Home › Home & Kitchen › Kitchen & Dining › Coffee, Tea & Espresso › Espresso Machines How to Descale an Espresso Machine Published: July 9, 2026 · Updated: July 9, 2026
Descale an espresso machine every one to three months by running a descaling solution — or food-grade citric acid — through the water system, then flushing with two or three tanks of fresh water to rinse it out completely. Scale from hard water clogs the boiler and lines and throws off the temperature, so regular descaling keeps the machine working and the coffee tasting right.
Recommended Run descaler (or citric acid) through the water system every 1–3 months, then flush thoroughly with fresh water — Descaling removes the mineral limescale that hard water leaves inside the boiler, pipes and valves — a separate job from cleaning coffee oils out of the group head. Scale builds up invisibly and slows water flow, unbalances the brew temperature and can eventually block the machine, so descale every one to three months, or more often with hard water or if your machine's light tells you to. Empty the drip tray and remove any water filter, then fill the reservoir with a descaling solution made to the pack's dilution, or a food-safe citric acid solution (roughly a couple of teaspoons per litre of water). Run it through in stages — part through the group head, part through the steam wand — pausing to let it sit and dissolve the scale, following your machine's manual for the exact cycle. The step people skip is rinsing: run at least two or three full tanks of clean water through afterwards so no descaler taste is left, or the next shots will taste sour and chemical. Descale with the recommended product for your machine (never vinegar in machines that warn against it, as it can damage seals), and soften your water or use filtered water to slow scale building up again.
