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.