How to clean a Breville espresso machine: daily, backflush and descale

Step by step: how to clean a breville espresso machine

Safety first. Steam and the group head are hot enough to burn; let the machine cool and switch it off before you take off the steam tip or shower screen. Never immerse the machine, cord or plug in water, and keep descaler off your skin and eyes.

1. 1

   Rinse the portafilter and basket after every shot

   Knock out the puck while it is warm, then rinse the filter basket and portafilter under hot water to wash off coffee oils. Breville says to do this right after use. Dry them before the next shot.

2. 2

   Purge the group head

   Lock the empty portafilter in and run a short flow of water, like a blank shot, to flush grounds off the shower screen. Then wipe the inside of the group head and the screen with a damp cloth.

3. 3

   Wipe and purge the steam wand

   Right after steaming milk, wipe the wand with a damp cloth, point it at the drip tray and open the steam for a second or two. That clears milk sucked back inside the tip. Milk dried in the holes is the most common reason a wand stops frothing.

4. 4

   Empty the drip tray

   Pull out the drip tray when the red or white indicator floats up through the grid, empty it, and wash the tray and grid in warm, soapy water. Breville says not to put any parts in the dishwasher.

5. 5

   Run the cleaning cycle when the light flashes

   Put the 1-cup basket in the portafilter, add the rubber cleaning disc, then one cleaning tablet on top, and lock it in. Fill the tank, empty the drip tray and set a large container under the spouts. Start the cleaning cycle for your model; it runs about 5 minutes and pulses water back through the group head.

6. 6

   Check that the tablet dissolved

   When the machine beeps or returns to ready, remove the portafilter and look inside. If the tablet has not fully dissolved, run the cycle again. Rinse the portafilter, disc, basket and drip tray afterward.

7. 7

   Descale when the descale alert shows

   Remove the water filter, dissolve one Breville descaling sachet in the tank with the amount of water your manual gives (34 oz on the Barista Express), and run the descale mode through the coffee, steam and hot water outlets until the tank is empty. Do not remove or fully empty the tank partway through.

8. 8

   Rinse the descaler out

   Rinse the tank, refill it to the max line with fresh cold water, and run the same descale steps again with plain water. The machine is rinsed when the water runs clear and has no taste. Reinstall a water filter, soaked for 5 minutes first if it is new.

How to start the cleaning and descale cycles on your Breville

Each Breville model uses a different button combination, so check your instruction book. These are the sequences for two of the most common machines, taken from their manuals.

The Barista Express manual and the Bambino manual both stress that the cleaning cycle is separate from descaling: the cycle with the tablet removes coffee oils from the group head, while descaling removes mineral scale from the water path. Touchscreen models such as the Barista Touch and Oracle start both from the cleaning menu.

How to clean the steam wand, shower screen and grinder

Every few weeks, or when shots run slow or the wand sputters, give these parts a closer clean. Switch off, unplug and let the machine cool first.

• Steam wand tip: push the pin on the cleaning tool into each blocked hole. If it is still blocked, unscrew the tip with the spanner end of the tool, soak it in hot water, clear the holes and screw it back on.
• Filter baskets: if holes are blocked, use the pin, or dissolve a cleaning tablet in hot water and soak the basket and portafilter for about 20 minutes, then rinse.
• Shower screen: on the Barista Express, remove the center screw with the Allen key, wash the screen in warm soapy water and dry it. The silicone seal behind it wears out over time and needs replacing.
• Built-in grinder: empty the hopper, run the grinder until empty, unplug, lift out the top burr and brush the burrs and chute. Never wash burrs in water. See our guide on how to clean a coffee grinder for more.

How often should you clean a Breville espresso machine?

Rinse every day, deep clean the parts weekly if you make a few drinks a day, and run the cleaning and descale cycles whenever the machine asks. Breville’s cleaning tutorial says that at two to five cups a day, most parts need cleaning once a week, while the grinder and water tank need it every two or three weeks.

Replacing the water filter every two months cuts how often you need to descale, and Breville suggests changing it more often in hard water areas. If you use bottled or filtered water, the manual says to take the in-tank filter out. Breville’s guide also lists slow brewing or shots that will not extract properly as signs a deep clean is overdue.

Mistakes to avoid

• Confusing the cleaning cycle with descaling; they do different jobs and you need both.
• Running the cleaning cycle without the rubber disc, so the tablet just rinses away.
• Leaving the water filter in during descaling, where it soaks up the solution.
• Putting the portafilter, baskets or drip tray in the dishwasher, which Breville says not to do.
• Running rice or grinder tablets not approved for your model through the built-in grinder.
• Waiting days to purge the steam wand, so milk dries inside the tip.