This is a post mainly addressed to the owners of an Italian coffee machine. You know that correct cleaning and maintenance are necessary to prolong the life of a mocha machine, but what about rust? If your coffee machine is made of aluminium, there is a higher risk that it will rust, especially if you do not dry it thoroughly and correctly.
Today we’re going to learn some basic guidelines for cleaning a rusty coffee maker from the inside. If you have a rusty Italian coffee machine, you will need to provide yourself with some previous utensils, such as
- An aluminium scourer.
- Detergent (that you usually use to clean your dishes).
- Some vinegar or degreaser. This does not act against rust, but you can take advantage of it to practice a more thorough cleaning in your mocha.
The first step, as you can imagine, is to rub without rest until the rust comes out. In any case, later on, we will also review some alternatives to remove the rust from an Italian coffee machine. For example, if the above has not worked, you can try salt and lemon or bicarbonate and lemon.
NOTE: It should be made clear that these guidelines and elements are for cleaning a rusty coffee maker, which is already in poor condition. The process to clean a coffee machine in good condition daily is different and much less aggressive.
Cleaning the rust from your coffee machine with salt and lemon
The process could be summed up as follows:
- First, cover the rusty areas of your coffee machine with a thick layer of salt.
- Secondly, squeeze lemon juice (any other natural citric acid, such as lime, is fine).
- Finally, let this mixture rest for a couple of hours so that it takes effect on the rust, corroding it naturally.
- When it has gone through this type, rub the mixture with a hard sponge (of the resistant ones) to remove it, and don’t forget to rinse thoroughly with water when you finish!
Cleaning a rusty coffee machine with bicarbonate and lemon
In this case, a couple of spoonfuls of bicarbonate and some lemon juice will form a paste of specific density and with foam when mixed in a bowl. When you have it ready, apply it to the rusty areas of your coffee machine, and rub it with sandpaper to remove them.
How to clean a rusty coffee pot from the inside
We must distinguish between cleaning a rusty coffee machine on the inside and cleaning – dry – one of these containers. You can read about the latter and learn more in our Italian coffee machine maintenance guide.
Focusing on the issue of rust, we can start with this video where they teach us how to clean a rusty Italian coffee maker so that it looks new:
The truth is that there are many methods to remove rust from metal. Still, when cleaning a rusty coffee machine, there are other variables to consider: we should not happily use chemicals or very abrasive products because, at the end of the day, it is a container in which we are going to cook. Removing the rust from an Italian coffee machine is not the same as removing it from a car or a tool.
Here is a new method of removing the rust with aluminium foil:
