How To Clean Breville Espresso Machine Without Tablets?
As a proud Breville espresso machine owner, have you ever wondered about cleaning your espresso machine without using tablets? If yes, then keep reading. We are back with another cleaning guide for you.
And this time it’s all about cleaning with eco-friendly, home-based products. Breville, founded in 1932, manufactures espresso machines that are considered the best ones and have transformed the lives of millions.
Breville espresso machines have a complete cleaning guide in their user manual, which probably explains about using the machine with the Breville cleaning products supplied along with the machine.
But there might be times when you run out of cleaning tablets, and urgently need to clean your espresso machine as it is affecting the taste of the coffee. In such cases, we’re here to help, let’s learn how to clean your Breville espresso machine without tablets?
Reasons You Should Clean Your Breville Espresso Machine
You might wonder why cleaning and maintaining your espresso machine regularly is considered of utmost importance. The key reason why you are asked to regularly clean and maintain your espresso machine is to avoid costly repairs.
Regular cleaning ensures that your Breville espresso machine is in a good condition as it prevents several major breakdowns and continues pulling a great shot of espresso. Now let us quickly discuss the reasons we should clean our Breville espresso machine for:
- Keeps your espresso/coffee flavour intact and as great as it was for the first time.
- Helps get rid of any build-up such as limescale or calcium deposits.
- Increases the lifespan of you Breville espresso machine.
- Prevents the machine from clogging-up.
- Your espresso machine looks and feels better.
- Helps in the smooth functioning of Breville espresso machine.
- Hygiene is emphasized.
- Removes any coffee oils or coffee residue.
How To Clean Breville Espresso Machine Without Tablets?
If you ever fall in a situation where you’re left with no other option but to clean your espresso machine without tablets, then the alternate ways we are suggesting here are definitely going to help you in cleaning your Breville espresso machine. Let’s look at the alternatives of Cleaning Tablets:
· Vinegar:
Vinegar, a simple cooking product found in every household works wonders in cleaning your espresso machine. When you don’t have any cleaning agents/tablets to clean your espresso machine, the first and foremost thing that we recommend is using vinegar.
It contains acetic acid, thereby removing any coffee oils or residue from the interior of the Breville espresso machine.
How to use it?
- Add equal parts of vinegar and water to the water tank up to the maximum level. One part of vinegar and three parts of water is said to work the best. Or a cup of vinegar for 1/2 litre water would also do. Stir it thoroughly so as to create a paste.
- Brew the espresso machine until the water is half empty.
- Stop the process and let the mixture sit for over 30 minutes.
- Rinse it wholly until no trace of the solution is left.
- Take out the water reservoir, wash it with soapy water and fill it again with cold water.
- Now run cold water through the espresso machine to eliminate the traces of vinegar. Do this until the vinegar odour has completely disappeared.
However, despite of vinegar being helpful in removing dirt from your Breville espresso machine, make sure you don’t use it often as it can damage the rubber gasket and seals. Also, its odour may not go away soon, affecting the sweet and nutty aroma of espresso/coffee.
Lemon Juice:
Lemon Juice, a less acidic agent than vinegar, can also clean the internal parts of your Breville espresso machine. Moreover, it won’t leave behind odour, as vinegar does. So you can go for this option which is more stress-free.
A brew cycle of lemon juice will kill the mold, cleans the carafe, and also breakdowns mineral deposits. Now should you use bottled lemon juice? Yes, you can either use 100% lemon juice concentrate or even fresh squeezed lemon juice. Either of them would do.
How to use it?
- Add one part lemon juice and one part water to the water reservoir of the espresso machine. Or you can also combine these two ingredients in a bowl, mix it thoroughly and then pour it in the water tank.
- Start the brew cycle.
- Once done, wash the water tank with mild soapy water.
- Now again fill the water tank with cold water.
- Run the brew cycle to get rid of any lemon juice solution as you obviously don’t want your espresso/coffee to taste tangy.
- Your espresso machine is completely ready to use.
Lemon juice acts as a great descaler and cleaning agent of your Breville espresso machine, but it might also leave behind slight sour smell.
Baking Soda:
Did I say baking soda? Yes, baking soda is a good cleaning agent as it a mild alkali and helps in removing dirt, tough stains, and grease.
