Have you done your spring cleaning yet? One of the things we tend to let fall to the backburner with spring cleaning is our kitchen equipment. To be fair, deep cleaning an oven or ice machine is a labor intensive task, and not a very enjoyable one for most people. However, cleaning out your ice machine is not something that you should procrastinate. One of the most important things about ice is its quality. Clean, filtered ice is important especially when you are serving it to strangers. In this week’s blog, we’ll feature how to clean a general ice maker and restore it to its original working order (if you’ve let it slide for a while).
One of the things that you should consider when keeping your ice machine parts clean is mold and slime. Mold and slime in an ice machine isn’t as easily removed as the slime that can accumulate in your shower. Simply put, you can’t just wipe it off the surface. If mold and slime infiltrates your ice machine it will tamper the water quality and make your ice undrinkable. These contaminants aren’t generally dangerous to the average person, but can be risky for those with autoimmune diseases. If you are serving a large population, healthcare setting, or just want to be diligent about your ice production, you should definitely keep mold and slime in mind.
Mold and slime typically accumulate in visible places. Think, your ice bin. If you’re serving to consumers, this could end in a bad Yelp review or a call to the local health department. The presence of mold or slime in your ice machine could result in a violation from the health department, because ice is categorized in the same arena as food. One of the best ways to make sure that you don’t accumulate mold and slime is prevention.
You can prevent mold and slime a few different ways. First, check the quality of your air filter. Air filters work by trapping the particles that they filter. If air filters have not been changed recently, they cannot perform their job well. Replacing your air filters frequently will ensure that you are allowing them to operate to their fullest potential and preventing mold buildup. Another way that you can prevent mold and slime is by installing an ozone generator. Ozone is a sanitizer that prevents mold and slime growth, and can also hinder other contaminants.
If you already have mold and slime buildup, a Clorox wipe will not do the trick. To effectively remove mold and slime, you will need a mix of 20% chlorine and 80% water. Mix into a spray bottle, and use a clean wipe to remove. You can do this in multiple steps if necessary, or if there is a large amount of buildup. After removing the slime, you’ll want to check your filtration system and potentially install an ozone sanitizer. While mold is dangerous, it certainly is preventable! With the right cleaning system and supplies, maintenance of your ice machine is a breeze.
