Descaling your coffee machine is an important part of its regular maintenance, and it guarantees that every cup you brew is deliciously made from pure water. In this article, you’ll learn how to descale your Nespresso machine with vinegar and get your machine back on track.
What is Descaling?
Over time, your coffee machine develops a layer of mineral residue. This is normal, and can be largely attributed to local tap water. However, I’m sure you don’t want to taste those minerals when you’re enjoying your morning coffee! To clean your coffee maker, you’ll need to perform a special process called descaling, which rids the machine of those unwanted minerals.
If you neglect to descale your machine regularly, it can change the taste of your coffee and even possibly damage or break the machine.
Using Vinegar to Descale
It’s always a good idea to regularly run water through your Nespresso machine without coffee. This allows the machine to clear itself out periodically. However, the process of descaling is a bit more thorough. Ideally, you should strive to descale your coffee machine once a month to prevent mineral buildup.
White vinegar is the most popular candidate for the job. It’s easily found at most supermarkets, and is very affordable. The reason that vinegar is often used to descale coffee machines is because it has a naturally high acid level which corrodes minerals and residue without damaging your machine.
How to Descale with Vinegar
It’s time to descale your Nespresso machine with vinegar the right way. Remember, before starting this process, make sure you consult the owner’s manual for your specific machine. If you don’t have a copy at home, you can head here to find it online. Nespresso also sells their own descale solution, which may be more effective if you’re willing to check it out.
Keep in mind that this process usually takes about 20 minutes and cannot be interrupted unless you want to restart from the beginning. With that in mind, it’s time to descale your machine.
Nespresso Vertuo
Luckily, the Nespresso Vertuo has some easy and effective built-in cleaning methods. For example, to run hot water through the machine with nothing else, simply press the top button three times. This will cause the machine to run about a liter of water, which is great for weekly or day to day maintenance.
When it comes to descaling, just follow these simple steps:
- Make sure that your machine is completely empty and that the used capsule is ejected.
- Remove the smaller parts and run them through your dishwasher or wash them by hand yourself. This will save you a lot of time!
- Remember to set a large container beneath the drip feed so that you don’t spill vinegar water everywhere.
- Fill the reservoir with a mixture made from one part vinegar and two parts water. Be sure not to add too much vinegar.
- Lock the machine, then unlock it.
- Hold the top button for seven seconds.
- Lock the machine again and press the button.
From there, you’ll hear machine make some loud noises, but don’t fear! This means the machine has entered descale mode. Now you can just wait for the Nespresso Vertuo to do the work for you. If you need a step-by-step video tutorial, you can find one here:
Nespresso Vertuo Plus
The Nespresso Vertuo Plus has a built-in descale alert system, which is great for those of us who don’t always remember to do it ourselves. When the machine needs to be descaled, it will let you know by changing the button light to a mix of red and green. From the time this alert starts, you’ll only be able to brew a few more cups until the machine requires you to descale it.
Here’s how to descale the Nespresso Vertuo Plus:
- Eject the used capsule from the machine and make sure it’s completely empty.
- Turn the machine off by pushing down on the lever for three seconds.
- Remove the machine’s smaller parts and run them through your dishwasher or wash them by hand if you prefer.
- Fill the reservoir with a mixture made from one part vinegar and two parts water.
- Push the button and the lever down simultaneously, and hold them both for three seconds. You want to see an orange light. This indicates you’ve entered special options for the machine.
- Push the lever down once to enter descaling mode.
- Place a large container under the drip feed and push the button on the top of the machine. Now you’ve started the descaling process. You want to make sure that the orange light is blinking the entire time.
- To finish the process, run the machine using only water to ensure that everything is cleaned and rinsed thoroughly.
If you need further instructions, check out this video for help:
Nespresso Vertuo Next
The Nespresso Vertuo Next also comes with a built-in descaling alert, although this one looks a little different. When the machine needs to be descaled, the top button will blink three times orange and three times white, alternating.
Here’s how to properly descale your Nespresso Vertuo Next machine:
- First, make sure the machine is empty and the capsule is ejected.
- Remove the smaller parts and run them through your dishwasher or wash them by hand if you prefer.
- Fill the reservoir with a mixture made from one part vinegar and two parts water.
- Open the machine head and unlock the lever.
- Hold the coffee button for seven seconds. The light will begin blinking rapidly to indicate you now have 45 seconds to enter descaling mode – otherwise, it will return to its default state.
- Lock the lid, and then unlock it.
- Push down once on the coffee button to start the descaling process. Make sure to place a large container beneath the drip feed to catch the liquid.
- Finally, run clean water through the machine after it’s descaled to rinse it thoroughly.
If you need a visual representation of these steps, check out this helpful video:
Simple and Clean
It’s important to make sure you’re making the most out of your Nespresso machine. You want every cup to be delicious and fresh – and descaling is the process that makes that dream a reality. Next time, there are no excuses. Descale your machine properly using these helpful instructions.
