To descale a coffee maker, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of citric-acid descaler concentrate to the water reservoir depending on your water hardness, top up with water, and run the machine's own descale cycle. Then run at least two full reservoirs of fresh water through the machine before you brew. Most Keurig, Nespresso and De'Longhi machines tell you when to descale; on hard water, do it before they ask.
The branded descaling solution most machine makers sell is citric acid and water in a single-use packet. The working chemistry is the same in our concentrate: citric acid dissolves the calcium carbonate that hard water leaves on the heating element and in the water lines. One 12 fl oz bottle covers up to 12 cleanings at light dosing, or 8 at the recommended dose.
What you need
- Think Crucial Professional Strength Citric Acid Coffee Machine Descaler (12 fl oz). It works with De'Longhi, Keurig, Breville, Nespresso, Ninja, Philips, JURA, Gaggia and most other machines.
- Fresh water.
- A mug or container large enough to catch a full reservoir. For a pod machine, an empty reservoir's worth of solution comes out through the brew head one cup at a time, so a large mug you can empty is enough.
- Your machine's manual for how to enter descale mode. Keurig, Nespresso and De'Longhi each use a different button sequence, and it varies by model.
Steps
- Prepare the machine. Remove any pod or capsule, empty the drip tray and the used-capsule bin, and empty the water reservoir. If the reservoir has a water filter, remove it before you descale; the acid damages the filter media.
- Measure the dose. Use 2 tablespoons for soft or filtered water and up to 4 tablespoons for hard water. If you are not sure how hard your water is, a white ring inside your kettle within a couple of weeks means hard.
- Fill the reservoir. Add the concentrate to the empty reservoir, then top up with water to the MAX line.
- Run the descale cycle. Enter descale mode as your manual describes and let the machine run the whole program. Pod machines usually brew the solution out in several cups; keep emptying the mug until the reservoir is empty. Some machines pause part-way to let the solution sit. Let them.
- Rinse the reservoir. Empty any remaining solution, rinse the reservoir under the tap, and fill it to MAX with plain water.
- Run two rinse cycles. Brew the full reservoir of plain water through the machine with no pod, then refill and do it again. Two full rinses clear the acid and any taste.
- Finish. Refit the water filter if you removed one, refill with fresh water, and brew a cup to discard before your first real cup.
How often to descale
Most machines count brews and prompt you on a schedule. That prompt does not measure the scale in your machine, so use it as a floor, not a rule. On soft or filtered water, every three months is plenty. On hard water, descale monthly to every two months. Slow brewing, a smaller cup than usual, louder pump noise or lukewarm coffee are all signs you have waited too long. At the recommended dose one bottle covers 8 cycles, so monthly descaling on hard water still gets most of a year out of a bottle.
What not to use
- Vinegar. Acetic acid is weaker on calcium carbonate than citric acid, and the taste hangs on through several rinses. Some machine makers also advise against it in their manuals.
- Bleach or any chlorine product. It does not remove scale, it is not safe in a drinking appliance, and it must never be mixed with an acid descaler.
- Dish soap or all-purpose cleaner. Surfactants foam inside the pump and lines and are hard to rinse out.
- Undissolved powder. Crystals that have not fully dissolved can lodge in the needle or the pump. A liquid concentrate avoids the problem.
- The wrong dose. More acid does not descale faster in one cycle; it makes the rinse take longer. Stay within 2 to 4 tablespoons.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as Keurig or Nespresso descaling solution?
It is the same working chemistry, citric acid and water, sold as a concentrate instead of single-use packets. It is not an OEM product and it is not made or endorsed by Keurig, Nespresso or De'Longhi.
Will it void my warranty?
Each manufacturer sets its own terms. Using a non-OEM descaler may affect your warranty, so check your machine's warranty before you decide.
Can I use it in a Philips, Saeco or Ninja machine?
Yes, the universal concentrate works in them. We also make a buffered descaler specifically for Philips 3200, 4300, 5400 LatteGo and Saeco machines, whose aluminum boilers benefit from a sodium-citrate buffer, and a dedicated Ninja Luxe Café descaler.
My drip coffee maker has no descale mode. What do I do?
Fill the reservoir with the solution, brew half of it through, switch the machine off and let the solution sit in the machine for the pause time your manual gives, then brew the rest and run two full reservoirs of plain water.
Does it smell or leave a taste?
The concentrate is unscented and bleach-free. After two full rinse cycles there is no taste left. If you can still taste anything, run one more reservoir of plain water.
Products used in this guide
- Think Crucial Professional Strength Citric Acid Coffee Machine Descaler, 12 fl oz
- Think Crucial 7-Use Descaler for Philips 3200, 4300, 5400 LatteGo and Saeco, 16 fl oz
- Think Crucial 15-Use Espresso Machine Descaler for Ninja Luxe Café, 16 oz
Keurig®, Nespresso®, De'Longhi®, Breville®, Ninja®, Philips®, Saeco®, JURA® and Gaggia® are trademarks of their owners and are used only to describe compatibility. Think Crucial is an independent manufacturer and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Our descalers are compatible products, not OEM products, and are not covered by those manufacturers' warranties; using a non-OEM product may affect your warranty. Always follow your machine manufacturer's own descaling instructions.