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Descalers, cleaning tablets and brushes to keep machines working.
Coffee machines
Tap, filtered or bottled? What hard water does to a coffee machine, what Sage and De'Longhi say about distilled and sparkling water, and filter prices checked 3 Oct 2026.
How to backflush an espresso machine with a blind basket and cleaning tablet: which machines support it, Sage's CLEAN ME cycle, and models you should not backflush.
How to clean a cafetière after every brew: emptying grounds safely, taking the plunger mesh apart, Bodum dishwasher guidance, shifting stains, and when to replace the filter.
Grinders
Why grinders need cleaning, step-by-step methods for burr and blade grinders, what makers say about rice, and notes for Sage machines with built-in grinders.
How to clean a milk frother after every use: non-stick jug care, whisk removal, handheld wands, Nespresso Aeroccino notes, burnt-milk residue and which parts can go in the dishwasher.
How to clean a moka pot the way Bialetti recommends: a water-only rinse for aluminium pots, what's different for stainless steel, descaling with citric acid or vinegar, and when to replace the gasket.
How to clean a coffee machine steam wand: the purge-and-wipe routine after every drink, unblocking the tip with the cleaning pin, soaking a stuck tip, and notes for Sage, De'Longhi and Gaggia.
How to descale a coffee machine in general terms: why and how often, branded descaler vs citric acid or vinegar, what makers allow, and links to every machine-specific guide on Hoppin Hopper.
Four ways to descale a kettle, from kettle makers and UK water companies: citric acid, white vinegar, lemon and branded descalers, plus how to keep scale away.
Coffee machines
De'Longhi Dedica descaling step by step from the EC685 manual: the orange light, the 10-second button hold, the steam dial, the rinse, and descaler prices checked 3 Oct 2026.
Coffee machines
How to descale a De'Longhi Eletta Explore from De'Longhi's manual: the touchscreen alert, De'Longhi descaler, a 2 litre container, the filter step and the rinses, in about 30 minutes.
Espresso at home
How to descale De'Longhi La Specialista machines from the official manuals: the Arte's dial, the Opera's hot water button and the Touch's guided screen, plus the descaler and rinse.
Coffee machines
De'Longhi Magnifica descaling step by step from De'Longhi's manuals and FAQs, for the Magnifica Evo, Magnifica Start and Magnifica S, with descaler prices checked 3 Oct 2026.
Coffee machines
How to descale a De'Longhi Rivelia from De'Longhi's manual: the on-screen alert, De'Longhi descaler, a 1.5 litre container, the filter step and the rinses, in about 30 minutes.
Coffee machines
Dolce Gusto descaling step by step from the makers' manuals for the Genio S, Mini Me and Piccolo XS, with what you need, how often, and why to skip vinegar.
Coffee machines
The Gaggia Brera's descaling programme step by step, from Gaggia's own manual: what you need, the selector switch moves, the two rinses and what to do if the cycle is interrupted.
Coffee machines
Gaggia's own descaling method for the Classic Pro and Classic Evo Pro, step by step: what you need, how long it takes, how often to do it and what to do if water stops flowing.
Coffee machines
When the descaling light comes on a Melitta Purista bean-to-cup machine, here's how to run the descaling programme from Melitta's own UK manual, what you need and how often to do it.
Coffee machines
Nespresso Citiz descaling from the official manual: what you need, the 3-second button sequence, the rinse, how often to descale and what the blinking lights mean.
Coffee machines
Nespresso Creatista descaling for the Creatista Plus, Pro and Uno, from the official manuals: the on-screen alert, the lockout count-down, the menu and the Uno button sequence.
Coffee machines
Nespresso Essenza Mini descaling from the official manual: what you need, the two-button descale mode, the rinse, how often to do it and what to do if it goes wrong.
Coffee machines
Nespresso Lattissima One descaling from the official manual: what the orange light means, the descaling pipe, the rinse, and why the light can stay on afterwards.
Coffee machines
The Nespresso Vertuo descaling cycle step by step from Nespresso's manuals, for Vertuo Next, Pop and the older Vertuo Plus, with what you need and how to tell it's done.
Espresso at home
How to descale a Ninja Luxe Café from Ninja's UK instructions, for the Premier (ES601UK) and Pro (ES701UK): the DESCALE light, the powder or Ninja's vinegar option, the 90-minute cycle and the flush.
Coffee machines
The Philips 2200 calc-clean cycle step by step, from Philips' own manual: what descaler to use, the AquaClean filter, the rinse and what to do if it stops halfway.
Coffee machines
How to descale Philips 3200 machines, LatteGo or classic frother: when the light tells you, what to remove first, what the warning lights mean if it stalls, and how to set water hardness.
Coffee machines
The Philips 5400 descaling cycle step by step, from the maker's manual: what you need, how long it takes, what to do if it stops halfway, and how to descale less often.
Coffee machines
Sage Bambino descaling step by step from Sage's BES450 and BES500 manuals: the flashing-button alert, the DESCALE line, the button holds, the rinse and how it differs on the Plus.
Coffee machines
Sage Barista Express descaling step by step from Sage's BES875 manual: how often, the button sequence, the coffee, steam and hot water stages, the rinse, and Impress differences.
Coffee machines
How to run the Sage Barista Pro descale cycle from the menu, step by step from Sage's own UK instruction book: what you need, when to turn the steam dial and the rinse.
Coffee machines
How to descale the Sage Dual Boiler BES920, from Sage's UK manual: cooling down, the descale menu, draining both boilers through the valves, and the two flushes.
Coffee machines
How to descale the Sage Oracle, Oracle Touch and Oracle Jet, from Sage's UK manuals: the valve method on the original Oracle, the menu cycles on the newer models and what descaler to use.
Coffee machines
Smeg's descaling cycle for its BCC bean-to-cup machines, step by step from the official manuals: the button combination for each model, what you need, the rinse and setting water hardness.
Coffee machines
Tassimo descaling step by step from Tassimo's UK instructions: the two tablets, the yellow Service T DISC, the 30-minute cycle, the rinses and model notes.
Coffee machines
What the calc warning means on a Krups Sensation bean-to-cup machine and how to run the descale cycle, from Krups' own instructions.
Coffee machines
What the calc'n'clean light means on a Siemens EQ300 bean-to-cup machine, and how to run the cleaning and descaling programme from Siemens' own UK manual.
Espresso at home
Bitter espresso usually means over-extraction, a dirty machine or a very dark roast. Here's how to tell which, and the fixes Sage and De'Longhi give.