There is a very stale smell coming from the cofee maker and I cannot find the citric acid cleaner. Where can I get it?

Often these temperature differences are solved by descaling. Do never use vinegar. One can buy citric acid crystals or powder (not the same as lemon juice) and dissolve that chemical in water. I buy it in the Chinese Mall. Do not make a too strong acid. Shops sell maintenance powder which is the same but that is quite expensive. Let the acidic water go in and through the coffee maker until it looks clear. Next rinse with water for quite a number of runs. You may see how strong the citric acid that you make is by descaling something else and wait for about an hour. Another acid to be used in coffee makers is lactic acid. Lactic acid is bought as a cleaning agent. Also very strong and to be diluted with water.

Usually descaling the heating reservoir takes care of that. You know best if this servicing is required but perhaps already after a couple of years. Don't use vinegar. Suitable, apart from descaling powder supplied by the manufacturer, are diluted lactic acid and citric acid but the commonly used citric acid is not lemon juice, it is a white powder or it consists of small crystals and is to be dissolved in water. Note that the water will taste acidic even after rinsing and use for a couple of times since those acids are very (!) strong. Do not breath in the fumes that come out of the coffee maker and use the - pump water only - function when your machine has one. This also serves protection against frost. For me it is pressing two buttons combined. Descaling is done, being applied, when water comes out clear.

I have the same problem. I think it's a factory defect. The descale button doesn't work, and it's never been descaled. I just leave vinegar in the machine overnight and run water to rinse it the next day. Vinegar is just dilute acetic acid. Citric acid works better than vinegar, but it's harder to find. It doesn't have the smell that vinegar does.

run through some vinegar or mild citric acid. The latter is preferred since the vinegar leave a smell which takes quite a few flushes to get rid of.

I checked the verimark web site and unfortunately they don't provide access to manuals for their products... Steam cleaners generally are pretty simple, fill them with clean (preferably distilled or demineralized water) and use the stem to clean. Occasionally the heating tank can be cleaned with a weak acid to remove deposits - typically I use acetic acid (vinegar) but I guess a citric acid solution would work as well.

The primary source is citrus fruits (hence the name). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid

Try the rinsing procedure that's in the manual, and use citric acid. The parts that usually come into contact with hot water or coffe can also be cleaned in a dish washer.

De-mothballing a Senseo check-list:

• Get some citric acid & prepare it as prescribed,
• Fill the Senseo's reservoir with the citric acid suspension,
• Place a large bowl underneath the coffee outlet,
• Press and hold both small buttons, and
• Press the Power button.

The citric acid suspension will now be pumped through the machine, into the bowl. To stop the rinsing, press the Power button again. I suggest you repeat this a few times, don't forget to swap the pad holders somewhere in between so they both get some suspension as well.

After that, repeat the procedure a few times with fresh water only to get rid of any citric acid in the machine - it will make a poor cup of coffee if you forget that step!

Hi,

This is the time, you need to Descale the machine. The simple procedure is :-

Unfortunately, in spite of the best-laid plans of mice and men, espresso machines often get clogged by scale, deposits of minerals from hard water. Scale can cause serious damage if untreated. If your espresso machine's water flow has decreased a lot, it's probably because of scale. Fortunately, there is an easy and inexpensive way to descale your espresso machine.

1. Obtain some citric acid. You can either order this online or find it in the kosher foods section of the supermarket (usually marketed as "sour salt"). Acid solutions dissolve scale, which is made of calcium carbonate. There are special solutions marketed specifically for descaling, but citric acid works just as well and is much cheaper.
   
2. Prepare the descaling solution by mixing citric acid with water (I use two tablespoons of acid and a quart of water).
3. Put the descaling solution in the water tank, turn on the machine, and run water through the steam wand until the cup is filled, to expose the parts to the solution. Turn off the machine, and leave it for 20 minutes so that the solution has time to dissolve scale.
4. After 20 minutes, run more water
5. Run solution through the machine every 20 minutes, until the water tank is empty.
6. Fill the water tank with plain water, and run water through the machine until output water no longer tastes sour. This is important, because excess citric acid does not make coffee taste good.

Let me know, if need further assistance.

Hope i helped you.

Thanks for using ' Fixya ' and have a nice day!!

just get the regular cleaner for descaling coffee machines. that has citric acid in it.
Descale according to manual