Quick Answer

You can't make an espresso machine bug-proof, and the manuals we checked say nothing about insects. What you can do is stop leaving bugs the things owners say draws them in: standing water and old coffee grounds. In practice that means emptying the drip tray after every use, not leaving old water sitting in the tank, binning used pucks, and keeping the counter around the machine dry and free of grounds. If bugs have already got inside the machine itself, stop using it and contact the manufacturer's customer support. Don't spray it, soak it or open it up. If the bugs are coming from the building, that's a job for your landlord, not something to fix on the machine.

Clean habits help, but they don't guarantee anything. Some owners still found ants in a well-kept machine, so treat the routine below as a way to lower the odds, not a promise.

Evidence in this guide: Manufacturer-researched (Breville and De'Longhi instruction manuals, checked October 26, 2026) and forum discussion (Reddit). Nothing here is Hands-on tested or a Measured mock-up. Where a step is our general advice rather than a manual instruction, we say so. This is a habits guide, not a ranking.

Apartment Barista uses Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability can change at any time and should be checked on Amazon before buying.

Who This Guide Is For

If you're packing up a machine for a move and want to check it for bugs before it goes in a box, see How to Move an Espresso Machine When You Move Apartments: Empty, Dry, Pack, and Keep It From Freezing. This guide doesn't repeat those packing steps. It covers the everyday habits for living with a machine in a building where bugs are around.

What Owners Reported (Forum Discussion)

These are individual owners' experiences, not a measurement of how common the problem is.

On October 23, 2024, a poster who had hooked up their espresso machine "for the first time" that morning wrote that they had "immediately found through a quick google search that roaches love those things. Should I sell it now or is there any hope that I can keep it clean and maintained enough not to attract them?" (Reddit, "Just Moved in to a “roach problem” building - should I throw out my espresso machine?") A reply the same day, October 23, 2024, said: "As far as the espresso machine goes, just don’t leave water or old grinds sitting in it and you should be fine. If you had spotted some bugs in or around the machine that’d be a different story". (Reddit comment, "Just Moved in to a “roach problem” building - should I throw out my espresso machine?")

On February 24, 2023, a Breville Barista Express owner found ants on their new machine and later found "they had completely infiltrated the inside of the machine!" (Reddit, "HELP!!! ANTS IN MY NEW ESPRESSO MACHINE (Breville Barista Express)") A reply that day, February 24, 2023, suggested keeping a tidy station, including to "rinse out the drip tray after each brew, throw your pucks in the trash and wipe out your knock box", and to not "leave the machine on / full of water when you're not brewing." The same reply added: "talk to your landlord about having the exterminator specifically treat your unit." (Reddit comment, "HELP!!! ANTS IN MY NEW ESPRESSO MACHINE (Breville Barista Express)") That reply also suggested a cleaner with essential oils. That isn't something we suggest; see the manual notes on cleaning products below.

On July 12, 2025, someone who hadn't bought a machine yet asked for "specific advice, tips, or tricks for how to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the first place" and whether to try "putting it inside of a sealed container or wrapping a plastic bag around the entire thing and tying it off so that it is in a sealed container/bag each night?" (Reddit, "Preventing roaches in espresso machine") A reply on July 12, 2025, suggested: "empty out and dry the drip tray after every use, to avoid providing the buggies with a swimming pool?" (Reddit comment, "Preventing roaches in espresso machine") Another reply, on July 13, 2025, said that to guarantee nothing gets inside, you'd have to "seal it with a bag like you said." (Reddit comment, "Preventing roaches in espresso machine") We cover covering the machine further down. It's a practice some people use, not one we recommend.

On August 5, 2024, someone shopping for a grinder wrote about "really being neurotic about food and water being left out" and added: "Roaches like coffee, so it would be great to be able to control this factor". (Reddit, "Grinder mess in a prewar apartment: the roach question") A reply that day, August 5, 2024, passed on what an exterminator had told that commenter: "the critters are attracted to water too. So, besides food, try to keep water inaccessible and surfaces dry." (Reddit comment, "Grinder mess in a prewar apartment: the roach question")

On March 28, 2023, another owner wrote that roaches had "been wandering around my bar setup every now and then" and had got into their coffee scales. (Reddit, "German roach problem!") One reply the same day, March 28, 2023, was short: "Call an exterminator." (Reddit comment, "German roach problem!")

The counterexample: clean machines can still get ants

Keeping things clean isn't a guarantee. On February 13, 2025, a Breville Barista Touch owner wrote: "despite keep it very clean and well maintained, I keep finding large clumps of ants in my water tank." (Reddit, "Clumps of ants in Breville Barista Touch water tank??") A reply on February 15, 2025, suggested "that might be the ants only water source." (Reddit comment, "Clumps of ants in Breville Barista Touch water tank??") On April 23, 2025, another owner who had cleaned the machine and stopped using it wrote: "Even after isolating my machine and cleaning it, and taking away their water source, ants were still crawling all over it!" (Reddit, "Ants infesting my espresso machine!! HELP!")

