Cleaning and maintaining your home espresso machine
A checklist for home baristas
Looking after your espresso machine might not be the very first or most exciting thought that comes to mind when you think of your journey as a home barista. It might sound a little tedious too. However, it’s essential, rather easy and it does make a difference!
We’re here to share with you about why it’s important to take good care of your home espresso machine, alongside a checklist to keep things simple and easy.
The importance of cleaning and maintaining your home espresso machine
You’ve already invested in a nice espresso machine and a bag of your favorite coffee beans. Not enjoying these properly because of issues caused by neglecting your home espresso machine would be such a pity! You want to clean and maintain your home espresso machine so that:
your machine lasts for longer
your coffees taste as intended (no residues lingering onto the equipment and getting transferred into your cup during the espresso extraction or milk steaming)
you reduce waste and avoid costly repairs
Care tips for your home espresso machine
Here’s a checklist of daily, weekly, monthly and periodic care tips for your home espresso machine. Before we dive in: this checklist is meant to serve as general guidance, therefore please keep in mind to always check the manual of your home espresso machine for specific details regarding the model you own.
Daily:
Clean the drip tray
If your espresso machine comes with a solenoid valve, you’ll notice water being released into the drip tray after each espresso extraction. Or, you’ll have water in there from purging the group head during your espresso making routine.
Make sure to check the tray, empty it and clean it every day. Otherwise, it may overflow or turn into a risky balancing game, as you try to empty it with too much water accumulated in there. Also, the coffee oils and residue that come with that water will lead to an unpleasant odour, if the water sits in the tray for too long.
Work with cloths/tea towels
Always use 2 clean cloths/tea towels:
one to wipe the filter basket in between making espresso shots
one to wipe the steam wand every time you steam milk
Clean the steam wand
First of all, it really helps if the cloth you’re using for the steam wand is slightly damp. Make sure to wipe and purge the steam wand every time you finish steaming your milk, and do so quickly. You’ll avoid having milk dry up on there or, even worse, buildup of bacteria.
You can also soak the steam wand in a glass of hot water overnight. You don’t need to do this daily, but from time to time it’s a helpful practice.
Clean the filter basket and the inside of the portafilter
Even if you’re only making 1 - 2 coffees a day, there are always coffee oils and residue building up on the back of the filter basket and inside the portafilter. This is even harder to notice when you’re working with a spouted portafilter.
At the end of each day, before turning off the machine, pop out the filter basket from the portafilter and give both a thorough wipe down.
Flush the brew group before and after each espresso shot
Before the espresso extraction — flushing or purging the brew group beforehand clears out any stale or burnt coffee residue left from the previous espresso shot. It also stabilizes the temperature of the brew group. This is key to mention, since most home espresso machines run a little hotter or cooler than ideal, depending on how long they’ve been idle.
After the espresso extraction — a quick flush will rinse away any coffee oils and grounds that get stuck to the brew group gasket or shower screen. Coffee oils go rancid quickly and will turn bitter, and can affect the taste of every espresso shot that follows. To help here, I do recommend using a puck screen.
Weekly:
Do a regular backflush (with water)
This type of backflush doesn’t involve the use of a cleaning tablet or powder, but water only. Very simply put, backflushing is like running a blind shot of espresso. The process forces hot pressurized water through the systems of the machine. That pushes out any leftover coffee bits, oils and residue that most likely have built up in there.
Some prefer to run a backflush at the end of each day, some do so weekly. Either way is completely fine, as long as you do it consistently.
Monthly:
Clean the portafilter and the basket
Soak the portafilter and the basket in a mix of hot water and espresso cleaning powder (like Cafiza, Cafetto or Puly Caff), which is a detergent specifically designed to break down coffee oils.
Hot water alone can’t dissolve those, but a short soak in the cleaning solution removes the buildup and leaves the metal completely clean.
Do a deep clean backflush (with cleaning tablets/powder)
In addition to the weekly regular backflush, it’s strongly recommended that you do a deep clean backflush, with cleaning tablets or powder. Make sure you run one every month. This way your home espresso machine will stay in top shape and your espressos will continue to taste delicious!
For those of you who own a Breville or Sage home espresso machine, you can find a step-by-step guide on how to run a cleaning cycle here.
Clean the shower screen
Unfortunately too often overlooked by many home baristas, cleaning the shower screen is a must on a regular basis. Depending on how many coffees you make at home daily, it’s really worth taking out your shower screen and giving it a good scrub. A lot of nasty oils and fine coffee particles are building up in there over time. Eventually, those will end up in your cup and affect the taste of your espresso in a negative way.
Make sure to clean up the shower screen at least every month, it usually takes less than 5 minutes. The difference between the before and after never ceases to amaze!
Clean the built-in grinder
Regularly cleaning the built-in grinder of your espresso machine is probably one of the most neglected parts of home espresso care. Remove the hopper and the inside burr, then use a vacuum cleaner and a brush to remove any coffee beans and residue from inside the grinder.
If you don’t clean it, you can get stale flavors (fresh grounds will mix with old residue on the burrs) and uneven grinding, and therefore inconsistent espresso shots.
Quarterly (or every 2 - 3 months):
Descale the machine
Every time your espresso machine heats the water, it leaves behind small mineral deposits, mainly calcium and magnesium — this is limescale. Although invisible at first, it accumulates with every use. Limescale can block internal components and affect temperature stability, among other irregularities. All in all, it shortens your espresso machine’s lifespan significantly. Repairs are expensive and, in many cases, the damage can be irreversible.
Many machines have a descale indicator, but don’t always wait for that light to indicate it’s time to descale. You can proactively run a descaling cycle, especially if you know you live in a hard water area. Another way to think of it: descaling is like an oil change for your car.
Watch out for the water filtration
This is very important, especially if you live in an area with a high hardness of the tap water. Keeping an eye on your water filtration plays a major role in having your home espresso machine perform at its peak over time. Depending on what home espresso machine you own, you want to check in on this aspect at least every couple of months.
Inspect seals, baskets and steam wand for wear and tear or residue buildup
In your espresso machine, each component plays a role. Worn or dirty parts can produce a chain reaction of problems that can easily be misjudged as linked to your grind, dose or technique.
Regular inspection means you’re not going in circles adjusting variables, when the real issue is a cheap gasket or a blocked steam wand tip. Good equipment maintenance and good technique go hand in hand — one without the other will always hold you back from getting the best results out of your home espresso machine.
We hope you find these tips helpful and, if you’d like to dive deeper, you may consider our espresso and latte art home barista workshops. Happy brewing!
