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Siemens EQ300 calc'n'clean: how to run it

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.

By Hoppin Hopper editorial teamUpdated Prices checked 5 min read

If the calc’n’clean button on your Siemens EQ300 has lit up, the machine wants its combined cleaning and descaling programme, often searched for as “Siemens EQ300 calc n clean”. It takes about 40 minutes and needs one Siemens cleaning tablet, one Siemens descaling tablet and a container that holds about a litre. The UK model is the TF301G19. We haven’t tested this in person. Everything below comes from Siemens’ UK Information for Use for the EQ300 TF301 and Siemens’ EQ.300 help pages, read on 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.

Siemens EQ300 calc n clean: the short answer

  1. Hold the calc’n’clean button for at least 5 seconds.
  2. Empty the drip tray and grounds container, clean the brewing unit and drop a cleaning tablet into its duct.
  3. Take out the water filter if you use one, then dissolve a descaling tablet in lukewarm water up to the tank’s 0.5 litre mark.
  4. Put a 1 litre container under the outlet and press the flashing button. After about 20 minutes, empty everything, refill the tank with fresh water and press the button again to rinse.

Who it isn’t for: owners of other EQ ranges, such as the EQ500 or EQ700, which have their own manuals.

What the calc’n’clean light means

Siemens’ manual says the button lights up depending on your water hardness and how much you use the machine, so there’s no fixed date to diary. It says to run the programme straight away, warning that cleaning and descaling late, or the wrong way, can damage the machine.

If it comes on very often, Siemens’ troubleshooting table suggests fitting a new water filter, setting the right hardness and using only suitable tablets.

What you need

  • One Siemens cleaning tablet. This goes in the brewing unit’s duct, and only cleaning tablets should go there. Siemens’ cleaning tablets (TZ80001A) were £14.74 at Siemens UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, and shown as limited stock. See them at Siemens UK.
  • One Siemens descaling tablet. This goes in the water tank, never in the brewing unit. A pack of 3 descaling tablets (TZ80002A) was £16.98 at Siemens UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, also shown as limited stock. See them at Siemens UK.
  • A container of about 1 litre to sit under the outlet system.
  • About 40 minutes. The descaling stage alone takes around 20 minutes, according to Siemens.

How to run calc’n’clean on the EQ300, step by step

These are Siemens’ steps from the UK manual, in our own words. Siemens also suggests cleaning the milk frother before you start.

Stage 1: clean and descale

  1. Start the programme. Press and hold the calc’n’clean button for at least 5 seconds until its light comes on.
  2. Open the door and take out the drip tray and coffee grounds container. Empty both.
  3. Take out the brewing unit and clean it, without washing-up liquid and never in the dishwasher, says Siemens.
  4. Add the cleaning tablet. Put one cleaning tablet into the brewing unit’s duct, then slide the unit back in.
  5. Refit the drip tray and grounds container and close the door.
  6. Remove the water filter, if there’s one in the tank.
  7. Make up the descaling solution. Fill the empty tank with lukewarm water up to the mark (0.5 litres, says Siemens’ help page) and dissolve one descaling tablet in it.
  8. Refit the tank and put a container of about 1 litre under the outlet system.
  9. Press the flashing button. The programme cleans and descales the machine, and the button pulses while it runs. This part takes about 20 minutes.

Stage 2: rinse

  1. Empty the container, open the door, empty the drip tray and put it back.
  2. Close the door and put the container back under the outlet.
  3. Clean the water tank. If you took out a water filter, put it back now.
  4. Fill the tank with fresh, cold, still drinking water up to the max mark.
  5. Press the flashing button again. The machine cleans and rinses itself.
  6. Finish off. Take out, empty and clean the drip tray and grounds container, then refit them. The machine is then ready to use.

Who this isn’t for: anyone hoping to skip the tablets. Siemens says to use only cleaning and descaling tablets developed for the machine. It also says never to use pure citric acid, vinegar, vinegar-based products or descalers containing phosphoric acid.

What to do if calc’n’clean gets interrupted

If the programme stops part way through, for example in a power cut, warning lights come on. Siemens’ manual gives a short reset:

  1. Clean the water tank, and put the water filter back if you removed one.
  2. Fill the tank with fresh, cold, still drinking water to the max mark.
  3. Press the button. The machine rinses itself, which takes about 2 minutes.
  4. Empty, clean and refit the drip tray, then close the door.

If the machine stops responding altogether, Siemens suggests unplugging it for 60 seconds. Beyond that, the manual says repairs are for trained staff only, so contact Siemens’ customer service.

Water hardness and the water filter

The right hardness setting makes the machine ask for calc’n’clean at the right time. The menu has four hardness levels plus a water filter setting, and your local water supplier can tell you your level.

Siemens says a water filter cuts limescale, so you’ll need to descale less often. It also says to change the filter after 2 months at the latest. A single BRITA Intenza water filter for Siemens coffee machines was £13.99 at Siemens UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. See it at Siemens UK. If you start or stop using a filter, change the hardness setting to match.

What the EQ300 costs right now

Still deciding? The Siemens EQ300 TF301G19 was £299.00 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, prices can change. See it at Currys. Siemens’ UK product page lists a 1.4 litre water tank and a 250g bean container.

Downsides to know about

  • Tablet stock. Siemens UK showed both tablet packs as limited stock on 3 Oct 2026, so a spare of each may help.
  • It’s a 40-minute job, and you need to be there halfway to empty the container and refill the tank.
  • No shortcuts. Siemens only approves its own tablets.

Where to go next

FAQ

How long does calc’n’clean take on the Siemens EQ300? About 40 minutes in total, with around 20 minutes for the descaling stage, according to Siemens.

Can you use vinegar to descale an EQ300? No. Siemens says never to use vinegar, vinegar-based products or pure citric acid.

Do you need to take the water filter out? Yes. Remove it before you add the descaling tablet, then put it back at the rinse stage.

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Topics

  • Coffee machines

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