How to Descale a Coffee Machine
Over time, water leaves small mineral deposits, known as limescale, inside your coffee machine's internal circuits. Descaling regularly with the right coffee machine descaler helps your machine keep brewing great-tasting espresso, protecting aroma, temperature, and a steady flow with every cup.
Descaling your coffee machine means removing the limescale buildup that naturally forms with everyday use. As limescale accumulates inside the internal circuits, the machine can take longer to heat water, brew more slowly, or produce less crema. In more advanced cases, limescale deposits can cause blockages or malfunctions.
Proper maintenance offers several advantages:
- better-tasting, more aromatic coffee
- a consistent brewing temperature
- lower risk of breakdowns
- a longer machine lifespan
- improved energy efficiency
The water hardness setting on your machine has a direct effect on how often you need to descale. In areas with especially hard water, limescale builds up faster and calls for more frequent descaling.
Descaling should be carried out whenever your coffee machine prompts you to do so. That said, how often you need to descale isn't the same for every model. It mainly depends on your water hardness and how often you brew. For De'Longhi machines, it's important not only to follow your machine's own indications, but also to set the correct water hardness level ahead of time, based on the water in your area.
If you use your machine every day or live somewhere with very hard water, you may need to descale more often than someone who brews occasionally or has softer water. This is a helpful general guideline, but the correct descaling procedure will always be the one specified for your exact model, since De'Longhi descaling instructions and water hardness settings can vary from machine to machine.
De'Longhi offers different descaling systems depending on the type of machine. Fully automatic machines with a display walk you through a guided descaling process on-screen. Machines with an icon-based control panel instead follow a guided process explained in the quick guide or instruction manual.
Popular De'Longhi automatic coffee machine lines include Magnifica, such as the Magnifica Evo or Magnifica Duo, as well as Rivelia, Eletta Explore and Dinamica.
To reduce limescale buildup and keep your machine running well, keep these tips in mind:
- descale your machine whenever prompted, or as recommended in your instruction manual
- use De'Longhi water filters, where compatible, to soften water and help slow limescale formation
Keep in mind that the exact descaling process can vary depending on your model. We recommend always following the prompts shown on your machine and checking your instruction manual before you begin.
Before you start, make sure you have a container that holds at least 68 fl oz (2L) and the De'Longhi Decalk Care on hand. Depending on the model, the process can take 30 to 50 minutes.
Before starting, confirm that your machine is actually prompting you to descale, either through an alarm or an indicator light.
If your machine has a display, go to the settings menu and start the descaling process, following the on-screen instructions.
For machines without a display, check the quick guide or instruction manual, which you can find on the support page by searching for your machine model.
- Place the container under the coffee spouts and the hot water wand.
- Start the process from the settings menu, following the steps specific to your model.
- Empty the drip tray and coffee grounds container, then put them back in the machine.
- Empty the water tank and remove the filter, if there is one. Pour in descaling solution up to level A (equal to 3.4 fl oz / 100 ml of De'Longhi EcoDecalk), then add water up to level B.
- Put the water tank back and start the process by pressing the appropriate button.
- Milk system: if your machine uses a milk carafe, attach the waterspout; if it has a manual milk frother wand, no extra steps are needed.
- Descaling phase: the solution will come out of both the coffee spout and the hot waterspout, running through a series of automatic cycles and pauses to clear out limescale deposits.
- Rinse: after several minutes, your machine will ask for one or more rinse cycles to finish the process.
Note: it's completely normal to find some water in the coffee grounds container once the full cycle is done.
Plenty of people look for natural ways to descale a coffee machine. Vinegar and citric acid are two of the most common home remedies, but using them calls for caution and may not be the right choice for your machine.
Vinegar is well known for cutting through limescale, but it can leave lingering odors and, over time, may be too harsh for some of the machine's internal components.
Citric acid is also a popular household cleaning ingredient, but its effectiveness depends on getting the dilution and use just right. The wrong amount can leave the descaling incomplete or fail to fully remove limescale deposits.
To protect your machine's performance over time, it's best to use a descaler made specifically for maintaining De'Longhi coffee machines. The best coffee machine descaler for your De'Longhi is Decalk Care, formulated to break down limescale effectively while being gentle on internal components. For everyday cleaning of exterior surfaces, milk carafes, and removable parts, a dedicated product like MultiClean, paired with a microfiber cloth, delivers an effective yet gentle clean.
On modern De'Longhi coffee machines, the simplest way to know when to descale is to follow the machine's own indications. Thanks to built-in monitoring, the machine can flag when it's time to start the descaling process, factoring in how often you brew and your water hardness setting.
That's why it's important to set your water hardness level correctly and follow the instructions in your model's manual.
If descaling gets pushed back, skipped, or isn't done correctly, some telltale signs of limescale buildup in the internal circuits can show up over time, including:
- coffee that isn't as hot as usual
- thinner, less consistent crema
- changes in coffee flavor
Staying on top of the descaling process helps prevent excess limescale buildup and supports proper machine maintenance. This keeps your coffee quality high, protects performance over time, and extends the life of your machine.
Can I descale my coffee machine with vinegar?
Vinegar is one of the best-known home remedies for removing limescale, but it isn't recommended for espresso machines. It can leave lingering odors and, over time, may be too harsh for some internal components.
What happens if I don't descale my coffee machine?
If limescale builds up in the internal circuits, your machine can take longer to heat water, brew more slowly, and produce less crema. Over time, skipping descaling can also hurt performance and shorten your machine's lifespan, increasing the odds you'll need a repair technician.
What's the best descaler for a coffee machine?
To remove limescale effectively and protect your machine's performance, it's best to use a descalers specifically made for De'Longhi coffee machines, since it's designed to break down limescale without damaging internal components. DecalkCare is formulated to tackle limescale deposits effectively while protecting internal components and helping keep your machine running properly over the long run.
