How often should you descale a coffee machine?

The short answer

It depends on the brand, the model and your water. Nespresso says every three months or 300 capsules, whichever comes first (its Irish site says every three to four months). Philips says about every three months for its SENSEO pod machine, and two or three times a year with soft water, four or five with hard water for its filter coffee makers. De'Longhi and Jura give no fixed interval for the models read here: the machine tells you when, and how soon depends on your water hardness setting. When your machine prompts, do it. Your model's manual is the figure that applies to you.

Nespresso: a fixed interval

Nespresso's VertuoPlus descaling guide says to descale every 3 months or 300 capsules, whichever comes first. The Irish Nespresso article says every three to four months or every 300 capsules, whichever comes first, and adds that how much coffee you drink affects how often. The two Nespresso pages differ slightly, so treat three months as the cautious end.

Some Nespresso models also show a descaling alert. Nespresso's Irish page says the manual is the reference for those models.

Philips: depends on the machine and the water

• SENSEO pod machines. Philips recommends descaling once every 3 months. Models with a CALC light show it after about 400 cups, and the light only turns off once the machine has been descaled. The page lists three models, so check yours.
• Philips filter coffee makers. The schedule assumes two full jugs a day. With soft water (up to 18 dH) descale two or three times a year; with hard water (over 18 dH), four or five times a year.
• Café Gourmet coffee maker. Roughly every two months with soft water (up to 13 dH), monthly with hard water (over 13 dH). The page names three models.

De'Longhi and Jura: the machine prompts you

De'Longhi (Magnifica Evo FAQ): descale when the red "descale" light comes on. The page says how often depends on the hardness of the water in your area, and recommends using the De'Longhi water filter and doing the water hardness test.

Jura (E8/E80 quick reference guide): the machine builds up limescale and prompts you to descale when necessary, and how fast depends on your water hardness. The guide also says that with a CLARIS Smart filter cartridge in use you will not be prompted to descale, and that the machine instead prompts you to change the filter once the cartridge is spent. The guide puts the programme at roughly 40 minutes for that model. Other Jura models were not read here, and filter behaviour can differ.

Set the water hardness correctly

Both De'Longhi and Jura tie the prompt to the hardness setting you entered. Set too high, the machine asks for descaling more often than it needs. Set too low, scale builds up before it warns you. Neither page here gives a way to measure hardness beyond De'Longhi's recommendation to run the hardness test; see your manual, or ask your water supplier.

Use the right descaler

• Nespresso says its machines should be descaled with its own Descaling Kit and that home remedies such as vinegar, citric acid or baking powder are not recommended on Original and Vertuo machines. Its VertuoPlus guide warns that other products, including vinegar and store-bought descalers, may cause damage.
• De'Longhi says to use only its descaler, and that an unsuitable descaler or incorrect procedure may cause faults not covered by the guarantee.
• Jura says the wrong descaling agent could damage the machine, and that interrupting the programme may also cause damage, so let it run to the end.

What this guide does not cover

These are manufacturer recommendations, not a legal requirement. Only four brands are covered, and each from one or two pages for specific models. Other models and brands (Krups, Sage, Siemens and others) were not read, so check their manuals.

Track it in Epimeleia

Add the coffee machine as an item, attach the manual and note the descaler it requires. Set a recurring reminder at three months as a default, or the interval your manufacturer gives, so descaling doesn't wait for the machine to nag you.