Do you love to have ice in your drinks? We all do. Ice is now an inseparable part of our drinks, be it soft drinks or hard drinks. But the matter of concern lies here that the way we all are aware to keep our drinking water pure and safe, we do exhibit the same awareness in the case of ice cubes. Like water, ice cubes can catch molds and infect the drink or water in which it is used.
A lot of stomach infections occur from impure water. This holds true for ice cubes too. Your ice cubes must be clean and free from all dirt, impurities, and molds. Now, you must be wondering, where do ice cubes catch all the molds that we are talking about? You may not believe it but the answer is dirty portable ice makers are the factory for unclean ice cubes.
The black circular spots that you may find in your ice makers and also ice cubes are the molds. Molds are dangerous. They cause diseases, spread bad odor, and whatnot. If you leave your portable ice makers unchecked and uncleaned for a long time, you may be surprised by some disgusting mold formation.
To keep yourself free from molds and most importantly bad diseases, you need to know how to clean your portable ice makers right away. In this article we will show you how you can easily clean your ice makers, we will also describe the reasons for mold formation and share in general tips to keep your ice maker good and clean always.
So, let’s jump right to it and then keep ourselves free from deadly molds. Make sure you also check our guide for Ice Machine Cleaner.
How To Clean Your MOLD INFESTED Countertop Ice Maker?
Table of Contents
Why do Molds Form in the Ice Maker?
Any wet, moist environment attracts fungal development, therefore there’s a good potential that the portable ice producers will become contaminated over time.
Mold grows on the edges of the ice maker as a result of the remaining water, and their major target is the countertop ice maker since it does not maintain a freezing temperature to prevent mold development.
Mold will form if you use dirty water and don’t clean your unit on a regular basis. Both the interiors and exteriors of the unit must be kept clean at all times by users.
Once a month, it must be properly cleansed with soap and water and rinsed. Also, instead of using the ice scoop, users should take the ice with their hands, as doing so feeds germs into the device, which then grow to develop molds. Besides, you can choose some Drain Cleaner for Urinals.
How to Clean Mold from Portable Ice Maker
Following these procedures listed below, you will be able to get rid of the mold quickly and safely.
Step 01: Cleaning
The interior walls of the ice maker and the unit’s cover are the most attractive places for mold to grow, and they may be easily prevented by cleaning them at regular intervals. You may either make your own cleaning solution or purchase one as directed in the user handbook.
Take a little bleach and dilute it with water to make a DIY cleaning solution. To avoid your ice smelling bleachy, dilute a spoon of bleach in five glasses of water, but don’t overdo it. Dilute with warm water if possible, and thoroughly clean the ice maker.
This may be used to clean the insides and outsides of the appliance to prevent mold from forming, as well as to help prevent mold from forming in the future. The cleaning procedure can be conducted in the order shown below.
- Using a spraying technique, saturate all contaminated surfaces with the cleaning solution.
- Before spraying the cleaner, wipe the home surfaces cleaner with a clean towel.
- Allow ten minutes for the solution to sit.
- Thoroughly clean the area by wiping and rinsing it.
- Remove the ice bin and clean it with soapy water and a rag.
- You may also wipe and sanitize the ice bin and ice scoop with a mixture of baking soda and warm water.
- Remove the detachable pieces and thoroughly rinse them before allowing them to air dry.
- Combine the vinegar and water in a clean washcloth. Clean the ice-making prongs and the insides of the ice maker as thoroughly as possible with this solution, being careful not to harm the components.
- You may also use a fine-bristled toothbrush to clean regions that are difficult to reach with a washcloth.
Thus, you may clean the exteriors and as much of the interiors as possible without causing any harm to the device by using bleach, vinegar, warm water, mild soap, or the cleaner recommended by your manufacturer. Wipe the ice maker down with a dry towel to remove any remaining moisture. Before reassembling the device, make sure it is entirely dry.
Step 02: Sanitizing & Deodorizing
Mold growth will create an unpleasant odor on the inside of the ice machine. The simplest technique to get rid of this stink is to use baking soda to deodorize the ice machine and its walls.
Deodorize and rinse the ice maker thoroughly using a solution of four spoons of baking soda mixed in one quart of water to ensure that the residue cleaning solution is fully gone.
Run a few ice-making cycles after cleaning and deodorizing the ice maker, possibly two or three, and remove the ice cubes that form. If your appliance has an automated cleaning feature, use it once a week to give the innards of the ice maker a thorough washing.
Step 03: Checking the Water Filter
Water filters are included with certain ice producers to guarantee that only pure water is used in the ice-making process.
This water filter has the potential to become clogged with minerals, lowering the ice quality. They’re also a good source of mold growth. It’s crucial to clean them once a week and replace the filters every six months or as the manufacturer recommends.
Final Words
Using ice with molds in your drinks, juices, or even water will make you sick with many diseases and bring disgrace from your guests at a party. Cleaning the ice maker is an easy and important task but nevertheless neglected in most homes.
Now that you know the steps of how to clean mold from portable ice maker, we believe you will use this knowledge regularly for the betterment of everyone in your family. So, be safe from these dangerous molds by cleaning your ice makers very easily following our guidelines.