Ice machines are essential to most restaurants and bars, and if you neglect to clean them properly, they can harm the way your restaurant runs. Clean ice machines ensure that your customers are ingesting clean ice. Not cleaning your ice machine can lead to the buildup of mold and bacteria that will not only make your ice detrimental to your customers’ health, but will look dirty and disgusting. Regardless of brand, most ice machines can be cleaned in a similar way. Here are step-by-step tips on how to clean your ice machine properly:
1) Remove all ice from the dispenser.
Turn the machine off and allow the ice to melt completely or move the ice to another area while cleaning.
2) Turn on the clean or wash button on your machine.
Water will flow through the machine and down the drain. Wait until the water trough fills back up and the display indicates to add chemicals (this typically takes 1 minute).
3) Add ice machine cleaner and remove all interior parts.
Your ice machine manual will indicate the recommended amount of cleaner that goes in your machine and if you need to remove any interior components before cleaning.
4) Mix a combination of warm water and cleaner and clean all parts you removed.
Again, your machine’s manual will specify how much of each liquid to add together to create the solution to clean the components.
5) Use the same mixture with a brush or cloth to clean the inside of the ice machine where the ice sits (sides, bottom, and top).
6) Rinse all areas with water.
Use water to rid all the areas of the mixture of cleanser and water that you used to clean. This prevents any chemicals from contaminating the ice.
