Coffee machines · 6 min readThe cleaning kit your coffee machine actually needs
Backflush cleaner, brew group tablets, milk cleaner and a brush: which of them an espresso, bean-to-cup or pod machine needs, how often, and what a year of cleaning costs.
Most espresso machine owners need one cleaning product beyond descaler: a cleaner for the group head. Buy Sage's Group Head Cleaner for a Sage Barista Express or Bambino Plus, Puly Caff powder for a machine with a three-way valve such as the Gaggia Classic, and Philips CA6704 tablets for a Philips bean-to-cup machine. Pod machines and the De'Longhi Dedica EC685 need none of them.
What cleaning kit does your coffee machine need?
It depends on the machine, and on most machines it is less than the cleaning aisle suggests. Coffee oils build up where the coffee is brewed, so a manual espresso machine needs its group head cleaned and a bean-to-cup machine its brew group. A pod machine has neither. Descaling is a different job, which removes limescale rather than coffee oil; of the cleaning cycle, Sage's Barista Express guide says: 'This is separate from descaling.'
| Machine | Cleaning it asks for | How often | According to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Barista Express | Cleaning cycle: cleaning disc and one tablet in the 1 cup basket | When the Clean Me light comes on | Sage quick guide |
| Sage Bambino Plus | Cleaning cycle: cleaning disc and one tablet | After 200 extractions | Sage quick guide |
| Gaggia Classic | Backflush powder in a blind basket | Once a fortnight to once a week | UK retailers selling Puly Caff |
| De'Longhi Dedica EC685 | No detergent: run 0.5 litres of water through the boiler outlet | Every 200 coffees | De'Longhi manual |
| Philips Series 2300 LatteGo | Coffee oil remover tablet through the brew group; wash LatteGo | Brew group monthly; LatteGo after every use | Philips manual |
| Nespresso | Descaling only; there is no group head to clean | Every 3 months or 300 capsules | Nespresso descaling guide |
Which espresso machine cleaner should you buy?
Your maker's own if it makes one and you want no argument under guarantee; a tub of backflush powder if you want the cheapest clean. John Holmquist of Seattle Coffee Gear, interviewed by Tom's Guide, advises coffee-specialist cleaning products rather than multi-use cleaners, not necessarily the machine brand's own, and suggested Urnex Cafiza powder over repurchasing the tablets supplied with the machine. Sage, for its part, 'recommends using its own certified cleaning products'.
Sage Group Head Cleaner: best for Sage machines
Sage's quick guides give the routine. On the Sage Barista Express, when the Clean Me light comes on, you put the cleaning disc and one tablet in the 1 cup basket, lock it in and hold three buttons; the cycle takes about 5 minutes. The Sage Bambino Plus flashes its buttons after 200 extractions and runs the same kind of cycle. Sage's current product for it is the Group Head Cleaner, which Sage lists for machines including the Barista Express: twelve single 5g doses for £18.95 on Amazon at the time of writing (October 2026), or about £1.58 a clean.
Amazon's title calls them tablets; Sage's safety data sheet gives the form as powder, a mix of sodium carbonate and sodium percarbonate. Sage's guide for it suggests a backflush every 2 to 4 weeks for a machine used daily at home, which is more often than the Bambino Plus asks. Buy it if your Sage is under guarantee and you would rather follow Sage to the letter.
How the cleaning cycle fits into owning a Bambino Plus, from the 200-shot reminder to the drip tray, is in the full review. Sage Bambino Plus review
Puly Caff: best value backflush powder
Puly Caff is an espresso machine detergent sold in 900g tubs, £10.45 on Amazon at the time of writing. The instructions printed by the UK retailer Fine Coffee Company are to put a teaspoon (3 to 5g) in a blind filter, lock it in, and run the pump for 10 seconds on and 10 off, five times, then rinse. The same powder soaks baskets clean at 10g to a litre of hot water for 15 minutes.
It needs a machine that can be backflushed. Happy Donkey, another UK retailer, says it suits 'domestic models with a 3-way group valve. Machines such as the Gaggia Classic and the Gaggia Baby.' Tom's Guide makes the same case for Urnex Cafiza, a similar powder, saying a container 'will likely last the lifetime of your espresso machine'. At 5g a backflush, a tub of Puly Caff is 180 cleans, about 6p each.
Skip it for a Sage under guarantee if you want to stay inside Sage's recommendation, and skip it entirely for a De'Longhi Dedica, whose manual asks for water only.
Philips CA6704: best for bean-to-cup machines
Philips' Series 2300 manual asks you to rinse the brew group under the tap every week and, once a month, to drop a coffee oil remover tablet into the pre-ground coffee compartment and run the brewing cycle the manual sets out. It is specific about the product: 'Only use Philips coffee oil remover tablets.' Philips' leaflet for the CA6704 says each pack is six tablets for six uses, to be used every month or after 500 cups. At £5.19 on Amazon at the time of writing, that is about 87p a month.
