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Coffee machine descaler
Not a cosmetics question, but I have recently noticed that all coffee machine desclasers are basically a buffer solution of some organic acid (citric, lactic or a mix). While these “branded” solutions are quite expensive, Citric or Lactic acids are relatively cheap. So I’m thinking on DIY here ????
For example Delonghi branded solution for their coffee makers has Lactic acid and Sodium Lactate in ingredients list. The safety sheet of the product states pH around 2.6, so it is mostly Lactic Acid. The question is: how much acid do you think they use? Does anyone have experience in this area?
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7 Replies
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You will notice this with other solutions around the home. Simple mixtures to fix common household problems that you can DIY because you’re a chemist.
The speed of the descaling depends on the concentration, acidity or pH of the solution. I have not descaled with my own solution, but if you end up running some tests let us know ????
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Is my brain not working? Wouldn’t you just add the acid until q.s? Till you reached the target pH?
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Under pH 2.5 Lactic acid is about 96% acid and 4% Sodium Lactate (if neutralize with NaOH). It can be in different amount:
1. 20% water, 76.8% Lactic acid, 3.2% Sodium Lactate
2. 40% water, 57.6% Lactic acid and 2.4% Sodium Lactate.
Both formulas have pH around 2.5.
What I am wondering is how much acid is usually used in descaler solutions.
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@fareloz You can check some SDS to have a reference, like this one: https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/bc/bc7d74af-215b-440b-8a2b-2a17f43d1793.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj9zLvenMf9AhVxIbkGHdNuA4UQFnoECAsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2NPAzu42HlLVwDLPSl3hZd
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This is very helpful, thank you! I checked SDS on DeLonghi one and found only the pH, not concentration. Maybe I overlooked it:
But they also provide density, maybe I can calculate how much acid based on density.
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I found the exact INCI:
- Water 50-75%
- Lactic acid 30-50%
- Sodium Lactate 5-10%
- Magnesium Lactate 0.1-1.0%
- Calcium Lactate 0.1-1%
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