Last update September 3rd, 2022
Descaling your Senseo will help prevent problems and extend its life. Here’s how to descale a Senseo.
Why should I descale my Senseo regularly?
Because tap water contains limescale (its concentration depends on the hardness of the water, which you can find out by asking your local council). Limescale deposits in the pipes and components of your coffee machine with each use. This causes damage to the components and leads to breakdowns.
To recover its good taste and the good little recipes based on coffee, we explain how to descale a Senseo coffee maker:
- the ecological Senseo decalcifier with natural products;
- the classic Senseo descaler with commercial descalers.
When to descale your Senseo?
Many coffee maker problems can be solved by a simple descaling of the Senseo.
If in doubt, descale the Senseo about every 400 cups or every three months. However, the following are a clear sign that it is time to descale the Senseo:
- the water no longer flows badly when you want to make a coffee;
- the CALC indicator, present on certain Senseo models, flashes or lights up.
Why should I descale my Senseo regularly?
The formation of scale in the pipes and components of your machine is inevitable. The limescale present in the water, particularly under the effect of heat, deposits in the various elements of the machine and can even end up forming small stones. These will prevent the water from circulating and change the internal pressure, which can cause the pump to break down or the heating element to be damaged. On the other hand, limescale changes the taste of your coffee, which loses its usual flavour.
That’s why for a Senseo, regular descaling is necessary to keep it in good working order.
Prevent the formation of limescale in the Senseo
You have two options to reduce the deposit of limescale in the Senseo:
- install an anti-limescale ring;
- Use filtered water for your coffee.
Which descaler for Senseo?
You can find two types of descaling products:
- Senseo decalcifiers sold commercially by Philips or compatible brands, usually in the form of a Senseo decalcifier kit at 15 euros from Philips, for example, or from a few euros for compatible non-branded products;
- Natural descalers such as citric acid, bicarbonate of soda or white vinegar: in general, these are not recommended by Philips for Senseo descaling (especially white vinegar) as it would leave an unpleasant taste in the coffee and damage the coffee machine.
However, these can be used on an ad hoc basis for Senseo scaling in an emergency.
How to descale a Senseo with a classic descaler
To descale a Senseo:
- Fill the tank of your Senseo with half cold water.
- Dilute the descaler according to the dosage indicated on the package.
- Place a large enough container under the spout.
- Put a used pod in the pod holder and switch on the Senseo.
- Depending on the Senseo model, set the machine to descaling mode. For the Senseo Viva Caf, for example, briefly press the “2 cup” and “1 cup” buttons simultaneously.
- Pass the contents of the tank through, then repeat.
- Clean the tank and fill it with cold water.
- Rinse twice with clean water.
Do not turn off the coffee maker until the Senseo decalcification is complete. Once the rinse cycles are complete, most Senseo machines will automatically shut off.
How to descale a Senseo coffee maker with natural products?
Coffee maker manufacturers tend to advise against them, but descaling with natural products is economical and effective. However, the risk of overdosing is real and can give a bad taste to the coffee or damage certain parts. Here are three solutions based on natural products for an ecological Senseo descaling.
Descaling Senseo with baking soda
Mix 1/2 l of cold water and a teaspoon of baking soda in the tank of the Senseo. The procedure is the same as for descaling the standard Senseo in the paragraph ” Descaling a Senseo with a conventional descaler”.
Descaling Senseo with citric acid
Pour half a litre of cold water and 25 g of citric acid into the tank of the Senseo. Then follow the procedure in the chapter “Descaling a Senseo with a conventional descaler”.
Descaling Senseo with white vinegar
Proceed as in the paragraph “Descaling a Senseo with a conventional descaler” by pouring two thirds of white vinegar and one third of water into the tank of the Senseo.
Cleaning the Senseo
To avoid damaging the coffee maker and to get the good taste of your coffee, don’t forget the rinsing phase of the Senseo. Take advantage of this to clean the accessories with dishwashing liquid and rinse them with clear water to keep the good taste of the coffee.