How to Clean Ice Maker: The Complete Guide

By Kitchenistic

04 Dec 2019

When you use lots of ice cubes regularly your home freezer cannot always cope with the demand. Or you simply might not want to keep going to the trouble of having to continually fill up empty ice trays. Then what you will discover is that an ice maker is a superb way to ensure that you have all of the ice you want and need. An ice maker is a good asset if you want to ensure that everybody’s drink is cold, but you are also going to have to know how to clean an ice maker to get impeccably clear ice for your drinks.

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Woman puts ice cubes into the glass

The Need for Ice Maker Cleaning

It is really important to ensure that your ice maker is kept clean if you wish it to continue to run smoothly. Although it will be just water that runs through your machine, this can still cause you a number of issues:

Sense of taste. If your ice maker is not cleaned on a routine basis it will start to soak up tastes from the water that you use as it contains certain minerals that can flavor ice cubes. To make matters worse, mildew can also build up if you do not clean your ice maker often enough which can make your ice cubes taste moldy. Keeping your ice maker clean ensures that your ice cubes taste of nothing that can cause any offense.
Keeping your ice clear. Many types of ice makers are constructed to ensure that they give you ice cubes that look like glass. So, you have to ensure that your ice machine is clear of fragments which might cause cloudiness or else spoil the transparency of your ice cubes by cleaning it regularly.
Smelling pretty. Clean ice straight out of an ice machine ought to not smell of anything and if it does you have problems. Most ice makers will to some extent begin to start smelling over time, and so this is a big reason why you need to clean your ice maker frequently to get rid of any unusual aromas. And of course, smell is directly linked to taste, therefore keeping your ice maker clean will ensure your cubes are just right.
Healthy ice cubes. Because your ice maker is in regular contact with water, then this puts it at risk of mildew damage if not cleaned correctly. This is particularly vital if somebody has any allergies and they are consuming your ice cubes, it could make them sick. All of these reasons mean that you have to make sure that you understand exactly how to clean your ice maker.

How to Clean Your Ice Maker

Assemble your resources. You will need a number of cleaning essentials to clean your ice maker. You will need warm not hot water, a soft cloth, white vinegar, a spoon, a soft toothbrush, baking soda and some paper towels. It is possible to buy specific cleaning solutions for your exact ice maker so you may wish to refer to your owner’s manual for further detailed instructions.
Remove any ice that may still be sitting in your dispenser. The machine should be free from as much water as possible to begin your clean.
Create your desired cleaning detergent. You can work out how to clean an ice maker with vinegar through trial and error of the exact vinegar ratios that work best for your machine. Using baking soda as an abrasive is also highly effective at cleaning an ice maker. All you need to do is put your made-up solutions mixed with water into a spray bottle to make cleaning your ice maker simpler. While you can choose to use soapy water to clean out your ice maker, it is not the best idea as when you next try to make ice you may find that suds are created when you use your machine. Some soaps can even harm your ice maker. It can also be really difficult to wash out soap from an ice maker, which can leave you with an unpleasant aftertaste in your future ice cubes. Because vinegar does such a good job of cleaning, this not toxic ingredient is a more natural choice for giving your icemaker a deep clean.
Remove any parts and wipe over the interior with a cloth to remove any obvious debris. Place accessories in a bowl of warm water with your chosen solution and allow to soak as you continue to clean your ice machine.
Get ready to make an initial round of wash ice to run your solutions through your ice maker. Many ice makers have a wash function and it may be that you just need to press this button to start your clean.
Run a second rinse round through your ice maker to thoroughly clean away any detergents that you may have used. It is important to rinse away any residue of vinegar too so that your ice does not become flavored.
Restore any parts and dry with paper towels. Then you are ready to get your ice maker back in good working order. To prevent unattractive water spots from forming on your ice maker you will need to use a dry cloth to wipe any surplus water. Wipe water away from accessories and from the outside of the ice maker. It is particularly vital if you are going to be storing your ice maker to ensure it is dry as when it is dry it will be less susceptible to mildew. After you have cleaned your machine, unplug it and store it safely.

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Woman cleaning plastic ice container

Ice maker cleaning is an essential job; however, it is luckily a comparatively straightforward one. If you keep your ice maker maintenance up, then it will perform better and for longer, and not break down as often because it will be super clean. Undertake a cleaning routine every month to ensure that you continue to have fresh, cool, clean ice.