A gadget which helps keep espresso machines squeaky clean...
Those of you who know me understand that I'm partial to a good (or even not so good) gadget.
I backflush my espresso machine every day using a blind filter. I tend to use detergent relatively infrequently as I had read that detergent causes the parts in coffee machines to deteriorate more rapidly.
So I was very happy when I recently acquired a fabulous tool from Weber Workshops (I have no affiliation with the company, paid or otherwise). The item in question is called the Spring Clean. You screw it into your group head and activate the pump until the chamber is fully loaded with water (the Spring Clean tells you when it's full by ejecting a little water through an outlet). You then turn off the pump and allow the spring to backflush a good amount of water through the machine's internal plumbing. I think it's elegant and from my week of experience with it I believe that it works well.
Here's a YouTube I made showing the Spring Clean in action:
https://youtu.be/Xr_bkTbf9BQ
And here is a link to Weber Workshops.
https://weberworkshops.com/products/spring-clean