It is a natural, non-toxic ingredient and does not cause any side-effects on your espresso machine. Here, we will let you know how to use baking soda to clean the exterior of the Breville espresso machine.
How to use it?
- Add baking soda to water to make a paste.
- Apply it to the stained area.
- Let it sit on the stained area for several minutes before wiping it away.
Now your Breville espresso machine will be shiny as ever and look like a brand new one.
Citric Acid:
Lemon juice does contain citric acid, but if you don’t want to use lemon juice, then citric acid which is less acidic than the former is also an option for you.
It is very effective and cleans calcium deposits, rust, and hard water stains. It might be difficult for you to find citric acid in stores, so you can buy it from Amazon.
How to use it?
- Add a tablespoon of citric acid powder to the water tank filled with water.
- Stir it in order to dissolve the citric acid.
- Run the brew cycle to clean the espresso machine.
- Rinse your water tank and fill it with cold water.
- Run the brew cycle once again, but this time only with water.
You have your Breville espresso machine properly descaled.
[Pro Tip: You can also run a blank cycle before you run a brew cycle with any solution as it helps in removing coffee oils and residue.]
How To Clean Your Breville Espresso Machine?
The aforementioned steps were some ways to clean your Breville espresso machine without tablets. Apart from that, you also have to take proper care of your Breville espresso machine by its daily and weekly maintenance. Following are some tips to help you clean your Breville espresso machine:
- Clean your Breville espresso machine after you’ve unboxed it for the first time. Wash its removable parts and wipe the other with a damp cloth.
- Wipe the steam wand after every use. If the milk has hardened, use the cleaning pin to remove the clogs, if it still remains clogged, then soak it in warm water for a few minutes and then wipe it with a damp cloth.
- Empty the filter basket and drip tray after each use.
- If there’s a bin, also empty it regularly to avoid any bacterial growth.
- Clean the portafilter and the basket with a cleaning brush.
- Run blank water cycles every now and then to eliminate residue and coffee oils.
- Descale the Breville espresso machine every 2-3 months by following the methods mentioned in the article.
- Also, backflush your espresso machine once a week or so.
These were some quick tips for cleaning your Breville espresso machine, which will ensure its long life. 5 minutes of cleaning everyday can avoid repairs requiring hefty amounts.
FAQs:
- Are cleaning tablets and descaling the same?
No, they are not the same. While descaling removes any mineral deposits build-up from your espresso machine, cleaning tablets breaks down coffee oils and coffee residue from your espresso machine.
Cleaning tablets are used regularly, whereas descaling is done seldom as it is the deep cleaning of your espresso machine.
- What is Breville descaler made of?
Breville descaler is made of citric acid, sodium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate. This descaler removes limescale and calcium build-up from your Breville espresso machine. Moreover, it doesn’t live behind any odour or residual taste.
- What can I use instead of Breville descaling powder?
If you’re not willing to use an expensive Breville descaling powder, you can utilise vinegar (mostly white vinegar is recommended), lemon juice, and citric acid to descale your Breville espresso machine as it almost gives you the same cleaning result, but might leave slight odour.
- How often should I descale my Breville espresso machine?
You should descale your Breville espresso machine every 2-3 months to ensure the smooth functioning of your machine and also to lengthen its lifespan.
In this article, we’ve mentioned several ways by which you can easily descale your espresso machine using simple kitchen ingredients.
- Is it safe to wash the dishwater-safe parts of Breville espresso machine in the dishwasher?
Customers have recommended not to get carried away by the dishwasher-safe Breville espresso machine parts, as washing them in the dishwasher can cause damage to them.
So always try to wash the removable and dishwasher-safe parts with your hand or a scrub as the case may be.
Conclusion:
So now you’re well aware of how to clean your Breville espresso machine without cleaning tablets. The cleaning tablets themselves are made of natural ingredients which we use as their alternatives.
The only difference is that we’re using the pure form of the cleaning tablets which are also equally effective, economical, and also eco-friendly. Give a try to all these steps and find out which works best for your Breville espresso machine.
Resources Consulted For Research On This Article
How do I clean my Breville Espresso Machine at home? – Quora
Cleaning alternatives? – Reddit
The Best Way to Descale Your Breville Espresso Machine – WikiHow
