To run a Breville descale cycle, remove the water filter, empty the drip tray, dissolve Breville’s descaling powder in the tank, then start your model’s descale mode and run the solution through the group head, steam wand and hot water outlet. Finish with a full tank of fresh water. Do it when the descale light or alert appears.

Button presses differ by model, so this guide follows each official Breville instruction book. For the general theory and other brands, see our guide on how to descale an espresso machine.

The short answer

Model Descale signal How to start descale mode Rinse
Barista Express (BES870) Clean/Descale light solid Hold 2 CUP, then POWER Refill to MAX, run all outlets again
Barista Express Impress (BES876) Clean/Descale light solid Machine off, hold 2 CUP + POWER 5 s Refill to MAX, run all outlets again
Barista Pro (BES878) DESCALE on LCD MENU, select DESCALE, press 1 CUP 3-stage rinse cycle
Barista Touch, Touch Impress, Oracle Touch Pop-up message Settings, Descale cycle Guided on screen
Bambino (BES450) 2 CUP flashes continuously Hold 2 CUP + Steam 5 s Refill to MAX, press 2 CUP
Bambino Plus (BES500) 1 CUP + STEAM and 2 CUP flash alternately Machine off, hold 1 CUP + STEAM 5 s Refill to MAX, resume
Dual Boiler (BES920), Oracle (BES980) Descale alert on LCD Hold 1 CUP, then POWER 3 s, select dESc Drain and flush both boilers twice

When does a Breville need descaling?

A Breville needs descaling when its own alert appears, and every model covered here has one (see the table above). Breville’s manuals explain why it matters: hard water leaves mineral build-up inside, which reduces brewing flow, brewing temperature, the power of the machine and the taste of the espresso.

Two alerts are easy to misread. On the Barista Express and Express Impress, a flashing Clean/Descale light means a cleaning cycle and only a solid light means descale. On the Bambino, pressing any button cancels the flashing alert, but the manual warns against ignoring it. The touchscreen and Oracle manuals add one more trigger: descale if you see scale in the water tank, even with the filter in use.

What to use: Breville descaler, vinegar and water

Breville’s instruction books are written around Breville descaling powder, which comes with the machine. The Barista Express manual dissolves one sachet in 34 fl oz (1 L) of water, and the Express Impress manual says to dissolve it fully before starting.

Breville’s online cleaning guide lists 1 part vinegar to 1 part water as an option, but says a deep clean should always use a store-bought solution. The Dual Boiler and Oracle manuals allow another cleaning solution if you follow its maker’s instructions. Three rules apply on every model with a tank filter:

  • Remove the water filter first. Breville says a filter left in the tank soaks up the solution.
  • Never remove or completely empty the tank during descaling, except where a step tells you to refill it.
  • Skip bottled water for descaling. The Express Impress and Touch Impress manuals warn that most bottled water contains dissolved solids that can leave deposits.

How to descale a Breville Barista Express

Eight-step flow for descaling a Breville Barista Express: prepare when the Clean/Descale light is solid, dissolve one sachet in 34 fl oz (1 L) of water, hold 2 CUP then POWER to enter descale mode, run the coffee circuit for about 25 seconds, steam for about 13 and hot water for about 8 seconds, repeat until the tank is empty, rinse with a full 68 fl oz (2 L) tank and press POWER to exit

The Barista Express descale mode runs the solution through three circuits, coffee, steam and hot water, in short timed bursts. These steps come from the BES870 instruction book, plus the filter step from Breville’s cleaning guide.

  1. Prepare. Check that the Clean/Descale light is solid, remove the water filter and empty the drip tray.
  2. Mix the solution. Dissolve one sachet of descaling powder in 34 fl oz (1 L) of water and fill the tank.
  3. Enter descale mode. Press and hold 2 CUP, then press and hold POWER at the same time. POWER flashes while the machine heats; it is ready when POWER, 1 CUP, Clean/Descale and Hot Water/Steam all light solid.
  4. Descale the coffee circuit. Press 1 CUP; it runs for about 25 seconds.
  5. Descale steam and hot water. Turn the steam dial right to steam (about 13 seconds), then left to hot water (about 8 seconds).
  6. Repeat until the tank is empty. About 17 fl oz (0.5 L) should be left after the first round.
  7. Rinse. Rinse the tank, refill it with fresh cold water to the maximum, 68 fl oz (2 L), and repeat steps 4 and 5.
  8. Exit. Press POWER. If you leave it idle for 5 minutes, the machine turns itself off; restart from step 3.

Barista Express Impress differences

The Express Impress uses the same circuits and timings. Start with the machine off and hold 2 CUP and POWER together for 5 seconds, then press 2 CUP, not 1 CUP, for the coffee circuit. Our Barista Express vs Pro comparison covers the other differences between these models.

How to descale a Breville Barista Pro

The Barista Pro runs a guided descale cycle from its menu, followed by a separate rinse cycle. Its manual asks you to switch it off and let it cool for at least 1 hour first.

  1. Prepare. Empty the drip tray, remove the tank and take out the filter.
  2. Fill to the DESCALE line, add the powder and refit the tank.
  3. Select DESCALE. Press MENU, turn the GRIND AMOUNT dial to DESCALE and press it.
  4. Start. Press 1 CUP. The cycle runs in 3 stages, coffee, hot water and steam, and beeps after each. Turn the steam dial when the LCD tells you to.
  5. Rinse. Empty the drip tray and any leftover solution, fill the tank to MAX and press 1 CUP for the 3-stage rinse.
  6. Finish. At READY, rinse and dry the drip tray and tank.

