Cheap descaler deal is back. Yes, this is basically citric acid. You can also buy citric acid and use that, but for some people this might be more convenient.
CamelCamelCamel.
Pretty sure vinegar is meant to be like 4:1 or 9:1 water:vinegar mix for descaling purposes.
I've typically used roughly 50/50 and it works a treat. Then rinse and reboil with fresh water once or twice to remove all of the vinegar and scale.
I'm not sure why anyone thinks this isn't viable?
There's a few reasons. But one is that vinegar can damage the rubber seals in your coffee machine. The other is that apparently citric acid is just a lot more effective at descaling.
@Rail Rider95: Ohh coffee machine.
Sorry apologies yep you've right. Definitely would use an actual descaler for an automatic coffee machine.
I was read/thought only kettle.
Vinegar will leave a smell. Buy Citric Acid from the food section at Woollies. I bought the McKenzie’s brand. 2tbs in 1 litre of water. Stir until the powder is completely diluted before pouring in the rez machine. I descaled my Breville Coffee machine recently, and it works like a charm. No more buying the expensive brand name descaler. And no smell left.
I bought this one last week; it is odourless and quite effective. I had tried vinegar before but then I had to do a lot of empty cycles to get rid of the faint vinegar smell.
it does make more suds than other cleaners though. it's a bit soapy from rubbing it on my fingers
Awesome! I just just straight vinegar. Much cheaper
i find vinegar causes my kettle to overboil. even if i only fill 1/4 full it overboils and ends up making a mess everywhere.
could be just my kettle.
it never does this with citric acid
It's actually much more expensive if you use 50/50. Might be cheaper at lower concentrations.
I think this may end up cheaper than citric acid.
You would not believe it, bought one for $7 at Woolies two days ago. Only buy this every two years to clean mums machine.
Why not just use a lemon? That's what I've been doing. Unless your kettle has heavy deposits.
lemons are expensive. its like $1 a lemon at woolies
I have a lemon tree so its free for me
Coles still has theirs for $4 surprisingly after many years.
It is lactic acid based which some machines recommend over citric.
Also reminds me the descale light has been flashing for months on my coffee machine, I should really get around to that :)
Note that you need to use half bottle of the Coles one, so it's much more expensive per clean.
True, though I use 1 capful in my kettle and it does a good job.
I use more in my Delonghi automatic. (The Delonghi branded descaler says 100ml per descale but I have always used about half that)
It is lactic acid based
Does it say that on the packaging? One of the comments on an older deal said it's also citric based and that only the expensive official delonghi one is lactic it seems.
It is lactic acid based:
https://jr.chemwatch.net/outb/dashboard
Search for "coffee machine descaler".
Not on the packaging but according to the SDS it still is though it's more diluted than the Delonghi stuff.
Not sure if it's changed since I first looked which was before 2022 when this SDS was issued as I don't remember it having any gluconic acid in it or being that diluted either but maybe that's how it was.
Coles is 10-30% lactic acid, <10 gluconic acid while Delonghi is 30-50% lactic acid.
Never seen limescale form from Sydney water. I'd even question the need for descaler within the life of a Sydney coffee machine at home. The hard water in places like WA and SA forms limescale much more easily, and you need a product like this.
The average hardness for my suburb is 70-75 which is considered moderate (60 is soft), but we get limescale all the time.
Maybe - but my shower glass shows otherwise.
there is most definitely lime scale in sydney tap water. i use my kettle once to twice a day and after 2 months the bottom is covered in a thin layer of limescale and needs a descale.
if you filter your water than it may not be noticeable.
Is this citric acid based ? I have been using delonghi descaler for my coffee machine which is much more expensive, wondering if I can use this instead.
Delonghi recommends lactic acid-based descalers for their coffee machines.
Like the Coles recommendation above?
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/15835633/redir
I need to do a descale ony De'Longhi Primadonna Soul
Yes, Coles descaler is lactic acid based.
That being said, Delonghi used to recommend citric acid, then they started making a lactic acid descaler and now recommending that one. I believe there is no difference between the two in terms of performance or corrosion.
Is this no longer available?
Yep looks like it's sold out. 916 clicks
Currently 5 buck at bingers
https://www.binglee.com.au/products/sunbeam-ke0100-liquid-de…
probably the older packaging same model number though
sold out
Coles Lemon Juice | 250mL - $1 This would last for a year for a kettle.
Kettles usually only have limescale on the bottom, you don't need to fill the kettle with vinegar…
Just pour a small amount of lemon juice to cover the very bottom + I add a little water as well just for better coverage. Boil and limescale gone.
So just cover the bottom 2-4mm of the kettle. Lemon juice or citric acid powder.
Never works for me, I have to use almost 70% vinegar mix filled 1/4 full. Otherwise you can still see an imprint of the lime scale and it will quickly build up again.
Acetic acid (vinegar) is too weak. Use either citric acid or lactic acid based descalers.
Will give the bottle lemon juice a go. It is very cheap.
back in stock again again
Is this any good for a Breville Barista espresso machine?
According to Breville, no (their own descaler is lactic acid based). According to me, yes, because in practice there is no difference between Sunbeam and Breville coffee machines.
Thanks Bio.
![[Back Order] Sunbeam KE0100 Liquid Descaler 250ml for Coffee Machine/Kettle $5 + Delivery ($0 with Prime/ $59 Spend) @ Amazon AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/65/872965.jpg?h=cefd5078)
Just boil a 50/50 vinegar/water solution.