# Cleaning Steam Wands



## Glenn

I stay at hotels a lot and have noticed an alarming trend of gunked up steam wands on their machines.

It would appear that the basic system of using a damp cloth to remove milk foam and a short burst of steam to ensure no milk has been sucked up is not widely adopted or process followed by all staff.

I usually point out this shortcoming to the nearest bar staff member but it seems that many of them wait until the build-up is of epic proportions before they remove the steam wand and soak overnight to soften and remove.

How would you approach this with the bar staff (or wouldn't you bother)? as my approach is not met with much enthusiasm.

If I notice this and others do then they may be losing customers as a result.

If this (visible) part of their machine is not cleaned then what are the group heads like?


----------



## SeamusMcFlurry

To be honest, if I were a cafe owner and someone did not clean the steam wand to a good standard consistently, I'd have to fire them. A filthy steam wand is a real health hazard. When the milk has built up to the point where you can't even see the burned black milk at the bottom, that's totally unacceptable.


----------



## adamfahn

Not been here for a few days and Seamus beat me by 4 days but absolute health risk. EHO's would have a field day in there.

This is milk afterall, heated and cooled to all temperatures and then left out to later make contact with your drink. Very very wrong!

You have to bring it up however if the barista hasn't spotted it and dealt with it already then I am not sure I would want to go back.


----------



## James Hoffmann

I think one of the problems with the milk kebab on the wand is that it probably isn't unhygenic - merely disgusting. That wand is likely to get up hot enough to kill any bacteria. There is no legislation on coffee machinery in the UK as far as I know and I did ring up to ask a couple of times.

Worrying really.

During training sessions I find it is helpful to threaten (in a nice way) to remove the wand and to put it into the baristas mouth. It tends to communicate how disgusting using a dirty steam wand is....


----------



## SeamusMcFlurry

lol. Good idea James.

I saw a great one on my way to Keswick with the girlfriend. It was a little Piaggio bike with a machine on the back in Carlilse train station. One steam wand was literally black, and hidden in an empty milk jug, and the other had an inch and a half (no exaggeration!) across of dried milk, which he was steaming with! I nearly threw up, punched him, and pushed the Piaggio onto the train tracks all at once. Part of me did seriously consider telling the older couple buying a capp just how disgusting the wand was.

Oh well.


----------



## Glenn

As I am at this hotel again next week I will be checking their steam wand and having a polite word with the hotel manager.

I will check out who their supplier is and see if they can run a training session for staff for him. They have enough staff on shift and I am sure this can be arranged during the lull between breakfast and lunch when his staff are spending their time rigorously cleaning the restaurant.


----------



## chrisweaver_barista

When I used to work at Aroma, everyone tended to be on and off the machine, even if I was primarily on shift that day. And if anyone left milk on the arm, they would be called over, and asked, in by no means a vastly polite fashion to clean it off.

I must of been a bastard to work for, but things were clean


----------



## TimStyles

Yeah, you sound like a real Marco Pierre White there, Chris.


----------



## LeeWardle

It's amazing really how often this happens. The usual excuse I hear from clients is "We're far to busy to wipe it"...and "We clean it at the end of the day"! I tend to ask them if they would consider serving coffee in a used/dirty cup?......No?......So whats the difference between pouring milk in to a dirty cup and putting THAT into milk?!

Along the same lines as James I suggest they have a good suck on the cheesy wand....They usually get the point!

Regards

Lee


----------



## chrisweaver_barista

"I suggest they have a good suck on the cheesy wand...."

NEVER EVER use that phrase again.. please









What crappy excuse is time, it's less than a second to keep a cloth next to it, and give it a wipe straight after steaming and a quick purge. Some people should be banned from making coffee!


----------



## SeamusMcFlurry

That's a horrible image. I never want to have to suck on a cheesy wand. And yeah Chris, some people should be banned. Or sent to work with you for a week from the sounds of it lol


----------



## chrisweaver_barista

ha ha, they don't call me the Coffee Nazi for nothing


----------



## WOnet

I have seen this a lot in the US as well. As James mentioned, I don't think is it a health issue, as the steam wand does heat up to 210+ (f) degrees, and that will kill most bacteria.

However, anyone ever tasted burnt milk? Well, when the milk is left on the wand, it scalds and burns. Then when fresh milk is steamed, some of that milk scum does get passed along into the pitcher, and then into drink. NASTY!!

I just got a new machine that the steam wands are VERY easy to clean. VERY! There is no tip that unscrews, where milk catches and sits. It is like a plastic or teflon (or something) sleeve that covers the entire probe. Sweet! I still make everyone wipe after every steaming.

...just my 2 beans


----------



## chrisweaver_barista

Just to play devils advocate, imagine the steam wand has been sat overnight in that state, which I'm sure is often. First drink of the day, steam wand goes in cold, they understeam the milk, say to 55, surely thats cross contamination right there?

Chris


----------



## LeeWardle

WOnet said:


> I have seen this a lot in the US as well. As James mentioned, I don't think is it a health issue, as the steam wand does heat up to 210+ (f) degrees, and that will kill most bacteria.


It does but the milk doesn't go that high and the bacteria has already been transferred to the milk whrn the wand goes in. Places that steam a lot without cleaning you often see a build up of a few mm, and this milk on the outside of the build up is still wet, warm and full of bacteria.

Lee

No Excuses not to clean and purge after each steam.


----------



## DavidS

This has been driving me insane at work, and I'm starting to get quite evil about it









On a related note, I went out for a meal at the weekend. They had a respectable two group machine at the place, but the long steam wand was coated thick in cheese/ milk. Put me straight off.


----------



## Glenn

Hi David

Send me your address and I'll drop some Steam Wand cards in the post for you.

They look like *this*


----------



## DavidS

hehehe give me 2 secs, I'll get you the address!!

Although it may be a bit to mean, even for me....


----------



## Glenn

We've had good reactions from cafe owners so far, with one calling for advice, and the other known cafe that a card was left at keeping their wand clean every time the person who left it has walked past since.


----------



## DavidS

I think they'd know I played some part in it! lol

The problem isn't with people not cleaning it, they're not cleaning it thoroughly enough. They'll give it a slight wipe, and purge, but don't wipe it hard enough to clean it all off or wipe the very end of the arm (wipe the bottom, I suppose...) So there's "blind spots" where it's able to gather and burn on... :/


----------



## sandykt

Me and my husband had a very inpromptu lunch at a local pub on Friday and whilst ordering our food, I noticed the steam wand on their machine. OMG!! I could not believe it. It was black - literally. Unfortunately, I did not have any of the steam wand cards Glenn had recently sent to me. I plan to send a card to them in an envelope tomorrow and the rest of the steam wand cards are now in my purse ready to be left at any offending establishment I might visit in the future.


----------

