# Clean your grinder regularly!



## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

I had been a bit lazy and neglected the cleaning of my grinder for 3 months.....never again. I felt the coffees were tasting not as clean as they should and some of the flavour notes muted. I thoroughly cleaned the grinder, burrs and burr chamber, the difference was marked.

I usually clean once a month and will never again miss my cleaning schedule. I always clean manually...never with grinds. I use toothbrushes, bottle brushes damp and dry kitchen paper.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Sound advice, I think people would amazed at how much coffee accumulates in the grind path of their grinder


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

Hi Dave, I take it you're leaving the burrs attached and not unscrewing them from the carriers? I'm wary of unscrewing the actual burrs as it was a bit pain getting the parallel (or as near as I could) when I first fitted them.

On my RR55OD I just unscrew the top burr carrier and then use a vacuum to get all the grinds out, then a small tooth brush to scrub the burrs (in situ) and a bent pipe cleaner to drag the trapped grinds out from underneath the bottom burr carrier.

I've never used damp brushes as I thought I'd read you shouldn't wash burrs as the can end up rusty?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

marcuswar said:


> I've never used damp brushes as I thought I'd read you shouldn't wash burrs as the can end up rusty?


I don't remove the burrs and I don't use damp brushes. I wipe out the burr chamber and surrounds (chute etc..) with a slightly damp piece of kitchen towel (only very slightly damp), then finish off with dry kitchen towel, to remove as much coffee oils as I can.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

As I prefer darker roast's which can be oily, I find quite a buildup on the edge of the wiper arms which push the coffee out, this fin definitely does detract from the taste /flavour of the coffee. The buildup in a month is considerable.


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

I agree it's essential, the dosing consistency goes a bit inconsistent until the nooks and crannies have been re-popluated but more flavour to savour!


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## Chrisrayner (Feb 6, 2016)

I find compressed air quite helpful in all manner of cleaning tasks. Hint: take everything outside to do this. A fine suspension of stale coffee in the air may not go down well. Or even at all for some time.


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

Chrisrayner said:


> I find compressed air quite helpful in all manner of cleaning tasks. Hint: take everything outside to do this. A fine suspension of stale coffee in the air may not go down well. Or even at all for some time.


I seem to remember reading about someone who used a can of compressed air to clean out a grinder while running the motor and caused a bit of an explosion as the "air" in those cans is actually some form of flammable gas!


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

El carajillo said:


> As I prefer darker roast's which can be oily, I find quite a buildup on the edge of the wiper arms which push the coffee out, this fin definitely does detract from the taste /flavour of the coffee. The buildup in a month is considerable.


So are you advocating actually the removal of the lower burr carrier to clean the sweeper arms ?


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

I clean my grinder every month. When I'm home from work on my 2 weeks I give it a little clean about half way through and then totally clear it out the day before I go back so it's fresh to use when I get home


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

marcuswar said:


> So are you advocating actually the removal of the lower burr carrier to clean the sweeper arms ?


No you can clean down the sides of the sweeper arms/ crevices with a cocktail/tooth pick.

Personally I do take the lower burr and carrier out when I clean the grinder, I feel it is worth the little extra effort /time

It also allows full cleaning of the wipers underneath the carrier which also collect the oily residue.


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

El carajillo said:


> No you can clean down the sides of the sweeper arms/ crevices with a cocktail/tooth pick.
> 
> Personally I do take the lower burr and carrier out when I clean the grinder, I feel it is worth the little extra effort /time
> 
> It also allows full cleaning of the wipers underneath the carrier which also collect the oily residue.


So you are advocating it's removal







... I guess as long as I leave the burrs actually attached to the carrier then removing the carrier shouldn't affect the amount of parallelism between the upper and lower burr (too much).


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## PaulL (May 5, 2014)

This is an area where I am pleased I moved to the E37s with its easy top assembly removal.

