Quick Answer

If your espresso machine is staying on the counter while you're away, the manuals we checked point to a short list: switch it off, unplug it, empty the removable water tank and the drip tray, and leave the machine cool, clean and dry. Knock out any used coffee, empty the bean hopper if your machine has a grinder, and dry the parts you took out. Don't open the machine or try to drain water from inside it.

When you get back, rinse the machine through before you make coffee. Two De'Longhi manuals ask for this after time unused: the Stilosa US manual after "more than 3/4 days", and the Dedica manual (EU edition) after "more than one week". Breville's manuals don't give a rule for after time away, so running their first-use rinse again is our general advice, not a Breville instruction. Then treat the first shot as a check, not your morning coffee.

Evidence in this guide: Manufacturer-researched (Breville and De'Longhi instruction manuals, checked October 27, 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 care 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 taking the machine with you to a new place rather than leaving it behind, see How to Move an Espresso Machine When You Move Apartments: Empty, Dry, Pack, and Keep It From Freezing. This guide doesn't repeat its packing steps.

What Owners Do and Ran Into (Forum Discussion)

These are individual owners' experiences, not a measurement of how often problems happen.

On October 19, 2025 (UTC), one owner described their routine before time away: "I thoroughly clean the catch tray, wipe the outside down, empty water tank (and leave tank open) and make sure the grinder is totally empty, and also leave it unplugged. When I return I normally flush & put in a new water filter." (Reddit comment, "How do you guys leave your machine when away from home for an extended period?")

On May 24, 2026 (UTC), another owner wrote about what they found after a trip: "I accidentally left a puck in my Rocket espresso machine before going out of town for a week. The puck didn't seem visibly moldy when I found it (though my knock bin was full of mold)" (Reddit, "Cleaning machine after puck left in during vacation [Rocket Giotto]")

On July 26, 2025 (UTC), an owner described mold in a water tank in everyday use, not during a trip: "My machine is not in direct sunlight but still see condensation and then eventually black spores if I don’t keep the lid open." (Reddit, "DAE regularly have black mold growing in their water tank?")

Put together, these posts point at the same few things: old coffee left in the portafilter or knock box, water left sitting in the tank, and a tank closed up while it's still damp. We didn't find a manufacturer statement on how quickly mold can appear, so we don't give a timeline.

What the Manuals Say

None of the manuals we checked has a section about travel or vacations. What they do have is storage, cleaning and restart wording that fits a machine left unused:

We didn't find a US edition of the Dedica manual, so the Dedica lines above come from the EU edition. Check the manual that came with your machine.

Before You Leave: A Checklist

Steps marked as general advice are ours, not the manufacturer's.

  1. Knock out the last puck and rinse the portafilter and basket. Bambino manual: the filter baskets and portafilter "should be rinsed under hot water directly after use to remove all residual coffee oils." The puck in the post above sat in the machine for the whole trip.
  2. Empty the knock box or bin you use for pucks. General advice. In the same post, it was the knock bin that was "full of mold".
  3. Empty, rinse and dry the drip tray. All the Breville storing steps above include emptying it.
  4. Empty the water tank, then let it dry with the lid off. The manuals say to empty it. Leaving the lid off or the tank open to dry is general advice, based on the owner posts above.
  5. On a Dedica, dry the space under the tank. The Dedica manual (EU edition) says water there is normal and should be dried "with a clean sponge."
  6. If your machine has a grinder, empty the hopper. The Barista Express manual says to remove unused beans and clean the grinder before storing. Keep the beans in a container away from the machine; see How to Store Coffee Beans in a Small Kitchen.
  7. Wipe the steam wand and the group head. General advice, so no milk or coffee is left on them. For the full cleaning routine, see How to Clean an Espresso Machine in a Small Kitchen.
  8. Switch it off and unplug it. See the next section for why standby doesn't count.
  9. Leave it upright with nothing on top. That's in the Breville storing steps.

An empty, dry drip tray also leaves nothing for ants or roaches to drink while you're out; see How to Keep Ants and Roaches Out of an Espresso Machine in an Apartment.

Don't Try to Drain the Inside

Only empty the parts you can lift out: the water tank and the drip tray. The manuals we checked for the Bambino, Bambino Plus, Barista Express and Stilosa, and the EU edition of the Dedica manual, don't describe draining water from inside the machine, so don't take panels off, tip the machine to force water out, or run the pump dry. Some owners online suggest those things. We don't.

The one exception we know of is Breville's Dual Boiler, whose own manual describes draining its boilers. That applies to that model only, following its manual. The moving guide covers it.

