How to descale a Nespresso coffee machine

If you have a Nespresso coffee machine, you will already read many guides describing this brand. Still, suppose there are any clueless or less experienced users. In that case, we will detail the entire descaling process and other tips and solutions to problems related to excess limescale inside your Nespresso coffee machine.

Every time we prepare a coffee with our Nespresso machine, the water in the tank passes through all the internal circuits of the coffee machine and leaves small traces and sediments of limescale. These are tiny, barely noticeable traces, but they become evident as the months go by (this depends on how often you use your Nespresso machine).

The circuits become clogged, the machine works worse and worse, the pressure is not the same as it was initially, and even the taste of the coffee can be altered as all these impurities are dragged in. To solve this problem, we need to descale our Nespresso coffee machine from time to time.

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When do I have to descale my Nespresso Krups?

The frequency of descaling a Nespresso Krups coffee machine (or any other manufacturer) depends above all on the hardness of the water you use to prepare your coffees. If you use tap water, you should check the hardness in your area. In general, however, we can tell you that if the water is hard, you should descale your Nespresso machine for approximately every 300 coffees prepared.

We can prepare more than 1000 coffees if the water is very soft before descaling again. And under normal hardness conditions, the ideal is to descale the machine every 500 to 600 coffees.

Excerpt from the Nespresso Citiz coffee machine manual on descaling frequency

What do I need to descale a Nespresso machine?

Before starting to descale your Nespresso coffee machine, you must ensure you have all the accessories and elements necessary to complete the descaling process. Take note, and if you are missing any of them, we attach the direct purchase link so you can have them at home in 2-3 days.

The main element in the decalcification process of your coffee machine is the descaler liquid.

Nespresso Descaler

The official Nespresso descaling kit includes a citrus-based descaling liquid. Using this type of official descaler is always recommended, and avoiding home remedies such as vinegar or lemon juice, can cause damage to your coffee machine. Normally, these descaling kits include the doses needed to perform two descaling processes.

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Orginal Nespresso Descaling Kit

Orginal Nespresso Descaling Kit

nespresso descaling; descaling; descaling nespresso

In addition to these products, you can also opt for a universal descaling kit for Krups coffee machines. If Krups has manufactured your Nespresso coffee machine, this complete package will also help you to descale it: Krups Nespresso Descaler. In any case, remember that you can find everything you need to descale your coffee machine in our online coffee machine descaler shop.

Krups Anticalc Kit F054 Descaler, Pack of 2

Krups Anticalc Kit F054 Descaler, Pack of 2

Protects your Machine"

Decalcifier EcoDecalk Delonghi

Another good option is Delonghi’s EcoDecalc descaler, undoubtedly the most sold and famous descalers on the Internet:

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De’Longhi EcoDecalk Descaler for Coffee Machines DLSC500, 500ml

De’Longhi EcoDecalk Descaler for Coffee Machines DLSC500, 500ml

The 500ml package allows you to perform five descaling cycles; Paper and plastic used for the packaging are 100% recyclable

How to descale a Nespresso coffee machine step by step

Descaling a Nespresso coffee machine is very simple, but you must follow all the steps carefully. Below we explain each of the steps to follow to descale your Nespresso machine step by step. You will need 20 minutes for this process:

Empty the machine
Make sure no capsules are left inside the machine and empty the used capsule container.
Use a large cup to collect the dirty water.
Place a container (as large as possible) to collect the water with the impurities that the machine will pour out during the process.
Pour the water and the descaler into the water tank.
Fill the water tank with half a litre of clean, cold water and Nespresso descaling liquid.
Start a descaling cycle in the machine.
Next, start the descaling process on your Nespresso coffee machine. To put your machine into descaling mode, you must press the two buttons (espresso and lungo) for 3 seconds. The two buttons you must press vary for each model of the coffee machine, so we advise you to consult the instruction manual of your Nespresso machine here.
Press the lungo button
Once the descaling function has been activated, press the large cup button (as if you were going to make a lungo coffee) and wait for the descaling liquid mixed with the water to run through the inside of your machine until the water tank is completely emptied. Reuse the water and descaling liquid solution and repeat the process. The machine will stop the process when it detects that it is free of limescale residues.
Cleaning the limescale residues
At the end of the descaling process, do not forget to empty the water tank, rinse or clean it very well, and fill it with fresh and completely clean water to have your coffee machine ready for the next use. At this point, you should press the button on the large cup again to let the fresh, clean water run through the machine’s circuits again.
Exiting descaling mode
Press the two buttons you pressed in step 4 again to deactivate the descaling mode of your coffee machine and finish descaling your Nespresso machine.

How to descale Nespresso? Videos

If you don’t know how to descale a Nespresso, you may want to watch this video instead of reading:

One of the peculiarities of Nespresso machines is that the descaling process may vary slightly depending on each machine model. In case the basic instructions are not enough for you, here are the links to the official Nespresso videos where they explain in detail how to descale all models of Nespresso coffee machines:

How to descale a Nespresso machine without decalcifying tablets or liquids

Below is a video, which, although it does not follow the procedure recommended by Nespresso, is a procedure that many users seek and demand, as it is a much cheaper method than the official One.

Commercial decalcifying liquids are mainly citrus or acids, so vinegar or lemon juice can be a good substitute for decalcifying a Nespresso machine. However, we stress that, although these natural products can also act against limescale deposits, there is a risk of damaging the internal circuits of your coffee machine. For this reason, we always recommend using the official Nespresso or Krups descaling kits.

Other useful tips for descaling your coffee maker

To get the most out of descaling your Nespresso machine, check out these other guides and documents that we think may be of interest to you. As they say, this information is of general interest:

We have also decided to include descaling in the Dolce Gusto section. Because all descaling processes are similar for any coffee machine, you can always get useful tips, even if they refer to another brand.