Coffee machine descaler

Emmia

BlueonBlue said:

Emmia said:

Something to note, my machine's instructions specifically says not to use white vinegar to descale. I would look up what the manufacturer of your machine recommends, rather than any old descaler you have lying around (like citric acid crystals).

I wonder why they say not to use tesco white vinegar which is 35p for 500ml ?

Those cleaning tabs are probably just bicarbonate of soda .

The manual says it damages seals on the inside of the machine.

The dedicated cleaner and descaler products aren't pricey, or put another way I'm not risking damaging the machine by using a product the manufacturer specifically advises against. 

It  might be "cheap" to use vinegar, but you risk extra expense to replace the machine.

GDB2222

Just to report back:

My machine is a reasonably priced L'Or coffee pod machine. I would be more circumspect with a more expensive machine. To be frank, it would save me a fortune if the machine broke, as I spend far more on pods than I was previously paying for coffee beans for the aeropress. 

The recommended descaler is quite expensive- about 25% of the cost of the machine by the time delivery is factored in.

Anyway, I mixed up a couple of table spoons of citric acid crystals with water, and waited until it was fully dissolved. Then just followed the instructions for descaling. It all seems to be working perfectly still. 

BlueonBlue

I do wonder if what they say is true but wouldnt  expect you to try tesco white vinegar and find out .

Seals are generally rubber and any white vinegar would be rinsed through with water afterwards .
Is it just upselling of cleaning products made from bicarbonate of soda ?

I am in a hard water area so clean my kettle two or three times a week as a example because its gets real bad very quickly .
Recently I used rice vinegar which seems to work very fast but the .35p tesco white vinegar works fine .
You can reuse the vinegar decanting into a previous empty bottle ...it just keeps on working to a point .

Emmia

BlueonBlue said:

I do wonder if what they say is true but wouldnt  expect you to try tesco white vinegar and find out .

Seals are generally rubber and any white vinegar would be rinsed through with water afterwards .
Is it just upselling of cleaning products made from bicarbonate of soda ?

I am in a hard water area so clean my kettle two or three times a week as a example because its gets real bad very quickly .
Recently I used rice vinegar which seems to work very fast but the .35p tesco white vinegar works fine .
You can reuse reuse the vinegar  decanting into a old used bottle ...it just keeps on working to a point .
I've never known white vinegar to damage anything ?

Don't get vinegar on pearls... I found this out the hard way.

BlueonBlue

Yes it will surface mark copper brass possibly alloy as thats the surface cleaning process .

All the coffee machines I had (pre coffee machine boom which we are now in) just didnt last .
So I gave up and went back to simple pour over with a coffee bean grinder where a 1kg bag of beans lasts either side of two months