Cleaning the infuser on a De'Longhi Magnifica, water only?

[Thomas Martinez]

Saw a few posts about maintaining the infuser on a Magnifica. The manufacturer seems to recommend the protocol to simply remove the infuser, rinse it under running water, and allow it to air dry before reinserting into the machine. There is no mention of descaling, using dish soap, or performing any steps on the brew group itself.
The inclusion of this step in the maintenance manual seems to indicate that the manufacturer intends for users to avoid using any chemicals in the infusion system. This makes sense, as any chemical residue will end up in your coffee, and the o-rings on the infuser is likely to not stand up well to detergents. The coffee oil that can build up on the infuser screens can usually be rinsed off with hot water if you don’t allow it to build up over time. A 5-minute soak in water may help to loosen the coffee oils that have built up around the piston but not too much longer than that. Finally, it would seem that people often skip the step of allowing the infuser to air dry before reinserting it into the machine. The seals on the machine dont like moisture, and it would be best to take the precaution of allowing it to air dry for at least a few minutes prior to reinserting it.
How often do people actually pull their Magnifica infuser for cleaning? Once a week? Once a month? Only when the shots start to taste bad?

 

[Proud]

weekly here, takes 2 minutes and the shots taste noticeably better then when i was doing it monthly. Also yeah hot water only, learned that the hard way after using dish soap once and tasting it for like 4 shots after

 

[Mist]

Mine gets pulled every Sunday morning before the first brew. Hot tap water, quick scrub of the screen with a soft toothbrush, done in like 90 seconds. Never had an issue in 6 years.

 

[A Boy and His Jackham]

Mine gets pulled every Sunday morning before the first brew. Hot tap water, quick scrub of the screen with a soft toothbrush, done in like 90 seconds. Never had an issue in 6 years.

wait does the toothbrush thing damage the screen at all? I've been scared to touch mine with anything

 

[Mist]

wait does the toothbrush thing damage the screen at all? I've been scared to touch mine with anything

Nah, soft bristles only. The mesh is tougher than it looks. If you're really worried just use your finger and hot water, but the brush gets the gunk out of the little holes way better.

 

[Obedient Oyst]

people massively overthink this. Rinse it, shake it off, put it back. Its not a surgical instrument

 

[Neo]

The drying point is the one I actually agree with strongly. My friend started getting error codes out of nowhere on his Magnifica after he started slamming the wet brew unit back in. Once we figured out why it was throwing those codes it was because of the moisture getting in the microswitch. I’ve since started leaving mine on a dish towel for at least 30 minutes before putting it back in. Cheap insurance like you said.

 

[Attractive A]

5 min soak is way too long imo, 30 seconds under running hot water and your done. Coffee oils arent that stubborn if your cleaning regularly

 

[A Boy and His Jackham]

is there any benefit to using filtered or distilled water for the rinse, or does tap water work fine? I have hard water and was wondering if it would cause an issue

 

[Misty Mandrill]

the no soap thing isnt even debatable, anyone telling you to use dawn or whatever has never actualy tasted the result. Those o-rings are silicone and they absorb that crap and release it slowly for weeks

 

[Proud]

is there any benefit to using filtered or distilled water for the rinse, or does tap water work fine? I have hard water and was wondering if it would cause an issue

hard water is fine for a quick rinse, your not soaking it long enough to leave deposits. Save the distilled stuff for the actual descaling cycle

 

[We Love Mounta]

Monthly here, only because I'm lazy. By the third week the shots start to taste off so it's a chore I have to do in order to enjoy the coffee I make.

 

[Inc]

lol my magnifica died at year 4 and i never pulled the brew unit out once. Survivorship bias maybe but I figured this was an unnecessary task.

 

[Neo]

lol my magnifica died at year 4 and i never pulled the brew unit out once. Survivorship bias maybe but I figured this was an unnecessary task.

Died how though? Brew unit seized? Yep that's what happens if you dont clean it.

 

[Inc]

Died how though? Brew unit seized? Yep that's what happens if you dont clean it.

pump went actually, brew unit was still moving fine. So yeah maybe you have a point about it not being THE failure but it wasnt mine