Hi,

I am struggling to find the best material to clean my steam wand. As soon as I am finished steaming my milk the milk get stuck on the wand. I used cloth, cotton towel and even a kitchen sponge which seems to work best but still I need to wet my towel to clean the residue. I tried to steam the wand which helps. Not sure why can't I have a teflon steam wand that probably would have solved all my problems

Any suggestions?

I had problems keeping the steam wand on my CC1 clean, so I kept a second pitcher full of water that I would immerse the steam wand in and run it for a bit when done steaming milk. Then I would usually be able to wipe it down with a rag, while running more steam through it. (Usually had to hold the rag with a pot holder so that I wouldn't burn my hand.) But by doing this, I was able to keep it pretty clean. I don't seem to have a problem with the Londinium I steam wand though... just a simple wipe down and open of the steam valve, and I'm good to go.

Use a bit of acid, either a piece of lemon peel or a few drops of plain vinegar, mixed with hot water, to clean your steam wand (and tip) when nothing else seems to do the trick.
Soak for as little as five minutes and milk crud should wipe right off.

I feel like an infomercial.

Alternatively, there are chemical solutions that Cafiza and Puro make for specifically this purpose, though I've found they don't work noticeably better.

Also, your steam wand will always wipe off best with a damp towel. A dry one can't be expected to clean much of anything.

+1 on the damp towel for cleaning the wand after steaming.

These

One side of these postcard size cloths is regular microfiber. The other side has abrasive stripes. Perfect when damp for wiping off milk gunk.

yakster wrote:+1 on the damp towel for cleaning the wand after steaming.

+1

+1 Damp towel.

I often do a flush before my shot, so if I remember I briefly run the steam wand towel just under the stream, roll it and twist to distribute the water a little, open it up to let it cool while I get my shot ready.

A damp, not-hot towel will take the milk off a steam wand quite quickly. Using a dry towel will just dry the milk further, making it stick more. A damp towel will dampen and cool the milk so it releases with just a twist of the rag. Few blows of the steam wand into the rag and you're done cleaning.

Perhaps it depends on the type of steam arm, but my "burn me now" wand cleans up immediately with a damp cellulose dishwashing sponge. Never needs anything else. Contrary to what you might expect, it also cleans easier when the steam arm is hot, so if it's been left a couple of minutes, I just give it a quick blast.

Thanks to everyone for their inputs. I totally agree a damp towel works best. I used to try to clean it with a dry one which was my initial issue there.

Thanks