Why You Should Regularly Clean Your Nespresso Milk Frother

We know that Nespresso machines should be descaled after every three months or 300 capsules, and cleaned every week to function properly. For milk frothers, however, regular cleaning is even more crucial. No matter how busy you are, or how little you use your Aeroccino, never leave milk in it for more than a couple hours.

Milk — tasty and nutritious as it is — can become a magnet for ants and a breeding ground for all sorts of nasty germs the moment it starts getting close to room temperature. And if mold can develop in a Nespresso coffee maker, it can appear in your milk-dampened Aeroccino too, which is not only yucky but can also affect the machine's functionality. If your Aeroccino is heating up faster than it should, flashing its red light, and turning itself off before the milk is done frothing, there's a good chance milk residue has built up inside. Milk protein buildup on the heating element can also cause burn marks in your frother, leading to an unhygienic look and poor flavor.

Your Aeroccino milk frother is best cleaned before the milk dries up. After use, allow the frother to cool down, and remove the jug from the base. Take out the removable elements: Seal, lid, whisk, and spring. Clean them using soapy water, then rinse with cold water. On some models, such as the Aeroccino 4, these parts are dishwasher safe, though we find that they're really quick and easy to clean manually.

While the jug is not to be immersed into water, you should wash the inside with cold water. The interior is coated to minimize staining and allow for easier cleaning, so make sure you use a sponge or soft scouring pad that's gentle on the delicate coating. After cleaning, dry everything with a clean towel. Check to see that the base and bottom part of the jug are completely dry, especially where they connect, and then put everything back in. This entire process takes less than five minutes in total, but is well worth doing for the peace of mind you'll have when sipping on the rich, sweet layer of frothed milk in your coffee.

With regular and timely cleaning, it's rare for milk residue to accumulate in your Aeroccino. However, if that ever happens and traces of burnt milk appear on your frother, here's the best way to clean it off.