There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a cold beverage to sip. In order to keep your beverage frosty, ice is essential. Many people have ice makers in their homes which makes producing ice cubes an easy feat. However, you want to make sure your ice tastes as good as it can. In other words, you don’t want stinky ice or your icemaker to smell like mildew!
Ice cubes can often smell bad and taste even worse if you have a dirty ice maker. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to clean your ice maker and do so like a pro! And you don’t have to clean your ice maker on a tedious schedule. You can clean your ice maker on an occasional basis and reap the benefits of fresh, clean ice. Here’s everything you need to know on how to clean ice maker tips and how to have the best ice possible!
Why Fresh Ice is Essential
When you’re lucky enough to have an ice cube maker in your home and not have to worry about filling ice cube trays on a repeated basis, you want to have the best ice possible. Fresh ice won’t give off a bad smell and will taste good in your beverage…which is the ultimate goal!
If you don’t have the freshest ice, your beverages won’t taste good. You must make sure the ice that comes out of your ice maker is the best it can be. You’ll enjoy your drinks more and so will everyone else in the house.
Why You Need to Clean Your Ice Maker
The easiest way to ensure fresh ice is to clean your home ice machine. Your ice maker should be cleaned approximately two times per year. Doing so ensures you have fresh ice that tastes good and doesn’t have a stinky smell. Also, by cleaning your ice maker, you’re helping to keep out bacteria and other items that shouldn’t be in your ice cubes.
How to Clean Your Ice Maker
Now that you know why fresh ice is essential and why you need to clean your ice maker, it’s time to learn how to complete this job. And you shouldn’t wait until your ice cubes start smelling or tasting bad. You should complete the cleaning of your ice machine on a regular basis. Fortunately, it doesn’t take too many steps to clean ice makers.
Here are some easy steps to help you with your ice maker cleaning duties:
Step 1: Unplug Refrigerator
Before you start the cleaning process with your ice machine, unplug the refrigerator. This important step ensures that you can safely clean the ice maker. And since the process doesn’t take too long, don’t worry about pulling items out of the entire refrigerator. The refrigerated products should stay cold while you clean your ice machine and the freezer products shouldn’t melt.
Step 2: Clean the Ice Cube Bin
Once you’ve unplugged the refrigerator, the next step is to clean the ice cube bin or ice basket. Empty out all the ice cubes of the ice tray and pull out the bin. You’ll then clean the bin by hand with soapy warm water as the cleaning solution. Rinse the ice bucket well so all soapy water is removed and let the bin air dry while you clean the rest of the ice machine.
Step 3: Clean Ice Maker
When the time comes to clean your ice maker, make sure all leftover ice cubes are removed from the machine. Then, use a washcloth and warm soapy water to wash and wipe the ice maker. After that, use clean water and a washcloth to wipe the ice maker and remove any soap residue. After the ice machine is wiped down with clean water, dry it off with a clean soft cloth.
Step 4: Check the Ice Maker Filter
While you’re in the process of cleaning your ice machine, it’s a good time to check the ice maker filter. You should change this water filter every six months. Since you’ll also be cleaning your ice maker every six months, this time is the best time to complete this task. You can do everything all at once.
Step 5: Put Everything Back Together
Once the ice machine is clean and you’ve changed the water filter, you can put the ice maker back together and plug in the refrigerator.
Step 6: Make a Few Batches of Ice
It’s important to run the ice-making cycle and make a few batches of ice before you start using your ice cubes. This step ensures that everything runs well and that your ice cubes will come out tasting fresh and clean. It’s also important to periodically dump your ice bin so the old ice cubes don’t sit unused in the bin for too long. When they do so, you’ll find the ice absorbs odors from the refrigerator and freezer. After you’ve run the ice maker a few times, the final ice production step can be the ice cubes you keep and use.
Get Fresh Ice Today
It’s important to have access to ice cubes. But, you also want the ice you use to taste fresh and not have a bad odor. You want your ice cubes to be refreshing and a welcome addition to your favorite beverage. Then, you’ll probably want to add even more ice to your drink. When you clean your ice machine, you are well on your way to having the best-tasting ice cubes.
Again, remember these points when you clean your ice maker:
- Clean your ice maker every six months.
- Clean the water filter at the same time you clean your ice machine, i.e., every six months.
- Make sure you make a few batches of ice after cleaning your ice maker so the ice is as fresh as can be.
Now that you know how to produce the best tasting ice, you can rest assured each icy beverage you enjoy at home will taste great and be extra refreshing!