How do I descale my Saeco Exprelia espresso machine?

Descaling your Saeco Exprelia espresso machine helps to keep it in optimal condition. Learn how to do this yourself easily.

1) Press the “MENU” button to open the menu, and scroll down by pressing the down button. Select “MACHINE MENU”. Press OK to confirm.
2) Select “MAINTENANCE”. Press OK to confirm.
3) Select “DESCALING”. Press OK to confirm.
4) Press “OK” to start descaling.
5) Empty the water tank and pour the entire bottle of Saeco descaling solution into it. Fill the water tank up with fresh water to the MAX level and put it back into the machine. Press OK to confirm.
6) Empty the internal drip tray. Press OK to confirm.
7) Fill the milk carafe halfway with fresh water. Insert the carafe and open the milk dispenser.
8) Place one container under the steam/hot water wand and one under the coffee/milk dispensing spout. Press OK to confirm.
9) The machine starts dispensing the descaling solution at intervals. The display shows the progress.
10) Wait until the machine stops dispensing and “RINSE TANK & FILL WITH WATER” is displayed.
11) Rinse the water tank, fill it with fresh water up to the MAX level and place it back into the machine. Press OK to confirm.
12) Empty the internal drip tray. Press OK to confirm.
13) Take out the milk carafe and empty it. Fill the milk carafe halfway with fresh water. Insert the carafe and open the milk dispenser. Press OK to confirm.
14) Place the container under the steam/hot water wand and the dispensing spout. Press OK to confirm.
15) The rinsing cycle is activated. The bar shows the cycle progress.
16) When the rinsing cycle is finished, the machine starts heating up automatically. The descaling symbol disappears from the display.
17) Clean the drip tray, milk carafe and other parts.
18) The machine is now ready to brew coffee.

1) Press the MENU button, select MAINTENANCE and select DESCALING with OK.
2) Press OK to confirm starting the descaling process.
3) Remove the water tank and empty it. For the Exprelia machines that are compatible with AquaClean, the machine will show in the display: Remove the AquaClean water filter. Confirm with OK.
4) Empty the internal and external drip trays. Confirm with OK.
5) Fill the milk carafe halfway with fresh water. Insert and open the milk dispensing spout. Confirm with OK.
6) Place a container underneath the steam/hot water wand and the milk carafe dispensing spout. Confirm with OK.
7) Pour the entire bottle of Saeco descaling solution in the water tank. Top up the water tank to the MAX level with fresh tap water. Confirm with OK.
8) The machine will start dispensing the descaling solution at intervals. The display shows step 1/2 descaling and the bar shows the progress. This takes about 20 minutes.
Note: The descaling cycle can be paused by pressing the pause button. To resume, press the OK button.
9) When the mixture of descaling solution and water has been used up, the machine indicates to rinse the water tank and fill it with fresh water. Confirm with OK.
10) Empty the internal and external drip trays. Confirm with OK.
11) Fill the milk carafe halfway with fresh water. Insert and open the milk dispensing spout. Confirm with OK.
12) Empty the container and place it back. Confirm with OK.
13) The rinsing cycle starts. The display shows step 2/2 rinsing and the bar shows the progress.
14) When the amount of water needed for the rinse cycle has been completely dispensed, the machine automatically ends the descaling process by showing this screen after a short warm-up phase.

The information on this page applies to the following models: HD8856/01 .

Frequently Asked Questions

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How do I descale my Saeco Exprelia espresso machine?

Which instruction do I follow and where do I find the type number of my Exprelia?

Before you start the descaling cycle

Descale instructions: Exprelia type number HD8852 - HD8857

Descale instructions: Exprelia type number HD8858 - HD8859

Frequently Asked Questions