The LatteGo milk system needs nothing special. Philips says to rinse it or put it in the dishwasher after every use, with washing-up liquid if you wash it by hand. The same manual asks you to grease the brew group every two months.
De'Longhi Eco MultiClean: for De'Longhi milk systems
If your De'Longhi has a milk carafe, Eco MultiClean is De'Longhi's cleaner for it: the company says it removes milk proteins and fats from milk circuits, carafes and steam wands, and you run it through by pressing the milk button. It is £8.49 for 250ml on Amazon at the time of writing. De'Longhi's UK page gives no dose, so we cannot tell you how long a bottle lasts.
Do you need a group head brush and a blind basket?
A blind basket, only if you backflush with powder and your machine did not come with a cleaning disc. Sage supplies a disc with the Barista Express and Bambino Plus. Gaggia's page for the Classic E24 lists three filters in the box, pressurised, single and double, and no blind one, so Gaggia Classic owners need a 58mm blind basket, a few pounds on Amazon.
A brush is the cheapest part of the kit. Sage's Barista Express guide asks you to wipe the group head and shower screen with a damp cloth to clear ground coffee, and to purge the machine now and then with an empty basket. Tom's Guide's Erin Bashford, a Bambino Plus owner, suggests a daily water 'cleanse' with the cleaning disc and no tablet. An angled group head brush makes the wipe easier and costs a few pounds.
What does a year of cleaning cost?
Between about £3 and £41 a year, before descaler. The table uses Amazon prices from October 2026 and each maker's or retailer's dosing; the Bambino Plus line assumes two shots a day, 730 a year.
| Product and routine | Per clean | Cleans a year | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puly Caff 900g, 5g backflush weekly | £0.06 | 52 | £3.02 |
| Sage Group Head Cleaner, Bambino Plus every 200 shots | £1.58 | About 3.7 | £5.76 |
| Philips CA6704, monthly | £0.87 | 12 | £10.38 |
| Sage Group Head Cleaner, every 2 to 4 weeks | £1.58 | 13 to 26 | £20.53 to £41.06 |
Add descaling on top, which our descaling guide puts at about £5 to £42 a year. The figures make the point for powder: a weekly Puly Caff backflush costs less a year than two Sage cleaning doses.
| Spec | Sage Group Head Cleaner (12 sachets) | Puly Caff Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder 900g | Philips CA6704 Coffee Oil Remover (6 tablets) | De'Longhi Eco MultiClean Milk System Cleaner 250ml |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon price | £18.95 | £10.45 | £5.19 | £8.49 |
| Pack | 12 x 5g sachets | 900g tub | 6 x 1.6g tablets | 250ml bottle |
| Format | Powder | Powder | Tablets | Liquid |
| Used for | Backflush cleaning cycle | Backflushing and soaking baskets | Brew group cleaning | Milk circuits, carafes and steam wands |
| Made for | Sage espresso machines | Espresso machines that can be backflushed | Philips and Saeco bean-to-cup machines | All De'Longhi coffee machines |
Who can skip a coffee machine cleaning kit?
- Pod machine owners. A Nespresso has no portafilter or group head to backflush, so its descaling kit is the only consumable.
- De'Longhi Dedica EC685 owners. De'Longhi's manual asks only for a 0.5 litre water rinse of the boiler outlet every 200 coffees and warns against solvents, abrasive detergents and alcohol. Tom's Coffee Corner notes it has no three-way valve, the part backflush powders are sold for.
- Philips LatteGo owners, for milk cleaner. The dishwasher does that job.
The verdict
Own a Sage under guarantee: buy the Sage Group Head Cleaner and use it when the machine asks. Own a Gaggia Classic, or a Sage past its guarantee: buy a tub of Puly Caff and a blind basket if you need one, and you will not buy cleaner again for years. Own a Philips bean-to-cup: buy CA6704 tablets and use one a month. Own a Dedica or a pod machine: buy descaler and nothing else.
- Sage, the Barista Express quick guide (BES875/SES875)Adjustable upper burr, which basket to use for which coffee, filter every three months or 40 litres, descaling every 60 to 90 days by water hardness, steam cut-out after 5 minutes.
- Sage, the Bambino Plus quick guide (BES500/SES500)Four filter baskets, dual wall for pre-ground coffee, cleaning cycle after 200 extractions, water filter after three months or 40 litres.
- Sage, the Group Head Cleaner x12 product page (UK)Sage's own group head cleaner in single-dose sachets.
- Sage, the Group Head Cleaner user guide (SCC201 and SCC202)Six or twelve 5g doses; backflush every 2 to 4 weeks for a machine used daily at home; 'Sage recommends using its own certified cleaning products'.
- Sage, the Group Head Cleaner safety data sheetForm: powder. Sodium carbonate and sodium percarbonate.
