Do I need to use a Milk System Cleaner on my coffee machine?

Cleaning a coffee machine can be quite daunting, as there are many different parts to these mechanical works of art. We frequently overlook the milk system of all automatic, semi-automatic, commercial espresso and household espresso machines.

When do you need to concern yourself with cleaning your machines milk system?

The easy answer to the question is: If your machine has a part that comes into contact with milk you should be cleaning that part of the machine thoroughly to avoid bigger problems in future. Main machine categories that needs to be cleaned with a milk system cleaner are:

1. Machines that have a steam wand
2. Machines that have a built-in milk circuit/Frother (automatic one touch machines)
3. Machines that have a milk container (such as a Nespresso® Latissima)
4. The physical milk jug used to froth milk
5. External milk frothers where you experience heavy milk build up.

Why a milk system cleaner?

Milk is a wonderful and well-loved addition to coffee and can turn an ordinary espresso into a smooth, creamy Cappuccino, latte, flat white or a whole array of delicious coffee based beverages. Unfortunately, milk also has a tendency to build up milk stones, fats and also go rancid (we all know what sour milk smells like) with harmful bacteria. Because of this, you would need to clean the parts of the machine that come into contact with the milk. The main function of a milk system cleaner is to clean the parts of your coffee machine that you cannot reach (where milk will go through a pipe system or a milk circuit).

Why use the Caffenu® Universal Milk System Cleaner?

• Our milk cleaner is an alkaline solution which is a very advanced formulation. It contains several components to perform different functions.
• Alkaline base – this helps effectively break down the milk fats and proteins
• Low foaming non-ionic surfactant – this aids in bonding with the milk fats and proteins to the water to lift them off surfaces, and the low foaming makes it suitable for CIP (cleaning in place) closed systems
• Sanitizer/Cationic surfactant – we use a broad spectrum sanitizer it is effective as a sanitizer, it acts as an algaecide (kills Algae), biocide (kills bacteria) and works as a preservative in the pharmaceutical industry

What can happen if you don’t clean the milk system of your machine properly?

Cleaning the milk system is a vital part of ensuring the machine operates properly. Blockage in the steam nozzle or pipe can lead to many problems. The worse of which is if the anti-suction valve on the steam wand blocks and allows milk into the boiler. Fixing this error will result in costing you thousands to have your machine fixed and working properly again.

How often should you clean your machines milk system?

How often the system needs to be cleaned depends on how often a machine gets used. For instance, a commercial machine will need to be cleaned more often than a home-used machine. For the general part we recommend cleaning milk systems of a machine at least once a week.

Follow these cleaning instructions for your coffee machine:

General instructions for use on Automatic One Touch Milk Circuits:

1. Create cleaning solution: Mix 50 ml of the Caffenu® Milk System Cleaner with 500 ml of cold water.
2. Insert suction tube into cleaning solution or if available, fill solution directly into milk container.
3. Run entire solution through milk circuit.
4. Repeat process with clean cold water to thoroughly rinse all components.

General instructions for use on Steam Wands and other Dairy Equipment:

1. Create cleaning solution: Mix 50 ml of the Caffenu® Milk System Cleaner with 500 ml of warm water.
2. Soak/submerge steam wand and other parts for 20-30 minutes.
3. Rinse all components thoroughly with clean water.