alcohol
wd-40
and for the stubborn ones
sheila shine s/s cleaner

Microfiber cloth with boiling water from the hot water tap make wonders for me.

I don't have as much success with my brown microfiber cloths because I also use them for mopping up after espresso brewing. I do more smearing than cleaning. If I were to use a CLEAN microfiber cloth I suspect better results would ensure.

EricL wrote:Vinegar is the magic cleaner.

Bravo Eric! All I am trying to do is to get fellow home barista's to give it a try. Fast, easy, effective and really not that odorous. Thanks, carl

Not sure if this would work on coffee machines, but on my SS cooker and cooker hood, our cleaner gave us the wonderful tip of using baby oil. Once your steel is clean, apply a very light sheen of the oil and it will stop it getting dirty again. It also means that future cleans can be done with a simple wipe rather than any scrubbing or other chemicals.

My current machine is (please don't hate me) a Jura automatic which isn't steel. It has also stopped making decent coffee (and yes, I accept it probably wasn't making very good coffee by enthusiasts' standards in the first place) and so will soon be replaced by something better which may well be in SS and therefore I may be able to try my own medicine!

HTH

Jon

Glass plus spray and micro towel or soft kitchen paper towels.

WS

Thanks for the tip, I might give this a try! I've been using the steam onto my microfiber with great results, but am always willing to try something new/better.

I just dip my microfiber cloth (picked up in bulk at Costco) in some water and wipe down my Gaggia Factory while it's still hot. The case is hot enough to almost steam the water and it makes wiping off the coffee and smudges pretty easy. Just have to remember to do it while the machine is still hot.

One of the advantages of having an exposed boiler on a Gaggia Factory or La Pavoni Europiccola / Pro, I guess.

I have wondered how those steam wand extensions with brushes work out for cleaning up the group. Anyone use these regularly? I just use a wash bottle, brush, and microfiber cloth to clean up the group and it works pretty well.

Same as Chris ^

A hot, damp microfiber cloth is all I've ever needed or used. Even if it faded after a minute or two, the horrible odor of vinegar would make it an unpleasant task even more so.

Years ago, when I was a line cook at a tiny family diner, when we cleaned up for the night, all the stainless steel surfaces ( basically everywhere) were covered in finger prints. They taught us to use a steaming hot towel, rung out, with just a splash of Zippo Lighter Fluid ( basically kerosene?) onto the rag, to go over the surfaces. It cleaned the oily prints off effortlessly. The surfaces looked brand new, except for the scratches.

TomC wrote:They taught us to use a steaming hot towel, rung out, with just a splash of Zippo Lighter Fluid ( basically kerosene?) onto the rag, to go over the surfaces. It cleaned the oily prints off effortlessly. The surfaces looked brand new, except for the scratches.

I use a product called Zep Professional Strength Stainless Steel Cleaner. It kinda smells like dilute lighter fluid. I don't use it very often, just when the machine gets a little too scraggy. Available at Home Depot.