How to descale a Breville Barista Touch or Oracle Touch

Touchscreen Breville machines guide the whole descale on screen: go to Settings, select Descale cycle and follow the prompts. The Barista Touch, Touch Impress and Oracle Touch manuals give no button sequence because the screen walks you through each stage.

The ground rules still apply: let the Barista Touch or Oracle Touch cool for at least 1 hour, take the filter out and keep the tank in place. The Touch also has a Water Hardness setting that uses the supplied test strip to set how often you need to descale.

How to descale a Breville Bambino or Bambino Plus

The two Bambino models descale with a button combination and a 68 fl oz (2 L) container under the group head and steam wand. The Bambino runs one combined clean and descale cycle.

Bambino (BES450):

  1. Empty the drip tray, fill the tank to the DESCALE line and add the powder.
  2. Place the container, then press 2 CUP and Steam together for 5 seconds. The 2 CUP button flashes throughout.
  3. When the solution runs out, the cycle pauses. Rinse and refill the tank to MAX, empty the container and press 2 CUP to rinse.

Bambino Plus (BES500):

  1. Remove the filter, empty the drip tray and fill to the DESCALE line with the powder added. Place the container.
  2. Turn the machine off by pressing 1 CUP and STEAM together, and let it cool completely.
  3. With the machine off, hold 1 CUP and STEAM for 5 seconds, then press either button to start.
  4. When the cycle pauses, refill the tank to MAX, empty the container and press 1 CUP or STEAM to resume. It ends in standby.

Our Bambino vs Bambino Plus comparison explains the other differences between the two.

How to descale a Breville Dual Boiler or Oracle

The Dual Boiler and the Oracle descale by draining both boilers through valves behind a front panel, which is why Breville asks you to allow about 1.5 hours. Let the machine cool for at least 1 hour first. These steps follow the BES920 and BES980 manuals.

  1. Enter descale mode. Empty the drip tray. With the machine off, hold 1 CUP, then POWER, for 3 seconds until rSEt appears, then select dESc.
  2. Drain the boilers. Remove the grey cover marked DESCALE ACCESS and lay a cloth over the drip tray. Open the right valve counter-clockwise with a flat-head screwdriver; steam may escape. Close it without overtightening once drained, then repeat on the left.
  3. Add the solution. Empty the drip tray and tank, remove the filter, add the descaler and fill with cold water to MAX.
  4. Descale. Press 1 CUP. The boilers fill with solution and heat during a countdown (20 minutes on the Oracle). Drain both valves again.
  5. Flush twice. Fill the tank with clean water, press 1 CUP for a 20-minute flush and drain both valves. Repeat once, then press POWER to exit.

How often should you descale a Breville?

Chart of Breville water filter replacement by model: every 2 months on the Barista Express, 2 months or 60 tank refills on the Barista Pro, 3 months on the Impress models, 3 months or 10.6 US gal (40 L) at hardness level 4 on the Barista Touch, Dual Boiler, Oracle and Oracle Touch, and no filter supplied or interval given for the Bambino models; on models with a filter, remove it before every descale

You should descale a Breville whenever the machine asks, and Breville’s general advice is every one to three months, depending on how often you use it. Hard water shortens that, and Breville’s manuals say replacing the tank filter on schedule reduces the need to descale.

Model Water filter replacement (manual)
Barista Express Every 2 months; more often in hard water
Barista Pro Every 2 months or 60 tank refills
Express Impress, Touch Impress Every 3 months
Barista Touch, Dual Boiler, Oracle, Oracle Touch 3 months or 10.6 US gal (40 L) at hardness level 4; 16 US gal (60 L) at level 2
Bambino, Bambino Plus No filter supplied; no interval given

The Barista Touch manual adds that if your water tests at hardness 4 or 5, Breville strongly recommends another water source. Several manuals also warn against highly filtered, demineralized or distilled water, which affects taste.

Breville descale vs cleaning cycle vs cleaning tablets

Comparison of a Breville descale, which uses descaling powder in the tank to remove mineral scale from the group head, steam wand and hot water outlet, and a cleaning cycle, a backflush with the cleaning disc and one tablet in the portafilter that clears coffee oils from the group head

A Breville descale and a Breville cleaning cycle are separate jobs with separate products. Descaling dissolves mineral scale with descaling powder in the tank. The cleaning cycle is a backflush that clears coffee oils from the group head, using the cleaning disc and one cleaning tablet in the portafilter. Its prompt is a flashing light, a FLUSH alert or CLEAN ME!, depending on the model.

The Bambino Plus asks for a cleaning cycle after 200 extractions, the Dual Boiler after about 200 shots. Our guides on how to backflush and how to clean an espresso machine cover the oil side, and our map of espresso machine parts shows where scale and oils collect.

The bottom line

A Breville descale always follows the same shape: filter out, Breville descaling powder in the tank, the model’s descale mode through every outlet, then a full rinse with fresh water. What changes is the button sequence, so match the steps above to your model number. Replace the water filter on schedule and the machine will ask for a descale less often.

Sources