For a fully automatic coffee machine or espresso machine, the manufacturers that mention vinegar advise against it. Use the descaler from your machine's brand. Filter machines without a pump are an exception at Philips.
What do the manufacturers say?
| Brand | What they say |
|---|---|
| Bosch | Vinegar is too aggressive and can damage seals, among other things. Use the brand's own descaler or tablets. |
| Siemens | Avoid household remedies such as vinegar: they can damage seals as well as metal and rubber parts. |
| Philips | No acetic acid in espresso machines: it can damage pipes and hoses or fail to dissolve limescale properly. Filter machines without a pump are the exception. |
| Jura | Non-recommended descalers, with vinegar as an example, can damage the machine or leave residue. Only original Jura tablets. |
| De'Longhi | Never use vinegar in fully automatic coffee machines and espresso machines: it leaves a smell and a sour taste and can, over time, be too harsh for parts. |
| Miele | Vinegar does not appear in the documents we read. Miele recommends its own tablets and warns that other descalers can damage the machine. |
And cleaning vinegar?
None of the manufacturer texts we read mentions cleaning vinegar separately. So they do not give permission for it. Follow your machine's manual.
And the warranty?
For the 5000 series, Philips mentions the warranty if acetic acid is used. De'Longhi says that faults caused by an unsuitable descaler may fall outside the manufacturer's warranty. For the other brands, we found no statement on this about vinegar. So check your own warranty terms.
So what should you use?
The descaler from your machine's brand. To find out which one, read our guide Which descaler for your coffee machine? or see all descalers.
Not sure?
Not sure? Send us the type number of your machine and we will check it and tell you which descaler fits.