First thing’s first: You turn your attention to the idle DeLonghi La Specialista that has collected quite a bit of built-up grime after two years of use. To ensure that the machine continue operating well, it should of be regularly cleaned; today, however, you’re going for a deep clean to get this thing back up to speed. Taking it apart are required for a thorough scrubbing of all its interior part.
You begin by addressing the idle DeLonghi La Specialista, which has accumulated significant buildup over two years.
Deep Cleaning Process
To begin with, you work in the area where the steam wand goes. At this stage, the control panel is still blacked out and a stretchy hose pokes through from outside the chrome port on the front of the machine. On the opposite side are several tools that will be used for the job.
You must prepare the exterior to get to the inner stuff.
Finally, you’re looking at the group heads. Remove the portafilters, and there’s the dirty basket that hasn’t been cleaned yet (left) alongside a relatively clean basket (right). You can see the grime built up in the forgotten basket. These markings near the handle lever indicates where to insert and close the parts.
The old coffee oils comes off when they are cleaned.
You pull out a round metallic part to take a closer look at it. There’s a white ring in the middle of it and you can see some wear on the inside that’s brown and somewhat gritty looking. It looks like a gasket or something with a filter to catch junk. You hold it up and notice just how dirty it got over the years.
The foreground is dirty and the background is blurry.
Sink: It’s time to rinse. Loose grounds gets washed off with some tap water. Small bits of beans and other small items is on the metal grill rack.
With a steel scrubber in hand, you work to dislodge the grime by rubbing it around while holding a black and clear appliance part underneath the faucet spray. The stainless steel sink provide a durable surface for this messy task.
The rinsing phase take place at the sink.
Under the running water you will rinse off two round pieces of metal. Hold the flat metal disc with a hole through the middle in one hand. In your other hand, hold another piece of the same kind directly below the water flow. Rinse them both. The water cascades over the surface washing away any residul left on the filters.
The double sink allows for efficient washing.
Next we have a black piece made out of plastic, which is being held over a green cutting mat to keep it stable. Slots and screws is visible that show where you open up the unit. This is the part you want to handle carefuly so as not to damage the plastic. This houses the mechanisms inside of the grind or brew unit.
This allows you to get at the guts of it all by removing it.
A chrome finished mechanical part is wiped clean with a rag. You see two cylinder chamber in this part. The holes allows you to look inside the chamber. The rag cleans away any sticky residue and dust from the surface of the part.
Part sits on a green mat while being cleaned. Nearby is another black plastic part ready to be assembled.
Here’s what’s inside the device, completely disassembled. It has shiny chrome exteriors and dark interiors with all the hardware. A nice looking metal plate beneath holds it in place. One of the cylinders come off for further examination. Tools and other small screws litter the table.
Now this is a good level of disassembly. It’s deep cleaning time.
Next up is looking at all the exposed innards. You can see tubing, gears, and wires within the housing. A clean cutting mat (green) allow us to get up close with all the details. There are also scattered screws that need to be put back in place during reassembly.
At this point you really start to understand how complex this machine is. You must pay attention to each piece to make it run correctly.