You’ve been making tasty, steamy, milky coffee drinks for a while now, getting things right, making new friends, but all of a sudden your steam wand is behaving strangely. It’s CLOGGED! Oh no’s!!! But a fix is inevitable. What, you just gonna have straight espresso from now on? While those are tasty, this is not the article to discuss that.
So take a deep breath, grab a hammer and a pair of pliers and let’s get down to it.
- Firstly, I hope you made a coffee first, because if not, then what are you doing!? This is serious. Oh, you do have one? Good. Now put it down and let’s get to repairin’. Put down that hammer and pliers too. You can’t use things like that on a machine like yours! You have to treat it with the sensitivity of a baby’s butt.
- In fact, this is much less invasive (Whew!) than previously expected. In a few minutes everything will be right again. Trust me. Your machine is warmed up now so go under your kitchen sink and grab your bottle of vinegar. Yes, vinegar. It’s right there next to the various spray bottles of cleaners. Grab it, I’ll wait.
- It doesn’t matter if it’s old-school white, or fancy apple cider. Either one will work. Pour some into your handy steamer cup (or just a mug). Just pour enough to fill the bottom so your steam wand tip is submerged.
- See, when you use your steam wand, at the end when you turn off the steam there is this tiny vacuum created that sucks up a wee bit of milk. Over time, this can end up clogging up the holes at the end of your wand. Bummer. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 2-hole or a 3-hole, one is eventually going to get clogged up and interfere with your steamy performance. Which is what brought you here today. Have hope!
- Vinegar in the steamer cup, wand immersed in the cup as though you are going to steam. Let it rest in there a few minutes.
- Now, steam. But just for a moment. The vacuum is created, and vinegar is slightly sucked up (this sounds gross but it is ok). Let the vinegar sit in there a second.
- Purge your steam wand. Notice the difference? You’ll most likely have to do a few cycles of this. Same cup and same vinegar. Convenient!
- All better? Great! Piece of cake and see? No tools involved! Tremendous.
Hooray! Everything is entirely right again and steam-tastic! Now reward yourself with a milky coffee drink.