How to Clean a Breville Coffee Maker (Precision Brewer and Drip)

Shop BLITZ Coffee Maker Cleaner, $24.95

Everyday cleaning for a Breville coffee maker

• After each pot: empty the brew basket and filter and rinse them; on a thermal carafe, rinse and leave the lid off so it dries.
• Weekly: wash the carafe, lid and brew basket in warm soapy water and wipe around the showerhead where coffee splashes.
• The water tank: empty water that has sat for days and refill with fresh water; take out the water filter before any descale.
• Before cleaning: Breville's manual says to switch the machine off and unplug it first.

The Breville descale and cleaning cycle, step by step

Precision Brewer (when DESCALE flashes):

1. Empty the tank and remove the water filter if one is fitted.
2. Fill: descaler and warm water, as on Breville's descale video (one packet, 34 oz). With BLITZ, one tablet and warm water.
3. Place the empty carafe under the outlet.
4. Hold SELECT 3 seconds to start the descale; it runs about 15 minutes.
5. Rinse: brew two full tanks of fresh water.

Other Breville drip machines (vinegar method from Breville's cleaning guide): fill the tank with equal parts white vinegar and water, run until about halfway through the brew, switch off and let it sit 30 to 45 minutes, then finish the cycle. Pour it out and run two full brews of fresh water so no vinegar taste is left.

Breville DESCALE flashing, and how often

A flashing DESCALE on the Precision Brewer's screen means scale has built up enough to slow the brew; Breville's troubleshooting points to descaling when performance drops. Run the descale cycle and the rinse, and the reminder clears.

On drip models without a reminder, Breville's guide suggests a cleaning cycle every month or two. Hard water means the shorter end; filtered water stretches it.

Cleaning a Breville coffee maker with a BLITZ tablet

In a Breville coffee maker, the BLITZ tablet goes in the water tank, as in every drip and espresso machine, and runs through the same cleaning or descale cycle. BLITZ Coffee Maker Cleaner breaks down mineral scale and coffee oil residue in one cycle, without vinegar.

A box of 24 is $24.95, about $1.04 a clean, and the same tablets work in Keurig, Nespresso and other machines. Rinse until the water tastes of nothing.

24 tablets for $24.95

More help: how to clean a drip coffee maker, descaling, brand by brand, descaler vs vinegar, bitter coffee after cleaning, and our coffee maker care page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I descale my Breville Precision Brewer?

Descaler or a BLITZ tablet with warm water in the tank, empty carafe in place, hold SELECT 3 seconds; about 15 minutes, then brew two tanks of fresh water.

Can I clean a Breville drip coffee maker with vinegar?

Breville's own cleaning guide uses equal parts white vinegar and water for drip machines. Its espresso machines are different: Breville says no vinegar there.

How often should I clean a Breville coffee maker?

When DESCALE flashes on a Precision Brewer, or every month or two on other drip models, sooner with hard water.

How do I get the vinegar taste out?

Run two full brews of fresh water, more if you still taste it. A BLITZ tablet runs through the same cycle without the vinegar smell.

Sources

Breville Precision Brewer descale guide (DESCALE flashing, one packet in 34 oz of warm water, about 30 minutes) and BDC450 instruction book; Breville drip coffee maker cleaning article (equal parts vinegar and water, 30 to 45 minutes, two rinses, every month or two); BLITZ Coffee Maker Cleaner product page and directions. Checked October 2026.

Breville and its model names are trademarks of their owner. BLITZ is not affiliated with Breville.