Ugh, my Miele coffee machine started acting weird again yesterday. Coffee looked kinda thin and weak, tasted a bit... off. Figured it was probably gunked up with coffee oil and scale – totally gross. Remembered I still had some official Miele cleaning tablets sitting in the back of the cupboard. Time for a clean!

Step 1: Prep the Machine & Drop the Tablet

First thing, I switched the machine off at the wall. No electrocution parties today, thank you. Popped the lid open and grabbed the water tank. Emptied whatever old water was left right down the sink. Then I gave the tank a quick rinse under the tap to wash out any little bits floating around. Made sure the bean container still had enough beans – didn’t wanna run dry mid-clean.

Back at the machine, I checked the instructions on the tablet box again, just to be sure. Ripped open one of those little cleaning tablets – smells kinda lemony and chemical. Dropped it straight into the empty water tank. Filled the tank right to the MAX line with nice, cold tap water. Heard the tablet fizzing like crazy even before I put the tank back into the machine.

Step 2: Run the Cleaning Program

Plugged the machine back in. The display lit up right away. Now, this bit's crucial: I pressed and held the "Service" button for like, 3 seconds. Some machines might have a different button, but mine flashes "Clean" when it's ready. Saw that "Clean" message blinking? Hit the big round button on the front! That kicks off the actual cleaning cycle.

The machine started humming, way louder and different than its normal coffee-making noise. You basically just leave it alone for this part. It’s doing its thing inside – sucking up the cleaning water, heating it, pumping it all through the pipes and the group head to melt away all that nasty buildup. Took about 10-15 minutes. Just stayed nearby reading my book until it finally stopped gurgling.

Step 3: Rinse, Rinse, RINSE!

Machine stopped? Don't make coffee yet! This is the important bit everyone messes up. Yanked that water tank straight out again. Poured the leftover cleaning water down the sink. Rinsed the tank REALLY well under the tap. Seriously, wash until that chemical smell is completely gone. Filled it back up with fresh cold water right to the top.

Popped the clean tank back into the machine. Pressed the service button again to run the exact same cleaning cycle – but this time, it’s just pure fresh water. Let it run all the way through again. It needs to flush out every last trace of that cleaning solution. Imagine drinking lemon-scented dishwasher goop? Yeah, no.

Once the second cycle finished? Perfection. Emptied the tank one last time, rinsed it, and filled it with fresh water ready for tomorrow's brew. Fired the machine up for a test espresso and WHOA. Smell was clean, coffee looked thick and crema-rich, tasted like it was supposed to. Total win. Took like 30 minutes, mostly just waiting around. So easy even I almost didn't mess it up!