Cleaning And Maintaining Cafe Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide

Keeping your equipment and space clean isn't just a chore—it's an important aspect of caring for your passion and job and maintaining the effort you've already put in.

This article will walk you through the most crucial cleaning and maintenance procedures for your cafe, as well as what items you'll need to get the job done. The advantages will begin to appear if you complete these critical tasks and train your personnel to take them seriously...

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE OF ESPRESSO MACHINES

It's not something you do every couple of months to keep your espresso machine clean and in good working order. It also doesn't happen every week. It takes regular effort to keep an espresso machine in good working order.

Let's take a look at the cleaning activities that your baristas should be doing on a daily basis.

End Of Every Shot

You want to get the coffee grounds out of the portafilter once the shot is pulled and the drink is delivered. Fines and oils cling to the filter screen if they're left in there, affecting the flavour of your shots.

• Rinse the filter screen and portafilter for 1-2 seconds after dropping the spent puck in the knock box.
• Replace the portafilter with a clean one.

It's fine to leave a few grounds in the portafilter if they don't become stuck in the filter screen or gasket.

End Of Every Shift

If you operate or manage a busy cafe, train your baristas to be more meticulous in between rushes. When you're busy, a couple of quick cleaning actions every few hours can make a big difference in the quality of your photos.

• Use a clean rag to wipe down the filter screen.
• Backflush 'cleanly' (without detergent)

Backflushing aids in the separation of grinds and oils from the gasket and group head. 

The following is a typical example of the procedure:

• Replace a portafilter basket with a blank screen. 
• Insert the portafilter into the group head and run the water for ten seconds.
• For five seconds, turn off the water.
• Repeat three times.
• To remove gasket grinds, turn on the water and twist the portafilter in the group head.
• A few of the grounds in the water should still be visible in the blank portafilter, indicating that your machine is much cleaner now.

End Of Every Day

While the other cleaning stages are more concerned with coffee quality and customer satisfaction, this one is more concerned with the health and durability of your espresso machine. This section should not be skipped, and baristas who do not take it seriously should face harsh consequences.

You'll need a specialized coffee cleaner for this end-of-day process. These are powders or tablets that dissolve in hot water. 

Let's have a look at the espresso machine cleaning regimen you should adhere to with enthusiasm at the end of the day:

• Scrub after removing the filter screen from the group head. To remove the filter screen, you'll most likely need a Pallo Coffee Wrench. Then, with a group head brush, scrub the insides thoroughly.
• Apply detergent to the backflush. Along with the methods listed above, follow the guidelines for whichever product you buy. This is what provides your equipment with a fresh start for the next day, and it's crucial for long-term maintenance.
• Backflush thoroughly. This guarantees that all of the detergents have been completely gone from the machine.
• Using detergent water, soak the portafilter, baskets, and filter screens. Submerging tools for 10-20 minutes is recommended by most cleaners. Portafilters' bakelite handles should not be submerged in boiling water.
• Rinse and wipe down everything. This step completes the process of removing any remaining grinds or oils from your equipment. You can now reassemble the group head and portafilter before moving on to the next step in the closing process.
• Empty the drip pan and clean it. Don't forget to detach it, give it a brief wash, then rejoin it because espresso and grinds will be falling into it all day.
• This procedure is not optional, and cafes that do not adhere to these guidelines will encounter problems considerably sooner than cafes that adhere to strict cleaning and maintenance guidelines.

CLEANING YOUR MILK STEAM WAND

• A filthy steam wand is something we've all experienced. There's something about dry milk caked onto a wand that makes us gag—and it's one of the easiest things for customers to notice from the other side of the counter.
• Your baristas must clean it with a specific steam rag after every steaming session. You don't want coffee oils within the wand, therefore don't use the same rag you use to wipe the drip tray or portafilters. It's also crucial to pushing out any residual milk by steaming the desire for 1-2 seconds after steaming.
• While you're cleaning your espresso machine, pay extra attention to the steam wand. To avoid milk particles and sugar building up and causing pressure irregularities, use a milk-specific steam wand cleaning.

HOW DO YOU CLEAN MILK JUGS?

• Although milk jugs are supposed to be simple to clean, that does not imply you can ignore them. Make careful to give them a thorough rinse with a jug rinser within a minute or two of steaming. Send the jug to be washed if you don't have a rinser; don't use it again without washing it!
• A cafe that doesn't respect cleanliness will reuse pitchers without rinsing or washing them. With each steaming, the milk dries up and turns a darker shade of brown. It's revolting. Customers will notice. This should not be done. Between uses, always rinse or clean the pitchers.
• Take your milk jugs to the back of the store at the conclusion of each shift and clean them thoroughly with hot water and soap.

Remember to clean the rinsers well

• It's also important not to overlook the rinser itself. Because these machines carry milk down the line all day, they require special treatment to prevent milk muck and sugar from accumulating.
• Wipe carefully at the end of the day. To absorb any remaining milk, use a clean towel. Remove the rinsing star and rinse and clean it thoroughly.
• Run a milk line cleaner down the drain once a week. 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The greatest approach to keep your shop clean is to have buy-in from the owners and management, not any particular tool or cleaning solution. Your baristas will be fueled by your enthusiasm and make decisions that reflect your ideals.

It all begins with initial training and continues after that. Ever. This value is preserved by ongoing training, education, and periodic reminders. Also, don't delegate all of the cleanups to your baristas. Lead by example, and they'll look after the cafe when you're not there.