Abstract: An improved milking machine backflush valve (2) includes inlet and outlet plates (18, 20) between which a slide pad (16) is slidably housed. The inlet plate has a milk inlet (24) and the outlet plate has a milk outlet (28). The slide pad couples the milk inlet to the milk outlet when in a milking position, and couples the milk inlet to a source of cleaning solution (22) when in a backflush position. The slide pad and inlet and outlet plates have smooth, contacting sliding surfaces (34, 36; 66, 68) and are made of a non-liquid absorbing material, preferably PTFE, so that no seals, which can wear and harbor milk residue and thus bacteria, need be used.