How To Clean Your Nespresso Machine? [Reasons + Handy Tips]

Published: 08/27/22 •  8 min read

We all get lazy when it comes to taking care of our Nespresso machines; seriously, it’s hard to get the time out of schedule only to clean the Nespresso machines.

But isn’t this better than not getting a cup of coffee with a bunch full of errors in the machine due to this minute carelessness?

Nespresso Machine has made our lives easier for those who want to get out in the middle of work only to get a cup of coffee; kudos to Nespresso. Now coffee lovers can make their desirable espresso by having a machine next to them.

Cleaning your Nespresso machine after every use or once a week is important to give you the coffee you want.

Doing the opposite can lead to many problems like clogged minerals, leftover residues or greased inners.

In return, it affects the coffee taste or texture or may lead to blinking light and stop working. Let’s take an in-depth view of these problems.

Key Takeaways
  • Buy Caffeine Cleaning Capsule or use dish soap and a big container to clean Nespresso Machine.
  • Insert the pod, empty the tank, and wash or rinse all machine equipment.
  • Not cleaning your machine leads to clogged dirt, health issues, and coffee bitter taste or affects the machine’s system.
  • Descaling involves deep cleaning, whereas Cleaning involves the reachable parts of the machine.
  • Buy a Nespresso Descaling Kit and a 2-liter container to start the descaling machine.
  • Cleaning the machine after every 2-3 weeks and descaling once a month increases the lifespan of your Nespresso.

Things you need before cleaning Nespresso:

Before cleaning, you must buy a cleaning capsule offered by Nespresso and Caffenu brands.

This Nespresso Caffenu Cleaning Capsule is a pod-designed detergent that deeply cleans all the bacteria and stains in the brewing unit when inserted into the coffee machine. Then you need to fill the water tank to make the machine with the pod and start its process.

brew chambers before and after cleaning
source: amazon.om

If you are not using the cleaning pod, you need dish soap and a big container with 32 oz of water to immerse the capsule head into it. It is preferably used for outer cleaning of the machine.

Steps to clean your Nespresso Machine: 

It’s important to follow the process of cleaning your Nespresso machine, from its internal brewing system to its external machine tools.

Using cleaning pod: 

  1. Plug the coffee machine and insert the pod, as you normally do to make your coffee.
  2. Fill the water tank.
  3. Remove the drip tray and place a small container of at least half a liter to catch on detergent liquid.
  4. Press the button once, and the cleaning process will start.
  5. The process will take 2 minutes, and your machine will be ready to go to make a delicious coffee.

Using dish soap & Water:

  1. Remove the empty water tank, wash it with mild dish soap, and place it back while adding clean water.
  2. Remove the capsule container and empty it by removing the used capsule. Also, wash it with dish soap, dry it with a damp cloth, and place it back.
  3. Wash the drip tray, wash it with dish detergent,  let it air dry, and place it back properly.
  4. To wash the capsule detector lens, use a microfiber detector to clean it and mildly place it in its position.
  5. Turn on the machine, wait for it to get heated, and start blinking steadily white.
  6. Then start the cleaning procedure by filling the water tank and placing a large container of at least 1 liter.
  7. Press the button three times within 2 secs, and the cleaning process will start.
  8. Letting all the water out into the container will take two minutes.
  9. Let the machine dry for a while, and you can make your delicious cup.
Nespresso machine for cleaning

Reasons to keep your Nespresso machines clean: 

Keeping your Nespresso clean is essential to making an ideal coffee drink, as it can’t give you this result in a dirty machine.

Let’s look at some reasons so that you will make sure to keep your Nespresso in a healthier state next time.

Dirty Nespresso Machine makes Nespresso Stop Working:

The dirty traces of milk or coffee leftover residues can produce excess minerals, grease or muck in the machine and get clogged in its inner wall.

 While forcing it to gain more power to spin the spindle with this heavy amount of residue can heat your Nespresso and might show warning signs by flashing light.

