Descale procedure on the DeLonghi La Specialista, walkthrough check

May 5, 2026
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A couple of peoples asked me about the descaling routine for the La Specialista so here's what I found online and what I'll share with anyone else struggling with this process. The flashing descale light is what tells you when to do it.
First you must remove the filter from the machine (this can be tricky, but eventually possible). Then add 100ml of descaler (brand does not matter) to the filter and add enough water to the tank until you reach Level B on the side of the tank. Place a container under the water nozzles and put the filter back into the machine. Turn the right knob to the descaling position and press the ok button until it turns orange. When the water-empty light comes on, empty the container under the spouts and readd water to the tank until it is completely filled. Press OK again and when the cup button lights up you're good to go.
Does the machine lock out brewing when descaling? No, but after some time it can become annoyingly. On certain model revisions it will lock you out of steam first, then brew later.


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its a nag light, you can pull your shots for a while but eventually its annoying. On some model revisions it will lock you out of steam first before brew.
 
I've been using a citric acid solution for my La Specialista for two years now. 30g citric acid in 1L water; use 100ml of that instead of the descaler. Works great; zero issues. The DeLonghi descaler is the same but over priced with surfactants.
 
I've been using a citric acid solution for my La Specialista for two years now. 30g citric acid in 1L water; use 100ml of that instead of the descaler. Works great; zero issues. The DeLonghi descaler is the same but over priced with surfactants.

wait does citric acid damage the seal over time? I always heard sulfamic acid was safer for the gaskets
 
wait does citric acid damage the seal over time? I always heard sulfamic acid was safer for the gaskets

Sulfamic is fine too, arguably better for limescale in the brew group. I've used citric acid for 2 years with no issues though. Just make sure to rinse the machine thoroughly with two full tanks of water after using the descaler.
 
Level B is the same on every model revision of the tank. They did not change the molding around the water level markings.
 
The OK button flashing orange for descaling took me a while to get used to. Mine flashed orange then off for 20 seconds while on the start. Just give it a few minutes.
 
Why does the rinse cycle require a full tank of water?

Because the descaler is not just in the boiler. It's also in the lines, the solenoid valve, the brew group. You want to properly flush out the descaler in all those components so it does not sit in any part and corrode it.
 
You're missing a step. Remove the water softener filter (located on the lower right side) and drain the tank of any remaining water before adding the descaler. Otherwise the descaler will be diluted. Use a container of at least 1.5L capacity because the water will overflow the container if its less than that. Ive seen people use a 1L container which ended up with me with a full container of dirty water.
 
You're missing a step. Remove the water softener filter (located on the lower right side) and drain the tank of any remaining water before adding the descaler. Otherwise the descaler will be diluted. Use a container of at least 1.5L capacity because the water will overflow the co…

Good point about the container size; I noticed when I first followed the cycle, mine overfilled first time around when I used a mug.