I use a small screwdriver carefully against the sweeper arms and in the grinder chute/SCC and then kitchen roll for the oils, I vacuum it all too. I'm settling into a routine of every couple of weeks.


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Mythos and 65e are a doddle to clean being top burr stay put designs, so much so that do them every week (top burrs off, bottom stay in place, toothbrush, cocktails sticks, vacuum and cloth) being careful of the clump crusher. Not attacked the R120 yet, waiting for the safety harness







(also very afraid of falling in)

John


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

Just cleaned the Major after several months of use. Quick hoover out with a Henry, as well as brushing the burrs with a toothbrush. Hardly any buildup at all.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

I just cleaned mine two days ago. Wasn't too bad, but definitely a must every couple of months for me.


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## aaroncornish (Nov 7, 2012)

johnealey said:


> Mythos and 65e are a doddle to clean being top burr stay put designs, so much so that do them every week (top burrs off, bottom stay in place, toothbrush, cocktails sticks, vacuum and cloth) being careful of the clump crusher. Not attacked the R120 yet, waiting for the safety harness
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I miss my 65e for that! So easy to clean


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## Flibster (Aug 15, 2010)

marcuswar said:


> I seem to remember reading about someone who used a can of compressed air to clean out a grinder while running the motor and caused a bit of an explosion as the "air" in those cans is actually some form of flammable gas!


Oh yeah... That was me...









http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?15583-Muppetry&p=156231#post156231


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## Grahamg (Oct 24, 2013)

Thanks for the reminder, mine's had more than 6 months of use without a clean - saw to that this morning, wasn't bad at all thankfully but I think I'd have to take top burr off to properly clean and access grind chamber if it did get mucky.


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## mmmatron (Jun 28, 2014)

Well this was a reminder to clean my newish (second hand) K10. Wasn't expecting that! Totally surprised how much compacted nastiness was down there. Much easier to clean than my old SJ.

Wasn't sure of the benefit but def enjoying a tastier cuppa


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## PeterL (Aug 5, 2015)

Due to this thread I just cleaned my E10, quite surprised how low retention it is and only a film of gunge under the sweeper arm, I think it's an every other month at best job.

I would strongly recommend a dose of the below or some kind of home made pin spanner, boy does it take some grunt to move the regulator.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Ha that 'Growacet' made me laugh. This thread reminded me a good clean of my Ceado was about due again. A thorough clean with a toothbrush, cotton buds, hoover and moistened cloth seems to have improved things.


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## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

Somewhat remiss with mine am I, dialling the Grinta in again being a pain in the nervus pudendi. Rice and a blast from the workshop air compressor do the job. I still need to wash the hopper, though, so boredom still awaits.


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## nicholasj (Nov 11, 2013)

So reading this thread no one seems to use cleaning products like Urnex grinder tablets? There are clearly lots of ways to clean a grinder without using these products? I've deleted it from my Amazon basket!!


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## nicholasj (Nov 11, 2013)

James811 said:


> I clean my grinder every month. When I'm home from work on my 2 weeks I give it a little clean about half way through and then totally clear it out the day before I go back so it's fresh to use when I get home


Great.......what do you use to clean it please? Cheers


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## coffeeaddict1 (Aug 29, 2016)

This is so true! If I use my grinder daily, then i clean it every 3 weeks. I remember in the beginning, where I didn't care that much about cleaning it, but it's definitely crucial for the taste.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

I wouldn't put anything other than coffee through my grinder. All the decent grinders I've had (Mazzer Mini, Zenith 65E and Ceado E37s ) are very easy to clean. The last 2 of those you can take the top burr off without even disturbing the grind level. I use nothing more than a small brush and cotton buds, and a hoover to clean the burrs, chamber and chute. My grinders have always been kept clean enough to not need any detergent or other chemicals, but I guess if you bought one off ebay and it was gunked up from years of oily dark beans and no cleaning, you could use some Pulycaff on a cotton bud, then rinse (obviously only the removable burrs).


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