Clean the wand using the operator procedure for your machine, while the milk residue is still easy to remove. On the La Marzocco Linea PB, the manual calls for a damp cloth and a short burst of steam immediately after use to prevent deposits in the nozzle.
Keep clear of the steam discharge and use the handling precautions in the manual. The wand-cleaning routine should not require a barista to open the machine.
Wiping and purging are the routine
The Linea PB instructions connect prompt nozzle cleaning with preventing deposits that can affect later drinks. Complete that routine after use rather than relying on the exterior looking clean at closing time.
For your own machine, keep its instructions near the station. Staff should know the required cloth, cleaner, rinsing steps and shutdown conditions. Do not substitute an instruction from a different machine just because both have a metal wand.
Check before removing or soaking the tip
A removable tip is not permission to use any cleaner or soak time. Confirm that the manual assigns removal to the operator and names a cleaning method. Follow the product dilution and rinse instructions that apply to that procedure.
If those directions are missing, ask the manufacturer or technician. Do not put tools into the nozzle, loosen a hot fitting or run the wand with parts removed as an improvised test.
Cleaning and descaling also have different purposes. Keep the boiler-maintenance decision separate from the after-use wand routine.
When cleaning has not resolved the complaint
A valve that leaks while closed needs a different report from a tip with visible milk residue. Note where the leak appears and whether steam performance changed before or after cleaning. La Marzocco’s technician-maintenance list includes steam-valve operation and valve service separately from routine nozzle cleaning.
If steam remains weak after the documented operator procedure, arrange diagnosis. Don’t declare a boiler fault from that observation alone, and don’t order a tip solely because the steam pattern changed.
For service, send the model, symptom and cleaning history. Include whether the valve leaks when closed and whether the problem affects one wand or all steam outlets. Leave internal tubing, valves and the boiler to a qualified technician.
Source: La Marzocco Linea PB manual, PDF pages 21–24: operator cleaning precautions, steam-nozzle cleaning and the separate technician steam-valve checks. This is a documented example, not a cleaning sequence for every brand.