Do pod coffee machines need descaling?

So, the solution to scale? Descaling. There are a number of methods to descale a pod coffee machine, but at its essence, it’s cleaning the scale build up from your machine. The more regularly you do it, the easier it is to clean off. Scale looks like a white, crust-like substance that builds up in appliances that use water (now’s a good time to check on your kettle and see if it needs some TLC) and is usually made up of calcium and magnesium found in tap water.

The process of descaling is to remove this build up of sediment specifically, with a special descaling solution that is run through your coffee machine to give it a good clean on the inside.

If you don’t want your coffee tasting weird, then descaling needs to be part of your pod coffee machine maintenance routine The good news is that while regular cleaning should be done as often as you use your pod coffee machine (aka, if you use it daily, clean it daily) descaling a pod coffee machine only needs to be done every 6 months or so.

In severe cases, failing to descale your pod coffee machine on the reg can cause it to malfunction, and even stop working altogether.

If you’re not sure if you pod coffee machine needs a descale, there’s a few things to look out for:

• Your coffee tastes extra bitter and burnt
• The water in the machine isn’t flowing well
• Your machine is making strange sounds
• The water isn’t heating well

Some brands, like Nespresso, have descaling kits that you can purchase to descale your pod coffee machine. It usually contains some sort of descaling solution that is designed to gently remove the limescale build up. Once the descaling solution is run through your machine, then you give it a wipe with a damp cloth.

But wait - can I use vinegar to descale my machine?

There’s plenty of home-made descaling solution recipes online, and most call for vinegar as an ingredient. Nespresso explicitly says to not use any sort of vinegar solution in their machines as it can cause some serious damage.

If you’re in doubt, many coffee machine brands do sell their own brand of descaling solution so you can descale your machine.

As for step-by-step instructions on how to descale your machine, each brand has its own manual, but they tend to be pretty similar. For instance, ALDI has this step-by-step instruction guide for cleaning their Expressi machine.

1. Remove and empty the water tank.
2. Refill the water tank with a descaling solution (not included) and water as specified on the instructions of the descaling solution. Refit the tank back into the unit.
3. Place a cup/container under the dispenser.
4. Dispense the descaling solution by alternately pressing the espresso and lungo buttons, emptying the cup/container as necessary.
5. Repeat until the water tank is completely empty.
6. Remove the water tank, wash, rinse and then fill completely with clean drinking water.
7. Place your cup/container under the dispenser and rinse the machine through with this fresh water by alternately pressing the espresso and lungo buttons.

Nespresso on the other hand has a specific descaling guide for each of its pod coffee machines (including video guides).

To put it simply - cleaning is the ongoing, regular maintenance of your machine to keep it clean from coffee granules, bacteria and mould. Cleaning should be done as often as you use your machine, whether that’s daily, weekly, or monthly. Descaling on the other hand is the process to specifically clean off the build up of limescale from your pod coffee machine, and only needs to be done every 6 months or so. That said, if you live in an area where your tap water is known to be ‘hard’ (has a lot of minerals) then you may need to descale your machine more regularly. 

Some people opt to use filtered water in their pod coffee machine, as filtered water has less impurities and minerals, so the scale won’t build up as much as it does with unfiltered tap water.