Cleaning Steam Wand

[Bean007]

Does anyone have any tips for cleaning the steam wand of an espresso machine? We wipe ours with a rag after each use. But I still see a build up of milk crud near where the tip attaches to the wand. Does anyone do anything special for cleaning and maintenance of the wand?

 

[stefano65]

If your Steam wand is Stainless Steel you can use a green pad, if is not you can just try soaking it in a glass of water with or without some espresso cleaner

 

[BaristaTrainer]

A toothpick will work better than a paper clip to clean out the holes, since it is wood and not metal. my $.02

bt

 

[CCafe]

Actually if you have any stainless steel products don't use anything that is course like the green pads or steel wool. Stainless steel can rust if the protective layer has been compromised. So if you scratch it off it will be only a matter of time before rust will set in.

 

[javahill]

I've seen people just wipe the sides of the wand and then blow steam out. I've gotten into a habit of wiping both the sides and bottom of the steam tip and then blowing steam through. Seems to work fine.

 

[Hulkster]

my trick is to use the hot water from your machine to fill a "milk-steaming container" (can't think of the name of this right now) and let it soak for about 5 minutes. THen just wipe it with a rag...you may need to rub it hard, but it should come off...if you find the milk residue drying out, just blow steam onto your rag to rewet it (but make sure the rag's wet and be very careful not to burn yourself).

 

[topher]

Frothing Pitcher :wink: