Hi HBs

I've started working on my microfoaming technique on my millenium with the single hole wand tip and the most difficult part seems to actually be keeping the wand clean. I've read that you should wipe the wand right after use with a steamy rag, but it will have already formed a baked-on milk layer at that point, so I have to scrape it off in the sink with my fingernail. Is there any tips to be able to just quickly wipe it clean like everyone else seems to do?

Thanks

Jake

If you wipe down the wand with a wet cloth right after steaming the milk should wipe right off. At least it does on my burn me style wand.

I have a "no-burn" wand and I find the same thing: wiping with a wet cloth removes all the milk; sometimes a little pressure on the wipe is needed. But it definitely needs to be damp--too dry and the milk stays.

Scrub with a toothbrush and hot water if needed.

Milk bakes on to my burn-me wand fairly quickly. Every couple of weeks I just soak it for a few minutes in a tall glass of water sitting on the drip tray and the crud practically falls off.

I would chisel your baked milk off and then soak the wand in water and cleaner overnight. Make sure to purge well when heating the next day.

I wet a rag partially as well before steaming milk and use that to wipe my wand after steaming, then I purge the wand and wipe a few times to make sure no milk got sucked back inside. If you have a burn-fast style wand, you have to wipe fast after removing from milk and make sure the rag is decently wet. If it's just damp or you let it sit for a few seconds, baking may happen pretty quick.

If you're worried about the inside of the wand having milk in it, you could get some pipe cleaners and bundle a few together, or look into a Steamy Wanda.

Apparently the steam purged into my rag was not enough water to remove the milk coating like in the videos I watched. I'm now using a rag with the dampness equivalent of soaking and wringing it out and the milk layer comes right off! Thanks for the help

There is "right after", and then there is "right after". Try wiping it literally 1 second or less after you take the wand out of the pitcher.

FWIW, I just got a machine with a no-burn steam arm and it really is a wonderful thing!

The milk encrusts the wand on my single boiler Lelit, too. But I found a routine that solves the problem:

I grind and load the PF while the boiler's heating up to steam temp. Once it's there, I texture the milk and cool the boiler back to brew temp by pumping water through the wand into a tall, thin insulated mug. Just enough boiling water comes out before I turn off the pump to cover the encrusted bottom of the wand, and the hardened milk comes off easily if wiped immediately after withdrawing the wand from the boiling water. When the temp stabilizes at 95C , which happens by wipe #2 or 3, I pull the shot.

You obviously don't have to drop the temp like that on an HX machine. But you can fill the mug from your water wand to cover the milk-crusted part of the wand. Do the dip - wipe - dip - wipe with boiling water and a towel, and you should be fine. I did discover that wiping up and down isn't nearly as effective on crusted milk as rubbing the towel around the wand. Twisting the towel on the wand between thumb and fingers seems to work best for me.

Because I'm running boiling water through the steam wand for several seconds each time, I don't think there's any residual milk in it - I don't know if steam alone keeps it that clean, so a wand brush may be a good idea too. Just be careful and use at least 2 or 3 folds of towel between you and the wand - it only took me a few grabs of a single fold of towel with boiling water on it to realize that it's hot.....

Make it a habit to wipe it after every use. Best way to avoid it