So the habits below lower the odds. They don't replace pest control for the building, and they can't fix a machine that bugs have already moved into.

Why Espresso Machines Draw Bugs In

From the owner reports above, it comes down to two things a machine offers that the rest of a tidy kitchen may not:

A machine you empty and dry each evening offers less of both. We didn't find a manual or other source that confirms anything else about what draws bugs to espresso machines.

What the Manuals Say

None of the manuals we checked mention insects or pests. We didn't find any manufacturer guidance on bugs, and we couldn't confirm whether any warranty covers pest damage, so ask the manufacturer directly. What the manuals do give is cleaning and storing guidance that lines up with keeping a machine dry and clean:

Those last two lines are why we don't suggest spraying anything on or into a machine, or soaking it, to deal with bugs. Check your own model's manual for its exact cleaning instructions.

An End-of-Day Routine

This is the routine we suggest, built from the manual lines above. Steps marked as general advice are ours, not the manufacturer's.

  1. Empty and rinse the drip tray. Breville's Bambino and Bambino Plus manuals say to empty and clean it after each use. Let it dry before putting it back. For a routine that fits a small tray, see Tiny Drip Tray Workflow for Compact Espresso Machines.
  2. Don't leave old water in the tank. The Barista Express manual says to replace the water daily. Check your own manual for your model.
  3. Bin the used pucks. General advice: knock them out into the bin or a knock box and empty it, rather than leaving grounds sitting out overnight. A lidded knock box keeps the pucks covered between emptyings, but it's still holding coffee, so empty it.
  4. Wipe the counter and the area around and behind the machine. General advice: crumbs of coffee and drips of water are what you're trying not to leave.
  5. Wipe the steam wand and purge it after milk. For a cloth routine, see Steam Wand Cleaning Cloth Routine for Milk Drinks.
  6. Switch the machine off when you're done. General advice, echoing the forum reply about not leaving the machine on when you're not brewing.

For a fuller cleaning schedule, see How to Clean an Espresso Machine in a Small Kitchen. This guide doesn't repeat it.

Covering the Machine at Night

Some people cover the machine or put it in a bag overnight, as in the forum thread above. In a separate thread about a regular coffee maker (not an espresso machine), one reply suggested to "enclose it in a plastic bag on the counter and clip it at the top." (Reddit comment, "Roach proofing coffee maker", February 6, 2023). That reply's other tip isn't one we suggest.

We aren't recommending this. If you're thinking about it, the machine must be switched off and fully cooled first. The manufacturers' manuals we checked don't describe covering or bagging a machine, so we can't tell you whether it's suitable for your model.

Where to Look Each Week

General advice: a quick look in these spots helps you catch a problem early.

If You Find Bugs

In the drip tray or the water tank: these parts come off. Empty them, wash them as your manual describes, dry them, and keep up the routine above. Keep an eye on whether they come back.

Coming out of the seams, vents or housing of the machine: stop using it, switch it off and unplug it, and contact the manufacturer's customer support. Don't spray anything into it, don't soak it, and don't open the housing. Ask support what they suggest and whether the warranty applies.

Elsewhere in your kitchen too: that points to a building problem, not a machine problem. See the next section.

Telling Your Landlord

In many rentals, pest control for the building goes through the landlord. Your lease and local rules decide the details. Report what you've seen in writing, with dates and where you found the bugs. A forum reply above suggested asking the landlord to have the building's exterminator "specifically treat your unit." If the exterminator is coming, ask them how to prepare, including what to do with the espresso machine while they treat.

What Not to Do

Machines and Accessories Mentioned in This Guide

These are products that already appear on this site. This is not a ranking, and none of them has been tested by us for pests. No machine is bug-proof.

FAQ

Should I throw out my espresso machine because my building has roaches?

Not just because the building has them. One forum reply said that as long as you don't leave water or old grounds in the machine, you should be fine, and that bugs in or around the machine would be a different story. If bugs are already inside the housing, contact the manufacturer's support before deciding anything.

Can I spray bug spray around the machine?

Not on it or in it. The Dedica manual says not to use solvents or alcohol on the machine, and the Barista Express manual says not to immerse the housing. Treatment for the building goes through your landlord.

Does a lidded knock box keep bugs away?

We can't say it does. A lid covers the used pucks between emptyings, but they're still coffee grounds, so empty it.

Should I keep using the machine while the building is being treated?

Ask the exterminator, through your landlord, how to prepare and what to do with countertop appliances.

Will the warranty cover pest damage?

We couldn't confirm that for any machine. Ask the manufacturer's customer support.

Sources

Checked October 26, 2026.

Bottom Line

You can't bug-proof an espresso machine, and clean machines still sometimes get ants. What you can do is not leave water or grounds behind. Empty the drip tray after every use, don't leave old water in the tank, bin the pucks, keep the counter dry, and switch the machine off. If bugs get inside the machine, stop using it and contact the manufacturer's support. Don't spray, soak or open it. If the bugs are in the building, report it to your landlord in writing.

Apartment Barista uses Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability can change at any time and should be checked on Amazon before buying.