I’ve had my vertuo machine for a few years and haven’t ever cleaned the area that breaks open the pods. Am I dealing with mold or just years of stuck on coffee? And any suggestions on how to clean ? Seems tough to fully clean without taking it apart somehow .
by ajs19500
3 Comments
It’s not as bad as this. Not even close. Zoom in on the photos and be prepared to cry in horror.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nespresso/s/Y8GroZMEeT
I still have nightmares from it.
It could be. If it was mold, I would definitely tear the whole machine down and clean it.
For future cleanings, the spinning part that punctures the pods never really gets cleaned well with rinse cycles, so I use a syringe with an angled tip to rinse it off with warm water every time I do a rinse.
While the pints the pierce the pods are wonderfully cleverly designed to pass coffee and not grounds, they aren’t perfect. It’s even possible to accumulate far more crud there, to the point where it interferes with sealing against the pod rim, which allows coffee to leak during spin brewing and end up in the pod bin. Cleaning with a soft toothbrush should take care of it. There’s no need to clean beyond that. An exception is the barcode reader window. On the Plus, it’s the clear plastic ring recessed below the pod cup. One the Pop and maybe the Next, it’s mounted actually around the cup and moves down into place with it. Use damp swabs all around until they come back cleanish.
If you go for more than a day or two without brewing, it’s a good idea to leave the top up so the area can dry.