If you don’t clean your portable ice maker, the scale and dust reduce its performance. You don’t get better ice if there’s slime inside the ice machine. A dirty ice machine may cause an adverse effect on your health too.
You should clean your countertop ice maker regularly. But you might have this question in your mind- how to clean an ice maker? It’s a tough task, right?
So, what should you do next?
That’s why I came up with this guide. In this article, I’m going to explain the easy and fastest methods to clean a portable ice maker. But, you always have an option to buy a good quality self-cleaning countertop ice maker.
Table of Contents
Why Should You Clean An Ice Maker?
Before moving ahead, I would like to explain to you- why you should clean an ice maker? Because, if you understand the reason behind this, it becomes easy for you. You’ll find it interesting and cleaning became fun for you.
An ice maker works on the refrigeration cycle. It reduces the temperature of the water below its freezing point i.e. zero (0) degrees Celcius.
But, It starts melting when the ice bin temperature increases due to ambient temperature. Because of consistent freezing and melting, the water and dust particles in the air reacts and form a scale around it.
This scale reduces the performance of the ice maker. Also, the ice produced in the machine contains bad taste and odor.
- Due to the scale and impurities present inside, doesn’t give you the actual taste of ice.
- It also decreases the life of the ice maker.
That’s why you should clean your portable ice maker regularly. If you don’t clean, you won’t get the actual taste of ice.
How To Tell If My Ice Maker Requires Cleaning?
It’s another important question that comes to mind. People don’t know when he should clean an ice maker. Although, there are many ice makers that come with a self-cleaning feature. But, not all portable ice makers have this feature.
So, let’s talk about the signs of an ice maker need cleaning…
- If the taste of ice isn’t good.
- If the ice getting too cloudy.
- If ice cubes start melting quickly.
- If your ice maker takes a longer cycle time than usual.
- If you see dirt inside the machine.
- If the taste of ice overtakes the drink.
How To Clean A Portable Ice Maker?
So, here it starts. If you are never done cleaning before, follow these step-by-step processes…
1. Prepare the Necessary Items & Tools
Cleaning an ice maker is very easy and it doesn’t require any special tool. But, before starting off, prepare all these necessary items-
- Enough clean soft cloths.
- Warm water.
- Vinegar or Lemon Juice.
- A clean toothbrush.
- Dishwashing detergent.
2. Unplug The Ice Maker
Before starting the cleaning process, you should ensure safety. First of all, unplug the cable from the socket. Because water is a good conductor of electricity and if you start the cleaning and water come in touch with the circuit inside the ice maker, you’ll get an electric shock.
So, don’t forget to unplug the machine from the power source.
3. Drain Out Water From Reservoir
Most portable ice makers come with a knob to drain out the reservoir. So, to avoid any electrical damage, drain out extra water from the reservoir.
4. Remove The Ice Bin & Other Detachable Parts
Now it’s time to remove the ice storage bin and other detachable parts. Usually, the water tank and ice chamber protector are entirely detachable. You can refer to your product manual to understand it better.
5. Clean Detachable Parts With Detergent
It’s time to clean the ice bucket with dishwashing detergent. You can use warm water to clean the ice bucket properly. It removes any dirt and odor. You can also clean other detachable parts with detergent and warm water.
6. Clean Inside The Ice Maker
Using the soft cloth and vinegar, wipe inside the ice maker. Be careful while wiping the freezing mechanism. Try to clean all the areas reachable by your hands. You can use the toothbrush to clean any scale or impurities stuck inside.
7. Attach All The Parts & Make Some Ice Using Cleaning Agent
So, you have cleaned all the detachable parts and inside the area of the ice maker. Now, mix some lemon juice or vinegar with water and fill in the water reservoir. After that, turn ON the ice maker and run for a few cycles with this cleaning mixture.
8. Make Some Ice With Water
Now empty the reservoir filled with lemon juice or vinegar. Add some clean warm water and run for a few cycles. This is just to clean the vinegar mixture stuck inside the ice maker. Throw the ice made during the first few batches, because it contains the taste of lemon juice.
9. Clean The Exterior Parts
It’s time for the final touch. Remove the plug from the power socket. Take the clean soft cloth and clean the exterior parts of your ice maker.
Now your ice maker is ready to serve you taste-free and odorless ice cubes. Enjoy your cocktails again.
Read These Helpful Tips
These are some helpful tips that you should know while cleaning an ice maker-
1- Do not use chemicals
Do not use any chemicals for cleaning your ice maker. It’s not safe for your health. It might be possible that your ice maker starts corrosion if you use any chemical. So, always choose vinegar or lemon juice with warm water for cleaning your machine.
2- Make sure all parts are dry before replacing
Do not replace wet parts and turn ON your machine. There are possibilities of electric leakage and it can burn your whole machine circuit. So, make sure all the parts are dry before replacing them.
3- Read user manual thoroughly
I don’t know what types of ice maker you have. So, different types of ice makers need different approaches. So, before starting or removing any parts, make sure you read the user manual thoroughly. It gives you a better understanding of your machine.
Final Verdict
I hope you liked this guide. I have explained the easiest methods to clean an ice maker. I’m sure you don’t need to look out anymore for how to clean an ice maker, right? I recommend you to clean your ice regularly for better taste and longer life for your appliances.
Enjoy iced drinks! Cheers!
Also Read-
- Why does my ice maker making a knocking sound?- Fix is here.
- How to reset igloo countertop ice maker?- Check step by step process.
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