Have you recently noticed that your ice maker dispenses cloudy, smelly, and bad-tasting ice cubes? Do they also clump pretty badly? All of these are clear signs that it needs to be cleaned and thoroughly sanitized. While this is something that needs to be done periodically, not many people know how to clean ice makers.
Most ice makers will bring in the water into it through a filtered line. This means that the issue with the ice maker is most likely not because of the waterline. Typically, older ice makers have issues as they will end up absorbing all the odors from the food that you have stored in your freezer.
To help you get clean and clear ice every time, we will be providing you with detailed steps on how to clean it properly.
Why Is It Essential to Clean an Ice Maker?
Before we even begin talking about how to clean an ice maker effectively, it is important to know all the reasons why you should be keeping it clean in the first place. Below, we provide you with some of the top reasons why you should be keeping your ice maker clean.
For clear-looking ice
If you own an ice maker that is specifically designed to create crystal clear ice cubes, then it is important for you to keep the machine clear of all debris that could possibly cause it to create ice cubes that look cloudy or anything that would mar the clarity.
For great-tasting ice
When you haven’t cleaned your ice maker in a while, or if you don’t do it on a regular basis, then it will most definitely start absorbing all the flavors from the minerals in the tap water. To make matters worse, all of the mildew built up will further make the ice taste musty.
Keeping the ice maker clean will ensure that the ice tastes nothing other than clean and pure water. As a result, your drinks will also stay true to its real flavor.
For better health
It is a given that the ice maker is in constant contact with water, and this makes it highly susceptible to mildew and mold when not cleaned or maintained regularly. If you are someone who is prone to allergies, especially to these kinds of microorganisms, then you will want to ensure that the ice maker is clean.
For a cleaner aroma
It goes without saying that clean ice is something that should have absolutely no smell. If you do smell anything from your ice, then it is mainly because your ice maker has absorbed all of the odors in the freezer over time.
In order to ensure that there isn’t any smell coming from the ice, the ice maker should be cleaned and disinfected quite regularly. It is important to remember that our sense of smell is very closely linked to our sense of taste. So, the second we smell something bad from the ice, even our taste buds will be instantly affected.
What Is Hard Water?
Whether there’s something wrong with its production or it produces funky-smelling ice cubes, both indicate that it is time to give your ice maker a thorough cleaning. With that said, even if there aren’t signs of dirtiness yet, you should be giving your ice maker a complete scrub down regularly, at least twice a year. This increases dramatically if you have hard water.
Hard water is known to cause a buildup and then decrease the machine’s functionality over time. Furthermore, the deposits from hard water could possibly form on the coil and impact the ice-making process by stopping the coil from freezing the water.
How to Clean Ice Makers
Now that you are going to start cleaning your ice maker, you will have to clear all of the unwanted items from your freezer and the fridge. Most of us are guilty of leaving behind some questionable leftovers in the back of our fridge or freezer from last week, or month, or worse, from several months ago. This will make matters worse as the ice maker will absorb all of these odors.
Keep in mind that a clean freezer is what you need to produce ice cubes that are best tasting. Hence, you must pay close attention to what you store in your freezer and fridge and for how long.
Once you are done wiping up all the spills and getting rid of all the old and smelly items, you can begin the process of cleaning your ice maker. This is how you can do it:
Step 1: Unplug the Machine
This is the first and important step before you even begin the whole cleaning process. If some of you may be wondering whether this may affect the food stored in the refrigerator, we can assure you that the food will be just fine for a while. That is, unless you live in a place that has extreme summer heat or if you are planning to leave your home midway through the cleaning process.
We say this because the whole cleaning process will not take too much of your time, plus you would not want the machine to be forming more ice while you are busy cleaning it.
Depending on the model you own, there will most likely be a lever or an arm that you will be able to lift to shut off the ice maker. Alternatively, there could also be an on and off switch present on the back or the side of the machine. That said, we still stand by the fact that unplugging the machine is the safest option.
Step 2: Clean the ice cube bin
The ice cube maker bin will most likely come out exactly like a kitchen drawer. Else, you may have to only lift it up before you take it out. Dump all the existing ice in the bin onto your sink. In addition, if your machine has anything else that needs to be taken out easily without the use of any hardware, such as a drip tray, now is the time you remove them.
There is an important rule you have to keep in mind here. All the plastic pieces from the machine have to be washed only by hand. Do not ever put them in a dishwasher as that may damage it. You can simply use white vinegar and baking soda with warm water and a washcloth to do the job.
