into the locked position. Then press the single cup, double cup, and power buttons all at the same time. Hold them until the buttons light up and the pressure gauge climbs.That button combo is what puts the machine into its built-in clean mode on most home espresso machines. Once the lights are on, you can let go. The cycle runs on its own from here."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Run the Cycle, Then Check the Tablet","text":"The clean cycle takes about five minutes. You will not see much come out, maybe a few drops from the portafilter, and the machine beeps twice when it finishes. Keep the water tank topped up the whole time so it does not run dry.When it stops, pull the portafilter and look at the disk. If a chunk of tablet is still sitting there, it did not fully dissolve. Reload the portafilter, lock it back in, and run the exact same cycle a second time until the tablet is completely gone."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Mix the Descaler in the Water Tank","text":"Now switch to descaling, which clears the mineral buildup that backflushing cannot touch. Pull the water filter out of the tank first, since descaler would ruin it. Pour in the descaling solution. Most bottles tell you to use half the bottle, so check the back label.Top the tank off with cold filtered water up to the max line, then slide it back into place. The descaler and water mix on their own. Hard water is what causes the scale, so this step is what keeps your flow, temperature, and taste right."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Start the Descale Through the Group Head","text":"Press the double cup and power buttons together until four lights illuminate, which tells you the machine is in descale mode. Put a big bowl under the group head to catch the runoff.Press the single cup button. Water starts flowing through the group head and stops on its own after about twenty seconds. This is the first of three paths the descaler needs to clear, so do not move the bowl yet."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Flush the Wand, Empty the Tank, and Reset","text":"Turn the knob to the right to run descaler through the hot water spout for about eight seconds, then turn it left to push water out through the steam wand. Keep repeating the whole group-head, spout, and wand sequence until the tank is completely empty.Once the tank runs dry, you are basically done. Drop the soaked filter into its holder, set it back in the tank, and refill with fresh filtered water. Your machine is clean, descaled, and ready to pull a better shot. If you also run a single-serve brewer, the same idea applies to descaling a Keurig."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-06-16T01:25:33.672Z","published":"2026-06-16T01:25:20.640Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}