Unplug It: Standby and Auto-Off Aren't the Same Thing

Most of these machines switch themselves to a low-power state when idle. The Bambino manual describes a standby mode, the Barista Express manual describes sleep and auto-off modes, and the Dedica manual (EU edition) says that "To save energy, an auto-off function turns the appliance off when not used for a long period."

These are idle features, not a setting for leaving the machine alone while you travel. The storing steps in the Breville manuals start with removing the plug, and the Bambino and Stilosa US manuals both say to unplug "when not in use". So unplug the machine before you leave, even if it turns itself off. For keeping the plug easy to reach, see Espresso Machine Outlet and Cord Placement for Apartments.

If the Heat Will Be Off or Turned Down

De'Longhi's Dedica manual (EU edition), page 8 of the PDF, warns: "The appliance could be damaged if the water it contains freezes. Do not install the appliance in a room where the temperature could drop below freezing point."

The Breville manuals and the Stilosa US manual we checked don't mention freezing, and none of these manufacturers gives a safe temperature, so we don't give one either. If there's a chance your apartment could get that cold while you're away, for example if the heat is shut off, don't leave the machine in that room. Emptying the tank and drip tray doesn't remove water from inside the machine.

When You Get Back: Rinse, Then a Check Shot

  1. Look in the tank and drip tray before you fill anything. If anything is growing in the tank, clean it before use. For cleaning, see How to Clean an Espresso Machine in a Small Kitchen.
  2. Fill the tank with fresh water. The Bambino manual says: "Do not use any other liquid apart from cold mains/tap water."
  3. Rinse the machine through.
    • Stilosa: the Stilosa US manual asks you to rinse the internal circuits after "more than 3/4 days" unused, following its "4. FIRST USE" section.
    • Dedica: the EU-edition manual asks for a rinse cycle after "more than one week" unused, following its "8. first use" section.
    • Bambino and Bambino Plus: the manuals don't give a rule for after time unused. Their first use cycle "is to rinse the machine and prime the heating system", and running it again after a trip is our general advice.
    • Barista Express: the manual's first-use section recommends "a water flushing operation, without ground coffee, to ensure the machine has been conditioned." Repeating it after a trip is our general advice, not a Breville rule.
  4. Pull a first shot as a check. General advice: you may need to adjust your grind for the coffee you have now, so don't count on the first shot tasting right.

For the full first-use rinse steps on a new machine, see First Week With a New Espresso Machine in a Small Apartment: A Setup Checklist.

Water filter. If your machine uses a water filter, check its replacement date when you get back and follow your manual's schedule. The Barista Express manual doesn't say whether to take the filter out while you're away, and we didn't find that guidance.

Descaling. We didn't find a manual that says to descale before or after a trip. Some owners do; follow your machine's own descaling indicator or schedule.

Machines Mentioned in This Guide

These are the machines whose manuals give the clearest storing and restart steps used above. This is not a ranking.

For the Dedica, see De'Longhi Dedica for Apartments.

FAQ

Do I need to drain my espresso machine before a vacation?

Only the removable water tank and the drip tray. The manuals we checked for compact machines don't describe draining internal water, so don't open the machine. Breville's Dual Boiler is the one exception we found, and only by following its own manual.

Can I just leave it on standby?

We wouldn't. Standby and auto-off are idle features. The Breville storing steps start with removing the plug, and the Bambino and Stilosa US manuals say to unplug when not in use.

How long can an espresso machine sit unused?

We didn't find a manufacturer limit. What two De'Longhi manuals give is a restart rule: rinse before use after "more than 3/4 days" (Stilosa US manual) or "more than one week" (Dedica, EU edition). For other machines, check your manual and contact the manufacturer if you need more than that.

Should I descale before I leave or when I get back?

We didn't find a manual that ties descaling to travel. Follow your machine's normal descaling indicator or schedule.

Should I leave the water tank lid open?

The manuals say to empty the tank and keep the machine dry. Leaving the lid off or the tank open so it can dry is our general advice, based on owners who saw mold with the lid closed. Put the tank back once it's dry if you'd rather keep dust out.

Is my warranty affected if the machine sits unused?

We didn't find a statement on this from Breville or De'Longhi. Check your warranty terms or ask the manufacturer.

Sources

Manuals checked October 27, 2026. Reddit dates are given in UTC.

Bottom Line

Before a trip, empty what you can lift out, dry it, knock out the coffee, empty the hopper, and unplug the machine. Don't open it to drain it, and don't leave it in a room that could freeze. When you get back, check the tank and drip tray, rinse the machine through as your manual describes, and treat the first shot as a check.

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.