As an owner of a Nespresso machine, you probably know that descaling your Nespresso machine is required every several months to keep your machine clean and running as new.
Descaling a Nespresso machine uses a special solution that helps get rid of any lime scale build up and calcification that can affect the way your machine brews coffee. Which leads to the question:
Is it safe to use Nespresso Machine after descaling?
This is a great question to ask. And to give you a short answer:
It is completely safe to use your Nespresso machine right after descaling, provided that you have followed the rinsing instructions as directed.
Below, I will tell you in details how to make sure that your Nespresso is safe to use after descaling.
Is It Safe to Drink Nespresso Coffee After Descaling?
It is safe to drink Nespresso coffee right after descaling as long as you rinsed your Nespresso machine from any descaling solution residue.
Whether you chose to use the Nespresso descaling kit, or used an off brand descaling solution. The descaling steps are the same:
- First part is to run the descaling solution through the machine
- Second part is to use fresh water through the machine several times, until the machine is clean.
The second part of the descaling process, which is where you rinse the machine, is what makes your machine clean of any descaling solution residue and makes it safe to use.
If you didn’t rinse your Nespresso machine after descaling, you must do so.
How To Rinse Nespresso Machine After Descaling
This applies to Nespresso Vertuo machines and Nespresso OriginalLine machines. For specific instructions on how to descale your Nespresso machine, refer to your Nespresso model manual.
Running Fresh Water Through Nespresso Machine
Typically, the descaling process of any Nespresso machine requires that you fill up with water reservoir with the descaling solution and water mix and activate the descaling process.
Once you have run out of descaling solution in the water reservoir, you will have to do two things:
- Wash the reservoir first. You need to get rid of any solution that could be stuck in the reservoir by giving it a proper wash.
- Now, fill the water reservoir with fresh clean water.
You can now resume the cleaning part of the descaling process. This consists of your Nespresso machine running hot water through the internal parts to clean it out of any solution residues and make it safe to use.
How Many Times To Rinse Nespresso After Descaling
Depending on your Nespresso machine model, you’ll be guided by your machine on when to stop the rinsing process. Some Nespresso machines require a double rinse, others will do it just once.
Most Nespresso machines will stop flashing to indicate that the rinse process have been completed.
If you see that your Nespresso machine continues to flash, even if it has run out of fresh water, it means that you need to fill the reservoir again for a second rinse.
You can refer to my guide on: Nespresso Stuck in Descaling Mode for more on this topic.
How To Know When Nespresso Is Done Cleaning
Nespresso machines require that you activate the descaling process manually, but it will stop the process automatically after the cleaning process is done.
Two things to keep in mind:
- Never interrupt the descaling process. It can take up to 20 minutes for the whole process to finish. Don’t press any buttons or unplug the machine while the descaling process is running.
- When you start the second phase of the descaling process, which is the cleaning phase, you have to repeat the cleaning process until the lights on your machine turn green and become solid, which will indicate that the descaling and cleaning process have fully completed.
Does Nespresso Taste Better After Descaling?
Descaling your Nespresso machine is one of the periodic maintenance tasks that you need to do to keep your running smoothly.
Things you should notice after descaling:
- Your Nespresso coffee temperature is hotter
- There’s no coffee grounds residue in the cup
- If your Nespresso machine was running unusually loud, this should fix it.
So to answer your question, yes, Nespresso tastes better after descaling. Especially if you’ve been using your machine for too long without performing any maintenance or cleaning.
If you feel like your coffee does not taste right after descaling, let’s look at the most common issues.
Why Does My Nespresso Taste Bad After Descaling?
If you’ve followed instructions to descale your Nespresso machine, but after, you found your coffee to taste like chemical, metallic, burnt or any weird after taste, this could be due to several issues:
- There’s a possibility that you have not cleaned your water tank or flushed out your machine long enough. Wash your water reservoir and run a cleaning cycle several times to wash out any residues.
- Did you descale your Nespresso machine while there’s a used capsule in the chamber? This is a common mistake that many users fall into. Always clean out the chamber of a used capsule before your start the descaling process.
- Your coffee spout could be slightly clogged or has some dried coffee residue that could be adding to your fresh coffee. Using a paper clip, insert it into the coffee spout and try dislodging anything that could be clogged.
What Happens if You Don’t Descale Your Nespresso Machine?
Three main things can happen when you don’t descale your Nespresso machine:
- Limescale build up, calcification and possibly mold can grow inside the internal parts of the machine due to heat and moisture.
- In turn, this can make your coffee taste bitter or burnt. It also affects the brewing temperature, making your Nespresso coffee not hot enough.
- Not only that, but also you also be digesting mold and bacteria from your dirty coffee machine, which is the worst possible thing to happen.
How Often To Descale Your Nespresso
Descaling is not something you need to do frequently. Most of the time, the average user will have to do it once every 6 months. If you’re a heavy user, then every 3 months.
Most Nespresso machines will flash in a certain patterns (some flash an Orange lights, other green/red) to indicate that it’s time to descale it.
