Machines
How to clean a Gaggia Classic Pro E24
Oct 13, 2026 · 5 min
What Gaggia’s Classic E24 manual says to clean: shower screen, filter holder, steam wand, drip tray and tank, and what it leaves out, like backflushing.
What Gaggia says to clean, and when
Gaggia’s US manual for the Classic E24 has a short Cleaning and maintenance chapter covering six jobs: the steam wand, the filter holder and filters, the grill and drip tray, the water tank, the screen, and a restart after a long break. It gives timing for only some of them. Clean the steam wand after each time you froth milk and wash the filter every day. The screen gets cleaned regularly, with no interval given, and the manual gives no schedule for the tank or drip tray. Before any of it, unplug the machine and let it cool, as the safety section says. Gaggia says regular cleaning keeps the coffee flavor and flow consistent over time.
The shower screen and filter holder
Shower screen: Gaggia says to regularly brush any leftover coffee grounds off the screen, then wash it with hot water using the steps in the manual’s How to lower the boiler temperature section. That means no filter holder in the machine, an empty cup on the grill, and the brew button pressed until the cup fills, then pressed again to stop. Filter holder: once the filter holder has cooled completely, take the filter (the basket) out every day and wash it with warm water. If you notice a problem when brewing, Gaggia says to soak the filters in boiling water for 10 minutes, then rinse them under running water. For a deeper clean the manual recommends Gaggia’s own cleaning tablets for the filters, but it doesn’t give steps for using them. It also says not to use any cleaning agent on the pressurized filter holder, so ask Gaggia which parts the tablets are meant for. Two warnings: don’t put the pressurized filter holder in the dishwasher or clean it with washing-up liquid or any cleaning agent, which Gaggia says can make it malfunction and hurt the taste; and don’t dry the brew group with a cloth, so fibers don’t collect inside it.
Steam wand, drip tray and tank
Steam wand: after each milk frothing, wipe it with a damp cloth. For a more thorough clean, unscrew the nozzle and wash it under running water. Then open the steam knob for a second or two to clear the nozzle hole. Drip tray and grill: remove both and wash them with water, without abrasive cleaning tools. Water tank: clean it only with the machine off, because Gaggia says the drain hose can get hot. Take the drip tray out first, pull the drain pipe down, then lift out the tank and wash it with fresh water. When it goes back in, check that the silicone tubes sit inside the tank and aren’t twisted or blocked. On the outside of the machine, Gaggia says to skip scouring pads and harsh or abrasive cleaners and use a soft cloth dampened with water.
What about backflushing?
Gaggia’s US manual for the Classic E24 doesn’t describe backflushing. There’s no blind basket, no group-head cleaning-tablet cycle and no backflush schedule in it. Gaggia doesn’t publish a backflush procedure for this machine. Before you try one, ask Gaggia North America’s technical support. The manual also says any servicing beyond cleaning and user maintenance should be done by an authorized service center. Gaggia North America’s semi-automatic maintenance page describes a deeper group-head clean that means removing the shower screen with tools. That isn’t in the E24 manual and isn’t a backflush, so check with Gaggia before taking anything apart.
After a long break
If the machine sits unused for more than two weeks, Gaggia says to run its first-use routine again. Rinse the tank and fill it with fresh drinking water. Put a container under the steam wand, open the steam knob slowly, press the brew and steam buttons, and run the whole tank through the wand. Press both buttons again to stop, then close the knob. Refill the tank, lock in the filter holder, put a container under it, and run another full tank through the group. Rinse the filter holder after. Throw away the water from this process; Gaggia says it isn’t for drinking. The manual also says not to leave water in the tank when the machine won’t be used for a long time, and to use fresh water each time.
Descaling is separate
None of the above removes scale. Gaggia covers descaling in its own section, with its own schedule and steps. See how to descale an espresso machine for what the E24 manual says.
Sources
Get gear picks
Occasional shortlists when we update tiers.