- Fine Coffee Company, Puly Caff 900g grouphead detergent powderA UK coffee retailer printing Puly Caff's instructions: a teaspoon (3 to 5g) per backflush, 10 seconds on and off five times, 10g per litre to soak baskets, once or twice a fortnight under 20 cups a day.
- Happy Donkey, Puly Caff powderA UK coffee retailer: suitable for domestic models with a three-way group valve such as the Gaggia Classic; backflush at least once a week.
- Philips, Series 2300 and 3300 fully automatic espresso machine user manualAcids not to use, the warranty line on descaling, the whole bottle per descale, about 30 minutes, AquaClean after 95 litres or three months, monthly coffee oil remover tablet, LatteGo after every use.
- Philips, CA6704/10 coffee oil remover tablets leafletSix 1.6g tablets for six uses, use monthly or after 500 cups, Philips consumables only.
- De'Longhi UK, Eco MultiClean DLSC550 product pageCleans milk circuits, carafes and steam wands; suitable for all De'Longhi coffee makers. No dose given on the page.
- De'Longhi, EC685 instructions for use (PDF hosted by Tradeinn)Water hardness settings, the orange descale light, 'use De'Longhi descaler only', the guarantee wording, and a 0.5 litre rinse of the boiler outlet every 200 coffees.
- Gaggia, Classic E24 product page and FAQThree filters and a plastic tamper in the box; descale every 2 months or when flow drops; 'use only the Gaggia decalcifier'.
- Nespresso, Citiz descaling guide (Nespresso US)Every 3 months or 300 capsules, one packet per descale, 15 to 20 minutes, and the warning about vinegar and store-bought descalers.
- Tom's Guide, Espresso machine expert says this is the number 1 mistake home baristas make (Erin Bashford, March 2026)Maintenance advice from John Holmquist of Seattle Coffee Gear: specialist cleaning products, Cafiza powder, daily water flush, no distilled water, descale even with a filter.
- Tom's Coffee Corner (YouTube), Delonghi Dedica Home Espresso Machine Review & TestPressurised baskets with pre-ground coffee, 30 second warm-up, no three-way valve, cup warmer, and the usual upgrades.
Questions people ask
What do you need to clean an espresso machine?
For most espresso machines, a group head cleaner and the disc or blind basket to use it in, plus descaler. Sage machines use Sage's Group Head Cleaner with the cleaning disc in the box; a Gaggia Classic uses backflush powder like Puly Caff in a blind basket. The De'Longhi Dedica EC685 needs only water rinses and descaler, and pod machines descaler alone.
How often should you backflush an espresso machine?
Follow the machine. The Sage Bambino Plus asks for a cleaning cycle after 200 extractions and the Sage Barista Express when its Clean Me light comes on, while Sage's Group Head Cleaner guide suggests every 2 to 4 weeks with daily use. UK retailers selling Puly Caff suggest weekly, or once or twice a fortnight, for a home machine.
Can you use Puly Caff or Cafiza in a Sage machine?
You can run backflush powder through the cleaning disc Sage supplies, and John Holmquist of Seattle Coffee Gear, interviewed by Tom's Guide, suggested Urnex Cafiza powder over repurchasing the supplied tablets. Sage itself recommends its own certified cleaning products, so while a Sage is under guarantee, the Sage Group Head Cleaner is the choice that leaves no room for argument.
Do you need to backflush a De'Longhi Dedica EC685?
No. The De'Longhi Dedica EC685 manual asks you to rinse the boiler outlet with about 0.5 litres of water every 200 coffees, clean the filters under running water, and avoid solvents, abrasive detergents and alcohol. Tom's Coffee Corner notes the Dedica has no three-way valve, which backflush powders like Puly Caff are sold for. Descale it with De'Longhi descaler.
How do you clean the brew group on a Philips bean-to-cup machine?
Rinse it under the tap weekly and run a Philips CA6704 coffee oil remover tablet through it monthly, according to the Philips Series 2300 manual. The tablet goes in the pre-ground coffee compartment before a brewing cycle. Philips says to use only its own tablets, which come six to a pack at £5.19 on Amazon in October 2026.
How much does it cost to clean a coffee machine for a year?
About £3 to £41 a year in cleaning products, at Amazon prices checked in October 2026. A weekly Puly Caff backflush costs about £3, a Sage Bambino Plus at two shots a day about £5.76 in Sage Group Head Cleaner, and a Philips bean-to-cup about £10.38 in CA6704 tablets. Descaling is extra.
Is cleaning a coffee machine the same as descaling it?
No. Cleaning removes coffee oil from the group head or brew group with a detergent such as the Sage Group Head Cleaner or Puly Caff. Descaling removes limescale from the water system with an acid descaler. Sage's Barista Express guide says the cleaning cycle 'is separate from descaling', and most machines need both on different schedules.
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