Has anyone used vinegar to descale their tassimo machine without any damaging their machine? thanks

the unit needs to be descaled. order the clean tablets from Tassimo and follow the steps as printed in your owners manual as an alternative you can use any good quality espresso cleaner but DO NOT USE VINEGAR as this could damage the boiler...

Sodium bicarbonate is not a descaling product. It makes a nice minimally abrasive cleaning agent when mixed as a paste. Sodium ions will exchange with calcium in a water softener when the calcium is dissolved in water. Once the calcium salt (calcium carbonate) forms, it doesn't go back into solution in a neutral or basic environment. A bicarbonate solution will be basic.

Descaling requires an acid. The Tassimo products say "Do not use vinegar" (acetic acid). I suspect they use citric acid in their descaling product. You can try the lemon-flavored Kool-aid (the version packaged in the envelopes that needs a sweetener added when it's a drink). Mix 1 tablespoon of the powder in 1 pint of water. However, you'll need to make more than a pint of the solution since you need 500 ml of liquid per cleaning cycle. (1 pint is ~473 ml.)

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

In order to keep your Tassimo machine operational at full order, it is important to descale it every three months. Descaling products are widely available from stores that sell coffeemakers and espresso machines. Be sure that the product you buy to descale your Tassimo machine is intended for this specific use only. Mix the descaling product directly in the water container, following the instructions provided on the descaling packaging. Then replace the water container on the machine. Place a large cup or mug on the cup stand, insert the cleaning disc, bar code down and close the brew mechanism. As soon as the AUTO light illuminates, press and release the start/stop button. This will fill the brew cycle with descaling solution. Empty the cup and let the machine stand for 15 minutes. Then open the brew mechanism and close it again, leaving the cleaning disc in place. Repeat this step two more times for maximum descaling effectiveness.

Discard the remaining descaling agent from the water container, rinse it well and refill with fresh, cold water. Clean the machine by flushing water through it in the same manner and emptying the cup as it fills. Make sure that all the descaling solution has been completely rinsed away, and then flush two full water containers through the machine before using it again. Remove the cleaning disc, rinse and refill the water container and your Tassimo machine is ready to use. Also, before you descale your Tassimo machine, always unplug it. Also, never immerse the appliance in water and nor should you use abrasive cleaning products or scouring materials on any part of your Tassimo machine. This method works for most espresso machines, including some of these popular models: the DeLonghi Magnifica EAM3200S, DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM4200S, DeLonghi Perfecta ESAM5400, Gaggia 74507BCN Classic, Krups EA8080 Espresseria Automatic, DeLonghi PrimaDonna ESAM6600, the BC0255 DeLonghi coffee machine and the Krups Nespresso CititZ XN 7006.

I just spoke to Customer Service at Tassimo and they informed me that any descaler can be used as long as it does NOT have vinegar. It can be a liquid or powder and just follow the instructions on the packaging. Hope this works for you.

It indicates that it is time to descale your Tassimo. Consult their website for instructions and materials (warning, don't use vinegar).

My Bosch manual is very specific: DO NOT USE VINEGAR! They recommend you use any commercial coffee machine descaler.
CLR recommends itself for the job and the Jellmar website has instructions.

Removing the red descaling light is simple.
1. Fill reservoir with half vinegar and half water (no need for the special descaling product from Tassimo).
2. Turn on machine.
3. Insert yellow cleaning disc found in back of machine.
4. This is where most people have the their problem...You must hold the start button for 3 to 5 seconds for the descaling program to start. Both green and red light will flash.
5. Once started, use a large cup to catch the output of water.
6. The machine will cycle through the descaling program in about 30 to 45 minutes. Be paitent!!!
7. Once completed, run many cups of plain water through the system to remove the vinegar taste.
8. Red light problem is solved.

Hope this works for you.

You can use any citric acid based descaling product.

Do NOT use vinegar (acetic acid) based products on the Bosch machines as this can damage the aluminium in the heater block.

No, you can not use vinegar. It will dissolve scale into chunks and block the water heating circuit.