How to Clean an Espresso Machine in 5 Steps

Laatst bijgewerkt op: 13/10/2026

Even if it’s the best coffee in the world, if it’s brewed with a dirty espresso machine, it will still taste sharp, bitter, and metallic. That’s why it’s important to clean your espresso machine thoroughly. Especially the inside of the machine—all parts that come into contact with water, milk, or coffee must stay clean. We’ll walk you through exactly what, how, and how often to clean your espresso machine in 5 steps!

Cleaning Your Espresso Machine

1. Descale the water with a filter

The water we use to make coffee contains calcium. This is important for the coffee’s flavor. Too much or too little calcium is bad for both the flavor and the machine. Treat the water before it enters the espresso machine by attaching a special limescale filter to the water hose of your espresso machine or by filtering the water using a filter pitcher, such as those from BRITA or BWT. Machines with a thermoblock or single boiler are easy to descale. Never use (cleaning) vinegar; always opt for a special espresso machine descaler. Vinegar can damage most espresso machines, potentially causing leaks.

2. Blind-filter the brew group

The shower head assembly usually has a bayonet fitting. This is the perfect spot for grease and grime to stick to and build up. There are special brushes for cleaning the shower head, but a microfiber cloth often works best. The inside and outside of the shower head, as well as the area around the rubber seal, are also notorious for accumulating dirt.

Blind Filtering

Many systems draw a small amount of coffee back into the machine after brewing the espresso. The fats in the coffee adhere to the pipes. You can only clean these with blind filtering.

Replace the regular filter basket with one that has no holes, or insert a rubber stopper into the regular filter basket. Pour some coffee grease remover into it. By allowing the machine to build up pressure a few times, it will draw water mixed with the cleaning solution into the system.

It is vital to rinse thoroughly with clean water afterward. How often you need to perform a blind rinse depends heavily on how often and intensively the machine is used, your machine’s system, and the coffee. This can range from every 30 shots to once a day. In general, you can say that if the inside of your shower head is clean, you’re blind filtering enough.

Don’t forget to brew at least two shots of espresso after blind filtering and discard them; otherwise, the coffee will taste bitter. By the way, it’s also a good idea to do a blind brew every now and then without a coffee grease remover. With high-quality coffee, doing this every ten to fifteen shots is definitely not a luxury.

3. Filter Holders

Dirt and grease also accumulate in the filter holder, which contains the filter basket, so don’t forget to clean this part of the espresso machine as well. Undamaged Teflon-coated filter holders and stainless steel filter holders are easy to clean with a cloth and a small brush.

Other filter holders require a bit more attention. Let them soak in the same coffee grease solvent for a while to remove the black grease layer. This will also remove the buildup in the legs of the filter holder. Never use a scouring pad on stainless steel or Teflon-coated filter holders. It’s important to clean the filter baskets regularly, because over time they become become so clogged that cleaning is no longer possible.

4. Empty the drip tray

If your espresso machine has a fixed drain, it’s important to also regularly empty the drip tray beneath your drip pan and flush the drain line with coffee grease remover. For stubborn clogs, run a drain snake through the drain.

5. Clean the steam wand

The holes in the steam wand can become clogged with milk residue or limescale. Unscrew the steam wand from your machine and poke through the holes. Have a spare O-ring ready in case it no longer seals properly after reassembly.