Whether it's the first coffee in the morning, or the long-awaited cup during a break at work: The full-bodied and aromatic taste of the hot drink is often the highlight of the day for true coffee lovers. To retain this unique and intense aroma, it is important to descale your coffee maker. Because it is not only the taste of coffee that changes as a result of a calcified machine, calcium deposits in coffee machines provide the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and also reduce the lifespan of the appliances. Read here what you should pay attention to when descaling your machine and how you can prevent calcium deposits.
Household appliances that run on water, such as coffee makers, washing machines or kettles, form calcium deposits after a certain period of time. How much and how quickly these deposits collect depends on two factors. On the one hand, the Hardness level of water is decisive and, on the other hand, the frequency of use. It's logical — the more you use your coffee machine, the faster calcium deposits build up and then it's time to descale the machine. But what does the hardness of the water have to do with the calcification of household appliances? The answer is extremely simple: The harder the water is, the more calcareous it is. Hard water is referred to as water with a hardness of 14 °dH (degree of German hardness). There is nothing bad with lime in drinking water, because it consists of calcium and magnesium ions — minerals that are important for our body. However, heating the water in the coffee machine changes the solubility of lime, it becomes hard and accumulates. White residues can now be seen.
With daily use of the coffee maker, it is not difficult to tell when it is time to clean the machine. Regardless of whether you have a portafilter, a fully automatic machine or a filter machine at home — the following eight points will tell you whether and when it is time to descale your coffee machine.
As you already know, how often the coffee machine should be descaled depends on the degree of hardness of the water: The harder the water, the more often it must be descaled. Many coffee machines light up a small light in color to indicate when to descale. In principle, however, you should thoroughly clean and descale your coffee machine every two to three weeks.
When the day of days has arrived and you need to descale your coffee maker, there are several ways to do so. When you buy the machine, you often receive a descaling solution suitable for the model and manufacturer. The descaling solutions are often expensive to buy and in some cases are not particularly sustainable. But with very simple home remedies that are significantly cheaper and more sustainable, you can achieve the same result: a clean and lime-free coffee machine.
Vinegar essence is a true all-rounder in the household. So it's no wonder that vinegar essence is also perfect for descaling the coffee machine. You can read about how this works and what you need to consider in the step-by-step instructions.
Step 1: the right mixing ratio
Before you start decalcifying with vinegar essence, you must ensure the correct mixing ratio. The ideal mixing ratio between water and vinegar essence depends on the degree of calcification. Therefore, the following applies:
Step 2: Start descaling process
Now fill the water-vinegar mixture into the coffee machine's water tank and start the descaling process in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The process usually takes a few minutes. If you want to descale a filter coffee maker, place an empty filter bag in the holder.
tip: You can often find very well-explained instructional videos online. This allows you to immediately search for videos specifically for your machine model.
Step 3: Complete the descaling process
Once the descaling process is complete, it makes sense to let the coffee machine run three to four times with clear water to make sure that the next coffee doesn't taste like vinegar. The coffee machine is then ready for use again and nothing stands in the way of aromatic and full-bodied coffee enjoyment.
In addition to vinegar essence, there are other home remedies that you can use as a descaling agent for the coffee machine, such as citric acid. The advantage over acetic acid is that citric acid is less aggressive. Here's how it works:
Step 1: the right mixing ratio
Fill the water tank with water to the maximum mark and add a teaspoon of citric acid powder. Stir the powder until it is completely dissolved. After the powder has dissolved, you can start the descaling process.
Step 2: Start descaling process
Follow the manufacturer's instructions to descale the coffee maker.
Step 3: Complete the descaling process
After the descaling process is complete, you should run clear water through the coffee machine three to four times, as with descaling with vinegar essence.
Good to know: Citric acid is only suitable for cold decalcification, as high temperatures produce calcium citrate, which combines with lime and is permanently deposited in the machine.
If you have a fully automatic coffee machine, you should not descale your coffee machine with vinegar essence or citric acid. The reason is that the acid in the vinegar and lemon is too aggressive and can damage components, as well as rubber or silicone seals. In the worst case, the fully automatic machine is so severely damaged that it can no longer be used afterwards. You don't have to worry about portafilter and filter coffee machines; cleaning and descaling with vinegar essence and citric acid works very well here.
With fully automatic coffee machines, it is advisable to follow the manufacturer's guidelines and use special descaler tabs. Not least to continue to guarantee the warranty period, which expires when using other descaling methods. If you still want to use a home remedy, baking powder has proven to be an effective remedy against lime. To do this, add a packet of baking powder to the water tank of the fully automatic machine and let the water flow completely once. At the end, fill the water tank with clear water and allow it to rinse again. Fully automatic coffee machines should be descaled at least four times a year.
Calcified coffee machines not only spoil your well-earned cup of coffee, they are often time-consuming to clean and descale. In order to prevent calcium deposits, it is useful to consider a lime protection system. Lime protection systems such as from AQON PURE are innovative and effective. Such a system is installed once at the domestic water connection and prevents calcium deposits due to seed crystal formation before. Contrary to others water softening systems Do the valuable minerals calcium and magnesium remain contained in water, but the lime is rinsed out with the crystals and is less likely to settle in water pipes and household appliances.
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