For many of us, the Dedica is the first and best entry-level espresso machine. But if your espresso suddenly tastes like shoe leather rather than a perfectly extracted espresso, it’s high time to think about a thorough cleaning.
More often than not, it’s simply the machine to blame – or more precisely: its cleanliness. While the DeLonghi Dedica is a great machine for a simple espresso, it still requires regular maintenance. Here, we’ll show you how to easily clean your Dedica – from a quick daily "in-between" wipe to deeper care.
Looking for how to descale your Dedica? You can find the article on that here.
The daily routine – short and painless
There is one simple rule: the cleaner your machine, the better your espresso. That’s why you should clean the machine daily or after every use.
- Clean the portafilter: Remove the portafilter after each use, knock out the used coffee grounds, wipe out the basket, and run hot water through it to remove coffee residue and oils. You can perform this rinse using the espresso machine itself. That way, you don't have to carry a dripping portafilter through your kitchen or living room.
- Wipe the shower screen: Quickly wipe the shower screen (the part where the water meets the coffee grounds) with a clean, damp cloth. This prevents nasty buildup from forming.
Weekly cleaning – digging a bit deeper
Once a week, the Dedica needs a little more affection. Don’t worry, this isn’t rocket science either:
1. Clean the basket thoroughly
- Remove the basket from the portafilter using a small tool or a simple spoon. If it feels a bit fiddly – don’t worry, that’s normal. Even if it feels like you're opening a hidden treasure chest. Unfortunately, the treasure chest is often a hidden collector of dirt. This cleaning step is really important, especially if you use the original Dedica portafilter. Much less dirt sticks to a metal portafilter.
- Clean the basket thoroughly with hot water and a little dish soap to completely remove coffee fats and residues. This way, your espresso will taste fresh instead of rancid.
2. Clean the brew head and gasket
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Use a damp cloth to carefully reach into the bayonet fitting (the part where the portafilter locks in) and clean the brew head gasket, in particular. Coffee grounds like to collect there, which can otherwise create unpleasant flavor notes.
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Caution: Always turn off the machine beforehand and ideally unplug it so you don't accidentally scald your hands!
3. Superficial cleaning of the shower screen
- Run some hot water and wipe the shower screen with a damp cloth. That is usually enough to remove the bulk of the dirt.
The intensive shower – Caution, sensitive!
Every now and then – we’re talking about every two to three months – you can unscrew the shower screen for a really deep clean. But be careful, the Dedica’s threading is very sensitive.
- Carefully unscrew the Phillips head screw of the shower screen. Caution: The thread is made of plastic! Don’t overdo it, otherwise, you might need a service visit.
- Clean the shower screen and the surrounding area thoroughly with warm water and a little dish soap. If you haven't cleaned it for a very long time, you might be able to perform some real coffee archaeology there – interesting, but not particularly tasty.
- The gaskets are now also much more accessible. Repeat the steps from your weekly cleaning: wipe out the bayonet fitting and the gaskets once.
- Screw the shower screen back in carefully afterward; do not tighten it too much, or you risk damaging the thread.
Descaling – important, but a chapter of its own
Very important and yet only briefly touched upon: Don't forget regular descaling! The machine will signal you itself with an orange light when it's time. You can learn why and exactly how to descale in our article "Descaling your DeLonghi Dedica". Limescale is and remains the greatest enemy of your machine and your good coffee. Incidentally, limescale and hard water are responsible for more than 80% of all espresso machine defects. It is really worth descaling your Dedica every two to three months, even if the orange indicator light is not on.
There is a guiding principle for the Dedica and all espresso machines with a thermoblock: as long as water is still flowing, you can still descale. Once nothing flows anymore, the descaler can no longer reach the limescale buildup. So, really don't miss this window. You'll get much more use out of your machine that way!
Conclusion – Small steps, great enjoyment
If you perform these cleaning steps regularly, your Dedica will reward you with really good espresso. A little attention here and there ensures that your coffee tastes exactly as you dream it would – and not like stale dishwater. Give it a try, your taste buds will thank you!
And if you want to dive even deeper into the secrets of the Dedica, we have prepared an entire e-learning course. We will be releasing it in a few weeks. If you want to be informed about it, sign up for our KM-Dedica newsletter here.
Stay clean, Your Ben Kaffeemacher
