The Cleaning Products Range
Coffee equipment requires three distinct types of cleaning, each addressing a different type of buildup. Understanding which product does which job makes it straightforward to build a maintenance routine.
Cafetto EVO Organic Espresso Machine Cleaner (from £9.99)
The core backflushing detergent for espresso machines with a three-way solenoid valve — the type found on all prosumer and commercial machines. Used in the backflush cycle, EVO dissolves coffee oils and residue from the group head, shower screen, dispersion block and solenoid valve, removing the bitter deposits that accumulate with daily use. Certified organic and OMRI listed, which means it's formulated from organic compounds rather than petrochemicals — a meaningful distinction for anyone conscious of chemical exposure in food-contact equipment. Available in a large tub for regular use and in a 12-sachet home pack for convenient single-dose backflushing. The most important cleaning product for any espresso machine owner.
Cafetto EVO Espresso Machine Cleaner — 12 × 5g Sachets (£9.99)
The same Cafetto EVO formulation as the tub, pre-measured into 12 individual 5g sachets — one sachet per backflush cycle. Eliminates the need to weigh or measure powder each time, which reduces mess and ensures a consistent dose. A practical format for home users who backflush weekly; the tub is more economical for daily-use café environments.
Cafetto MFC Green Organic Milk Frother Cleaner 1L (£15.99)
A dedicated liquid cleaner for milk frother systems, automatic steam wands, and milk lines in bean-to-cup and super-automatic machines. Milk residue left in frother components dries quickly into a biofilm that is difficult to remove with water alone and poses a hygiene risk if left unaddressed. MFC Green is formulated specifically to break down milk proteins and fats in frother pathways without damaging internal components. Certified organic. Used as a daily or session rinse depending on machine use frequency.
Cafetto Organic Descaler — 250ml (£5.99) & 1 Litre (£14.99)
A liquid descaling solution for removing mineral scale — limescale — from espresso machine boilers, heating elements, water lines and thermoblock systems. Scale builds up wherever water is heated, restricting flow, reducing heating efficiency and eventually damaging components if left to accumulate. Cafetto's organic descaler is phosphoric acid-free and certified organic, making it safer to use with food-contact water systems than many conventional descalers. Available in a 250ml single-use size for occasional descaling and a 1 litre bottle for regular use or multiple machines. Descaling frequency depends on water hardness — in the UK's hard water areas (London and the South East especially), descaling every 2–3 months is typically recommended for daily-use machines.
Cafetto Grinder Clean Tablets 430g (£26.45)
Food-safe cleaning tablets designed to be run through a burr grinder in place of coffee, absorbing and purging accumulated coffee oils and stale grind residue from the burrs, burr carrier and chute. Grinder cleaning is one of the most overlooked maintenance tasks in home espresso — old oils in the grind path turn rancid and contaminate fresh grinds with off-flavours that affect every shot. Particularly important when switching between coffee origins or roast levels. The 430g trade pack suits cafés or home grinders used at high frequency; the smaller Home Grinder Cleaner Pack is the better starting point for most domestic setups.
Cafetto Home Grinder Cleaner Pack (£9.99)
A home-sized pack of Cafetto grinder cleaning tablets — the same formulation as the trade 430g pack, in a quantity suited to periodic home use. Recommended for cleaning a home grinder every 4–8 weeks depending on use frequency, or immediately before switching to a new coffee. Simple to use: run a measured dose of tablets through the grinder as if grinding coffee, then follow with a small amount of actual coffee to purge any residue before brewing.
Backflushing Blank Disc — Rhino Coffee Gear (£2.99)
A solid stainless steel blind basket disc that replaces the portafilter basket during the backflush cycle. When inserted into the portafilter and locked into the group head, it blocks the flow path and creates the back pressure needed for the backflush cleaning cycle to work — forcing water and cleaning solution back through the group head, solenoid valve and internal pathways rather than out through the basket. A durable, long-lasting option in stainless steel. Required for backflushing with Cafetto EVO; check that the diameter matches your portafilter basket size (most home and commercial machines use 58mm).
Rubber Backflushing Disc — Coffee Hit (£2.99)
A rubber blind disc for backflushing — functionally identical to the stainless blank but in a rubber construction that some baristas prefer for the slightly softer lock-in feel. The rubber material provides a good seal inside the portafilter basket and is easy to grip when removing after the backflush cycle. A cost-effective spare to keep alongside the stainless disc, or a suitable replacement if the original plastic disc that came with your machine has degraded.
A Simple Cleaning Schedule for Home Espresso
Cleaning doesn't need to be complicated. The following routine covers the basics for a home espresso machine used daily:
- After every session: Purge the steam wand, wipe it clean, and run a blank backflush with water only (no detergent) to clear loose grounds from the group head.
