How Often Should I Service my Coffee Machine?

We have been approached with this question an immeasurable amount of times. This is an imperatively important question and we will take you through some guidelines regarding this, below. But, another question you need to have at the back of your mind is “How Often Should I Clean my Coffee Machine?” Herein we will discuss both, to help you as best we can, starting with the basics of how often we should be cleaning coffee machines:

How Often Should I Clean My Coffee Machine?  

I came across the best comparison I’ve seen in this regard: How often do you clean your frying pan or grill? After every use, I’m almost certain – because it would be disgusting to fry or grill your food in a dirty, pre-contaminated device. It is a harsh truth, but, the most apt comparison yet. Coffee has a lipid (natural fat) content, no matter if it is Arabica or Robusta , and that lipid residue stays behind after each brew. A build-up of this can result in bitter-tasting, spoiled coffee. Ensure you rinse the majority of your components daily, and perform a proper cleaning (with cleansing tablets and products) on – at the very least – a fortnightly basis.

Bear in mind that if you keep up with regular and effective cleaning on your coffee machines, the time between services can- and will – be drastically lengthened. That old saying “a stitch in time save nine” is on the mark!

How Often Should I Service My Coffee Machine? 

Again, I will reference another old quote: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” [sic]. If you can maintain your machine with regular cleaning, ensuring respectful use of it by employees and if you heed the warning signs the machine provides you with, you can go very long spans of time between each servicing.

A coffee machine is like a child; if your machine prompts you to rinse, then rinse. If it indicates it requires a filter change, or worst case – a descaling – perform those functions as and when you are reminded to do so. Remember that there are many components to a coffee machine; if you are fortunate enough to have a coffee machine with a milk frother, this is another component you will need to pay close attention to. 9 out of 10 cases in which a milk frother doesn’t work (in the majority of coffee machines) is because either the entire frothing element, or a part thereof, requires cleaning.

Now, hypothetically speaking, you have stuck by each and every rule imaginable and been an angel in this regard. Yes, you will still need to service your machine from time-to-time to keep it running at it’s optimal level. In strict terms, there is no cut-and-dry amount of time between services. In recommendation, a good guidelines would be every year.

There are so many influencing variables, there are almost too many to mention! Then manin three variables are laid out below:

How many people use the coffee machine? (higher usage requires higher maintenance and shorter intervals between services).

Have you rented our bought your coffee machine? (Buying it might mean you will have to pay for a service, and nobody wants to pay unnecessarily)

How often do you perform a deep clean on your machine? (This is a great influencer on servicing intervals and in my opinion, the most important maintenance factor in increasing the lifespan of your coffee machine).  

Considering all factors, if you stick to regular cleaning of your machine and train your staff to treat said machine carefully and clean it themselves – half the hard work is already done.