Gaggia Descaler Decalcifier 250ml RI9111/60 (Pack of 1 bottle)

I used my Gaggia Baby Classic about once a day for 8 months using filtered water only - without any decalcifier. Then it quit with only a dribble of water getting through. First I tried another powder descaler but after one go through the machine the water stopped altogether. Mortifying. Cleaned the shower bit and took off the bit under the shower bit and descaled those parts. Another round of descaling with the powder descaler - no improvement. Motor made a bad noise...Bought this Gaggia descaler, it came the next day. Yes, you have to use the whole bottle. But at this point I would have paid a lot more.I put all the descaler in the water tank - filled up the rest of the tank with warm water - turned on the machine and put through the steamer for 300 ml (2 cups) then through the coffee bit for 20 seconds, turned off, waited 20 mins to let it soak. Turned back on the steamer and coffee bit - then wammo lots of white stuff came out. Turned off waited another 20 mins and run again. More white stuff then clear. Then ran two tanks of water to clear it up. Job done. Big smile. Water comes through now as normal, motor not making a horrible grinding noise any longer.Note: I had a blank cap to cover the portofilter - put that on the machine when the descaler was inside - and turned the machine on for a few seconds, off, on again for a few seconds. This is to build up pressure in the machine as the water is blocked from going through the portofilter - it is supposed to clear out the solenoid.Water comes out fine now - full crema - lovely.This descaler is worth the price - and living in London, I will descale now at least once a month.Very happy I bought it, and very happy it arrived the next day.

My coffee quality had been going downhill for a while and I struggled to do latte art that was once easy. I put it down to lack of sleep from becoming a dad - I certainly didn't think I would need to descale my Gaggia Classic as I always fill from a Brita filter. All of a sudden water slowed to a trickle from the group head (the bit your espresso comes out of). I thought my machine was on its way out, after daily use for several years, however some research suggested it could be a scale problem.I used the Gaggia descaler, and wow, what a difference it has made! The machine must have been gradually getting worse over the last year or so without me really noticing. I had to make my grind much finer, and now I have great deep crema again, into which the milk pours perfectly. The steam wand has the power of a jet engine by comparison!I pretty much went by the instructions with a few changes, here are the steps for a Gaggia Classic:1. Start with a COLD machine and only turn it on to pump water then turn it off again. The descaler works best with cold water.2. Use a philips screwdriver to unscrew the filter from the group head housing (this will get blocked when descaling if you don't)3. Pour the descaler into the water tank and then fill to the max line with water4. Put a jug under the steam wand and open the steam wand valve ready5. Turn the machine on, and switch on both coffee and steam buttons at the same time6. After 150ml has come out, turn off the machine and close the steam wand valve7. Put the jug under the group head, turn on the machine and switch on the coffee button8. After another 100ml has come out, turn off the machine9. Wait 15 mins then repeat from step 4.10. To clean out the machine afterwards, pump 2 litres of fresh water through both the steam wand and the group head11. Marvel how good your first coffee is, while pouring it away down the sink.12. Reset your grinder, make lots of coffee and make a note to de-scale more often in future.

Descales well and convenient as a liquid. Don’t like the idea of such dangerous & corrosive chemicals in the water of the coffee machine though.

Easy to use! Clear and understandable instructions! Works perfectly.

To Clean and de scale my coffee machine

I think it does the job mildly, so as not too over clean your coffee machine and damage the metal in your boiler, however I still think it is over expensive. This whole bottle is only for one single use. There must be something better than this out there; or bring its price down.

When using an espresso machine, dependent on the area you live in and the quality of the water used, there can be a build up of deposits / scale inside the boiler and pipes. I’m lucky enough to be in an area where there’s hardly ANY such problems BUT…. it’s still efficient to do a descale on the machine even if you think it’s not essential. I have a Gaggia Classic Anniversay machine and decided to use the product that Gaggia make for the purpose. There are instructions on the bottle as to how it should be used - also I believe in the owner manual for the machine. Flushing the machine out after the descaling is an absolute must - you can’t be too careful on that. Better to do it more times than recommended than not enough!!!Very easy to use!

Works