Descaling and Cleaning your Nescafé Dolce Gusto Capsule Coffee Machine

Descaling & Cleaning your Nescafé® Dolce Gusto® Capsule Coffee Machine doesn’t need to be a big task. In fact it can be a rewarding experience. After you give your machine that spring clean, you will be rewarded with a hot, fresh cup of coffee. That is ultimately what you really want to get out of your coffee machine, right?

So, let’s discuss why and how you should be cleaning your Nescafé® Dolce Gusto® Capsule Machine.

Why you should clean your Nescafé® Dolce Gusto® machine

Whether you use your machine daily or only every now and then, here is a fact for you: Every time you brew a coffee, the water that is running through your machine leaves mineral and limescale residue on the heating element and piping of your coffee machine. This limescale build-up also leads to weak machine performance, and it can result in cold, bad-tasting coffee or lead to leaks and blockage which might cause damage to your machine. It can also clog the water/brewing needle which can affect the flow of your coffee and make it slow. A tip to slow down the build-up of limescale is to use filtered water in your machine’s reservoir. However even with using filtered water, there will be a time where limescale needs to be attended to.

Apart from the limescale on the inside of your Capsule Coffee machine, there is also other areas that can get dirty. Don’t forget to clean the capsule holder and your drip tray. These can all build up coffee residue that needs to be cleaned. The residue can cause bacteria and foul smells that are definitely not wanted inside your next cup of coffee.

Thankfully there is fairly easy ways to clean your machine without the need for elbow grease and industrial-grade detergents.

How do I descale and clean my Nescafé® Dolce Gusto® coffee machine?

There is two steps to keeping your machine maintained well so it can give you the best coffee and last a long time.

The first step is descaling. A descaler is key to remove limescale and mineral build-up from a coffee machine’s heating element and piping. Plus descaling also removes the residue build-up from your coffee machine’s brewing needle. Below is a quick breakdown on how to descale.

First check your machine manufacturer’s instruction manual for descaling and rinsing procedures.

1. Pour 100 ml (single dose) of Caffenu® Eco Descaler into the water tank of your machine, with 500 ml of water to make the descaling solution.
2. Place a large container under the brew spout and run a brewing cycle to dispense about 200 ml of the solution into container.
3. Repeat step 2 until all the solution has been dispensed, allowing the machine to sit for 5 minutes between each cycle.
4. Rinse the tank then fill it with clean water and repeat step 2. Once done, wipe the machine and surface around it with a damp cloth.

The second step is cleaning. Usually it is recommended to use a Cleaning Capsule for this step, but in the case of the Dolce Gusto®, the actual capsule you use serves as the brew chamber. So you only need to clean the rest of your machine which is the capsule holder and drip tray. Remove the capsule holder and drip tray and soak it in hot water with dish soap. Then give it a clean with a toothbrush and/or cloth, and rinse. Lastly, use a brush with medium-hard bristles to gently clean where the capsule holder fits in to remove the residue.

It is safe to say that you have just spring cleaned your Dolce Gusto® coffee machine. Here’s to great coffee!