- Weekly: Backflush with Cafetto EVO using the blank disc — one 5g dose is sufficient for a standard home machine. Rinse the portafilter basket and shower screen in hot water.
- Monthly: Soak the portafilter basket and shower screen in a Cafetto EVO solution for 20–30 minutes to dissolve built-up coffee oils. Run Cafetto grinder tablets through the grinder if used daily.
- Every 2–3 months (or per machine indicator): Descale using Cafetto Organic Descaler, following your machine's descale programme. Adjust frequency based on your local water hardness — harder water requires more frequent descaling.
For machines with automatic milk frothers or built-in milk systems, add a weekly MFC Green rinse cycle to prevent milk residue buildup in the frother pathways.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I backflush my espresso machine?
For a home machine used daily, a weekly backflush with Cafetto EVO detergent is the standard recommendation. A water-only backflush after each session is also good practice and takes under a minute. In a café environment pulling 50+ shots per day, backflushing with detergent at the end of every shift is the industry norm. Machines without a three-way solenoid valve — including most pod machines and some entry-level domestic models — cannot be backflushed; check your machine's manual if you're unsure. Signs that a machine is overdue for backflushing include bitter or rancid-tasting shots, visible brown residue on the shower screen, and slow or uneven flow from the group head.
What is the difference between backflushing and descaling?
Backflushing removes coffee oils and organic residue from the group head, portafilter and solenoid valve using a detergent like Cafetto EVO. It addresses the brown, oily buildup that comes from daily brewing. Descaling removes mineral scale — limescale — from the boiler, heating element and water lines using an acidic descaling solution. It addresses the white, chalky deposits that form wherever water is heated. Both are necessary as part of a complete cleaning routine but they are not interchangeable — a backflush detergent will not descale a boiler, and a descaler will not remove coffee oils from the group head. Most machines need backflushing much more frequently than descaling.
Is organic coffee machine cleaner as effective as conventional cleaner?
Yes — Cafetto EVO and the rest of the Cafetto organic range are as effective as conventional cleaning products for their intended applications. The organic certification refers to the origin of the active compounds, not to a reduced cleaning performance. Cafetto's organic formulations have been developed specifically for coffee equipment and are used as the standard cleaning product in specialty cafés worldwide, including in high-volume commercial environments. The advantage of organic certification in this context is that the products break down more cleanly, leave no harmful residues in food-contact water systems, and are safer to handle and dispose of — without any compromise on efficacy.
Can I use any descaler in my espresso machine?
Not all descalers are suitable for espresso machines. Many household descalers — including those sold for kettles and irons — contain sulphamic acid, hydrochloric acid or other compounds that can damage brass, aluminium and stainless steel components inside espresso machine boilers and water lines. Cafetto's organic descaler is specifically formulated for espresso machines: it's effective against limescale, safe on internal metals, phosphoric acid-free, and food-contact approved. Always use a descaler specified for espresso machines, and follow your machine manufacturer's descaling instructions — some machines require a specific descaling programme that must be run for the descaler to reach all internal water pathways.
How do I clean my coffee grinder?
The simplest method for a burr grinder is to run Cafetto grinder cleaning tablets through the machine at the normal grind setting, then follow immediately with a small dose of actual coffee to purge any tablet residue before brewing. This absorbs and removes accumulated coffee oils from the burrs, burr carrier and chute without disassembly. For a deeper clean, most burr grinders can be partially disassembled to brush out the burr chamber — refer to your grinder's manual for the recommended procedure. The Cafetto Home Grinder Cleaner Pack is sized for this periodic clean; the 430g trade pack suits cafés or home setups where cleaning is done more frequently. Never use water or liquid cleaners inside a burr grinder unless the manufacturer's instructions specifically permit it, as moisture can cause rust on steel burrs and damage electronic components.
Do I need to clean my espresso machine's steam wand?
Yes — this is one of the most important and most neglected cleaning tasks in home espresso. Milk residue dries onto and inside the steam wand tip very quickly, restricting steam flow, harbouring bacteria, and contaminating the next drink with stale milk. After every steaming session, purge the wand with a brief burst of steam to clear milk from the tip, then wipe the wand immediately with a damp cloth. Weekly, remove the steam wand tip (if removable on your machine) and soak it in hot water or a Cafetto MFC Green solution to dissolve any dried milk deposits inside the tip holes. For machines with automatic or integrated milk frothers, the MFC Green liquid cleaner is designed to run through the frother's internal pathways as part of a rinse or cleaning cycle.
