How to clean and descale a bean-to-cup coffee machine
Most bean-to-cup breakdowns come down to skipped cleaning and limescale. Here is a routine that takes a few minutes a day, with the manufacturer's step-by-step videos.
Why cleaning matters
Coffee and milk pass through the same parts hundreds of times a day. Milk residue spoils within hours, coffee oils change the taste of every cup, and over time deposits clog the brewing unit. Dried milk in the lines is the most common reason for a service call. The good news is that daily care takes minutes, and the machine reminds you of most tasks.
Every day
- Milk-system cleaning programme: run it from the screen after the last milk drink. Most Coffee Format machines clean the milk system automatically; you place a container under the spout and follow the prompts.
- Keep milk chilled: if the machine works with a fridge (SC12T, POTT 12 or the ATLAS fridge), the milk line is cleaned together with the system.
- Drip tray and grounds bin: empty and rinse. Machines with a waste drainage connection only need the tray wiped.
- Spout and housing: wipe with a damp cloth.
Every week
- Brewing unit: on smaller models such as the SEED and BLOOM, remove it and rinse under running water. Office and commercial machines run a cleaning programme with a tablet.
- Bean hopper: if an oily film builds up, empty the beans and wipe it dry.
- Deeper milk-system clean with a dedicated milk-system cleaner.
Descaling
Tap water contains calcium and magnesium, which settle in thermoblocks, boilers and lines when heated. Scale insulates the heating element, so the machine heats more slowly, coffee can come out lukewarm and flow weakens. Descale when the machine asks you to; how often depends on water hardness and volume. Set the water hardness in the menu using a test strip so the reminder appears at the right time.
- Start the descaling programme from the machine menu.
- If there is a filter in the tank, remove it for the programme.
- Add descaler diluted as the pack directs.
- Place a large container under the outlets and follow the on-screen prompts.
- Let the machine finish rinsing with clean water. Never stop the programme halfway.
On plumbed-in machines, a water filter matched to your water hardness greatly reduces scale and improves taste. It does not replace descaling, but it lengthens the intervals.
What to use, and what to avoid
Use products made for coffee machines: brewing-unit tablets, milk-system cleaner and descaler. Washing-up liquid leaves an odour and foams in the lines, while vinegar and citric acid damage seals. Coffee Format cleaning products are listed under accessories.
Videos: step by step
The manufacturer has recorded short guides for each group of machines. Office models include the NOVA, BREAK and DUKE; commercial models include the DEMY, GROW and DOUBLE.
When we install a machine, we show your staff how to clean that specific model.
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