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The other day a friend asked if I had any tips for cleaning the built-in ice maker in her fridge, and it made me realize I had never written a post about it! Not only am I a big proponent of maintaining household appliances, but I’ve also been writing blog posts on the subject for over a decade, so I was pretty surprised I’d let this one slip past me!
Related: Putting Off Cleaning Your Fridge? Here’s How To Make It Painless
So I did some research, used that research to come up with a method, and now I’m ready to share with my friend and everyone else how to clean an ice maker. Following these steps will allow you to enjoy clean, odor-free ice, and will help extend the life of your ice maker too.
How To Clean Your Ice Maker
1. Check Your Refrigerator Manual
It’s best to check your refrigerator manual for guidance on any type of cleaning or maintenance. If you can’t find the paper copy, never fear—most appliance manuals can be found online by searching for the brand and model name.
Once you’ve located the manual, open it to the section that covers the ice maker.
Related: 9 Good Reasons Why You Should Actually Read Your User Manuals
2. Turn The Ice Maker Off And Remove The Bin
The first step in the process is to turn the ice maker off. Some have a metal bar you can lift to turn off while others will have an on-off switch.
Once it’s turned off, remove the ice bin by pulling it up and out, or by sliding it straight out. (This is where that manual will start to come in handy!)
3. Empty And Clean The Bin
Dump out any any ice that’s in the bin, and use warm water or a butter knife to remove any stuck ice or frost buildup. Once it’s ice free, give it a good wash in warm, soapy water. (Some bins are dishwasher-safe, and if your is, you can load it into the top rack of your dishwasher if you prefer.)
5. Clean And Disinfect The Ice Maker
Next, you’ll clean and disinfect the parts of your ice maker that you can’t take out of your freezer by following these steps:
- Wash. Dip a clean cloth or sponge into warm, soapy water, then use it to wipe down every part of your ice maker you can reach. Be careful with this step, and make sure to avoid the switch so you don’t accidentally turn the ice maker back on.
- Disinfect. Next, repeat the process with a clean cloth dampened with equal parts water and white vinegar. This will help kill any bacteria lingering on those surfaces that could affect the taste or smell of your ice.
- Rinse. Repeat the process again with a clean cloth dampened with water only. This will remove any lingering traces of soap and vinegar so they don’t make your ice taste funny.
- Dry. Lastly, repeat the process one last time with a clean, dry cloth to ensure that everything is dry and won’t freeze or frost over.
6. Replace The Bin
Once all the internal components are clean, slide the clean, dry ice bin back into place. (You should just be able to do the opposite of what you did to get it out, but if that doesn’t seem right, refer to the manual for guidance.)
7. Turn It Back On
Finally, turn your ice maker back on—if everything has gone according to plan, you’ll soon be enjoying clean, refreshing ice courtesy of your sparkling clean ice maker.
Does your fridge have a built-in ice maker?
How To Clean Your Ice Maker (Step by Step)
Equipment
- Refrigerator ice maker
Ingredients
- 4 cleaning cloths
- Soap and water
Instructions
- Check your refrigerator manual for guidance on accessing and cleaning your machine’s ice maker. (If you can’t find the paper copy, look for a digital copy online using the manufacturer name and model number.)
- Turn the ice maker off, remove the ice bin, and empty it.
- Wash the empty ice bin using warm, soapy water, or put it in the top rack of your dishwasher if it’s dishwasher-safe.
- Clean the interior of your ice maker with a clean cloth or sponge saturated with warm, soapy water.
- Disinfect the inside of your ice maker using a clean cloth dampened with equal amounts of water and white vinegar.
- Rinse the inside of your ice maker using a clean, damp cloth to remove any lingering traces of soap or vinegar.
- Dry the inside of your ice maker using a clean, dry cloth.
- Finally, replace the clean ice bin and turn your ice maker back on.
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