Rinse the parts well and set them aside to air dry. Make sure that before you place them back into the unit, they are completely dry. We will talk at length what you can use to clean the parts of the machine towards the end of the article.
Step 3: Remove the ice
If you find any ice that is frozen and stuck to the machine itself, dislodge it with the help of a warm washcloth so that it can melt. Alternatively, you could use an ice pick to break up all the ice.
Make sure that you do this carefully and be cautious that you do not damage the unit. Once you have taken out the ice, clean it thoroughly, and let it dry before you reassemble the unit back.
Step 4: Check the filter
Some of you may be surprised to learn that your ice maker could possibly come with a water filter. If this filter gets clogged with all the minerals that come with water, it will not allow as much water to pass through it. This, in turn, will affect and impact the performance of the machine.
An old filter has the ability to affect how the ice will taste. We recommend that you change your water filter at least every six months. Alternatively, you can take a look at the manufacturer’s guidelines and follow that.
Step 5: Run a couple of cycles
Once you are done cleaning the ice maker and all of its parts, you will need to plug the machine back in or turn your refrigerator back on. Let the ice maker’s ice cube cycle run at least a couple of times. Make sure that you are discarding those ice cubes.
In fact, we recommend that you clean out and dump all the unused ice cubes every couple of months from now on as they are known to absorb all the odors present in the food that is stored in the freezer.
Some More Ice Maker Cleaning Tips
Now that you have an understanding of all that you have to clean in an ice maker, we will talk at length about what all you need and how you should be cleaning your ice maker.
All the supplies we have listed are things that you will most definitely have in your home already. The cleaning process is quite simple and will not take much time either.
Supplies Needed
- Warm water
- Soft cloth
- Cup
- White vinegar or lemon juice
- Soft toothbrush or Q-tip
- Baking soda
- Sponge, dry rag cloth, or paper towels
Cleaning Tips
- Refer to what we previously mentioned on how you need to clean your ice maker in order to prep it for cleaning.
- Mix lemon juice or white vinegar and baking soda with warm water to make your cleaning solution. While this may not be necessary, you can also put a bit of this solution you made in a spray bottle as this will make the process of cleaning the ice dispenser easier when you do it later.
- Once your solution is ready, apply it on all the ice maker’s accessories and clean them thoroughly with the Q-tip or a soft toothbrush. Also, clean the interiors of the ice maker machine. Once done cleaning, wipe it down with the sponge or a dry rag cloth. Make sure that there aren’t any remnants of the solution left behind on the machine and on any of the parts.
- With the help of paper towels, ensure that all the parts of the ice maker and the accessories are completely dry, else there is a high chance of mildew getting formed.
- You can also check the accessories and parts of the ice maker to see whether they are damaged or not before you fix them back in. If you have an ice maker machine, we recommend using it only when needed. Make sure that you turn it off, unplug, and store it properly until you use it the next time.
- As mentioned earlier, run at least two to three cycles of the ice maker and keep discarding those ice cubes.
A Note on Using Dish Soap
Some of you may be wondering why we didn’t use dish soap for cleaning the ice maker and its accessories. While it is possible for you to use dish soap, we do not think that this is a good idea.
There is a high possibility that you will end up making ice with a mild detergent mix if you use dish soap for cleaning ice makers. Furthermore, there is a risk of creating suds or lather in all of the mechanical parts, and this may end up damaging the ice maker.
It is also not as easy to rinse out soap from the machine, and this may result in the ice having a soapy aftertaste. Hence, we recommend using lemon juice or vinegar to do the job.
This mixture cleans as effectively as dishwashing soap, and best of all, since these are made using all-natural and edible ingredients, you can be assured that they are completely safe for you. Additionally, these ingredients are easy to rinse off.
Conclusion
We hope that with this article, you now know how to clean ice makers. Cleaning an ice maker is an important task, but thankfully, it is a relatively easy thing to do.
When you maintain and clean your ice maker on a regular basis, you are guaranteed to have one that functions at its best and will also give you several years of use. This will make it less likely for you to hire an appliance engineer to help troubleshoot any issues such as clogged filters or more.
While it is recommended to clean your ice maker every six months, we think it is ideal to do it at least every two to three months. This will ensure that you get to enjoy fresh and clear ice in all your drinks for years and years to come.