 It can lead the machine to stop making your coffee. Hence, if you don’t want to feel welcomed by these errors, take precautions before you miss your morning cup.

Dirty Nespresso Machine makes Coffee Tastes Bad:

Not cleaning your coffee can lead to a rancid or burnt taste. The grease or oils left while coffee extraction can get stacked at the bottom of the machine, and not cleaning it helps it mixes up with the new cup of coffee you just have made.

Hence, to avoid such bitter taste disaster coffees, you must clean your coffee portafilters before making a new cup.

Dirty Coffee Machine makes Nespresso Stinks:

The minuscule coffee or milk residue can get stuck in the machine’s inner walls and produce an acrid or burnt plastic smell.

Dirty Nespresso Machine can make you sick:

After reading this, I am sure you will clean your Nespresso now because now it’s a matter of health too.

So all this grease and coffee leftover residues can mold up to make more bacteria, and that building up in your machine can lead to harmful germs.

According to a study, these bacteria on the drip tray have the power to take over the rest of the machine due to increased moisture.

It can make you feel Headaches, congestion, coughing, and watery eyes and invite more allergy symptoms and respiratory infections!

Is cleaning and descaling Nespresso Machine the same? 

No, it’s not the same. However, if we just look at the aim of it, both are performed to clean and maintain the Nespresso machine, but the way to do this is different.

Cleaning:

It follows the process of washing dirt from the machine tools, including the water tank, drip tray and capsule container. It also deeply cleans the brewing system unit of the machine.

Descaling:

Due to coffee residues and grease, the descaling cycle clears dirt inside the machine’s inner walls, including minerals.

Descaling Nespresso Machine (Step by Step Guide): 

Before starting the descaling process, you must buy descaling solutions from the Nespresso descaling kit, and you are good to go!

Also, remember to have your Nespresso model’s user manual with you to understand how to enter and exit the descaling mode, as it varies from model to model.

  1. Pour 1 package of descaling solution into your machine.
  2. Then fill the water tank with 17 oz water.
  3. Put the lid on the tank and place it back.
  4. Make sure that the capsule container is empty.
  5. Remove the drip tray and place a large container of at least 1 liter beneath it.
  6. Turn on the descaling mode on your machine.
  7. This process will take 20 mins to finish.
  8. After all the water is in the container, rinse the machine to remove the residues of the descaling solution.
  9. Exit the descaling mode and leave the machine for 10 mins to dry up.

Now make a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy it!

Benefits of Cleaning Nespresso Machine regularly:

The advantages of routinely cleaning your coffee makers don’t need to be explained—that first cup of freshly brewed coffee speaks for itself. You can be sure that yesterday’s dried leftover muck is not healthy for you.

A thorough daily wipe-down could stop build-up from occurring, extending the lifespan of your coffee machine, providing you with the best taste and saving you from having any health issues.

FAQs:

Can you use vinegar to descale a Nespresso machine?

Yes, you can use a white vinegar solution to replace Nespresso descaling liquid, but remember that Nespresso cautions not to use it because it can damage the machine.

Moreover, using vinegar can be more time-consuming as you must rinse it multiple times because of the smell, which can affect the coffee taste.

How often should you clean a Nespresso machine?

You should regularly clean your coffee machine if you use it too often. Or, in other situations, you can clean your Nespresso machine after 2-3 weeks. But don’t extend it more than that!

How long do Coffee machines last?

It depends upon how you are using it. Using roughly can lead to problems, but if you are cleaning and descaling it with time, it can smoothly last for 5-10 years, as guaranteed by Nespresso.

Can a dirty coffee maker make you sick?

Yes, a dirty coffee maker can form many bacteria in the machine and lead to allergy symptoms and respiratory infections.

Why does my Nespresso taste sour?

The Nespresso machine can taste sour due to not cleaning it. It can also give you this taste if vinegar is used instead of the Nespresso descaling solution.

Hans Mast

Hans loves coffee and loves teaching about coffee