Ice makers have become a necessity in every household now. So their maintenance and cleaning are a must learn knack for everyone. But if you are an “Anti-chemical”, “All-Natural” enthusiast, you would definitely avoid all those bleach-containing commercially available cleaning products for cleaning your machine. Perplexed at what else could be a solution? How about cleaning it with something as safe as Vinegar? So here in this article, we will explain how can you clean an Ice maker with Vinegar?
Why do we need Ice makers?
Gone are the days when Ice makers were thought to be useful for commercial ventures only. Imagine hosting a BBQ dinner on a warm and humid summer evening. Everything is set up in impeccable shape and coherence. From the food on the table to the neat décor, you’ve hit the home run. The drinks are served and you run out of Ice! That’s obviously out of question, because, if you are a smart host, you would definitely have an Ice maker at hand for your picture-perfect party.
Not just suitable for the bar, parties or family dinners, but it could free up a lot of space from your refrigerator’s freezing compartment, which is usually occupied by Ice trays. And then you could use your refrigerator for “actually storing the food” rather than Ice cube trays or cold water bottles. And if you are the only one at home who refills those empty Ice cube trays after every use, then do yourself a favor and invest in an ice maker to save yourself all the trouble.
And when they come with so much variety and specifications, it becomes very difficult to avoid such convenience. You can buy an impressive countertop ice maker machine that goes perfectly with your kitchen color scheme, for instance, an Igloo ICEB26RR 26-Pound Automatic Portable Countertop Ice Maker Machine, or Frigidaire EFIC117-Portable Compact Maker, or you could take into consideration specifications like being cost-effective, energy-efficient and other smart features, for instance, a Vremi Countertop Ice Maker or IKICH Portable Ice Maker Machine.
Why should we clean an Ice maker using Vinegar?
You might not know the answer unless you were good in your college chemistry class! Water contains many minerals including Calcium and Magnesium etc. which eventually build up on the walls of your Ice maker, if not cleaned regularly. Yes, it’s the same white deposits that you see sitting in an old Electric Kettle.
The Mineral deposits on the inside of your machine can reduce its efficiency by altering the
temperature of its heating or cooling elements. So in case of an Ice maker, it deposits on the molds of ice and affects the quality of Ice. Vinegar is acidic in nature and will react with these mineral carbonates to make it easier to remove. That’s why it is really important to clean your Ice maker with vinegar.
How often an Ice maker should be cleaned
How often an Ice maker should be cleaned depends on many factors, like the frequency of its use, the quality of water, its location and manufacturer’s recommendation. In any case, you should clean your Ice machine once every few months.
Most Ice makers come with an Instruction manual including the details of how they should be unassembled to clean, which makes it very easy to do so. But here we will give a general
overview of it.
Several types of bottles of vinegar are available in the stores. You could see fruit vinegar like Apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white vinegar and many more. But for making the cleaning solution, you just need the regular white vinegar.
Making the Vinegar Solution to clean Ice maker
- Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 cup of warm water.
- You could add 1tablespoon of lemon juice to make your cleaner more powerful.
- You could make this cleaning solution more dilute if you think your machine is not really dirty, or you could increase the strength of this cleaner by adding more vinegar only if the scale deposits are quite visible.
- Stir the mixture lightly and fill it in a spray bottle.
- Also, keep a clean towel handy to wipe the surfaces.
Cleaning the Vremi Countertop Ice Maker with Vinegar
Vremi is the #1 best-selling countertop Ice maker machine with an overall rating of 4.3/5 and available just for $114.99 at Amazon with free delivery.
It makes 9 chewable, bullet-shaped ice-cubes in one cycle, in just 8 to 10 minutes, and up to 26lbs. of ice in 24 hrs. Measuring at just 9.5 x 12 x 13.5 inches, this ice maker can fit at any corner in your kitchen or even accompany you on your camping trips and outdoor parties.
Aided with warning lights and an automatic shut-off feature for when the ice basket is full or if water needs to be refilled, it is one of the smartest ice maker machines.
To clean your Vremi countertop Ice maker machine, you may follow these basic steps.
Basic Cleaning:
- Remove all the Ice and turn off the Ice machine.
- Remove the ice basket.
- Spray the cleaning solution on the interior surface and wipe it with the towel.
- The exterior of the ice maker should also be cleaned regularly with a few drops of mild detergent and warm water.
- Use soft material to dry the interior and exterior of the machine.
Internal Cleaning:
- Take out the ice basket.
- Spray the cleaning solution mixture to the water reservoir and other parts. Also, fill the reservoir with a mild cleaning solution.
- Turn on the machine and make a couple of batches of ice. Discard this ice.
- Now turn off the machine and drain all the cleaning solution from the reservoir.
- Remove the waterline and also clean and rinse it.
- Now add clean water to the water reservoir up to the water level mark.
- Turn on the ice maker again to make a few batches of ice. Discard this ice too.
- Empty the reservoir again by draining this water.
- Dry the machine with a clean towel.
The Ice scoops and basket should also be washed regularly like any other kitchen utensils.
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Cleaning the IKICH Portable Ice Maker Machine
IKICH quick ice maker machine rated 4.3/5 on Amazon is another bestseller machine available for $ 121.99. It works very fast and gets you 9pcs of chewable, bullet-shaped ice-cubes in just 6 minutes.
It has a very powerful compressor which doesn’t make noise and neither consumes a lot of
energy. Its size is also comparable to Vremi and could easily be stored or moved around.
It also gives the option to select the ice cubes’ size. It also has a smart indicator which lights up when the ice is full or more water is needed. There’s an outlet drain at the bottom, which makes it really easy to clean and use.
There are a removable ice basket and ice scoop too, just like Vremi which makes it easier to use.
IKICH also offers a 2-year warranty and 30-day return policy for this safe and portable under counter ice maker machine.
Here’s how you can clean your IKICH Ice maker machine.
Basic Cleaning:
- Remove all the Ice and turn off the Ice machine.
- Drain the water in the reservoir by removing the drain cap at the side.
- Remove the ice basket.
- Spray the cleaning solution on the interior surface and wipe it with the towel.
- The exterior of the ice maker should also be cleaned regularly with a few drops of mild detergent and warm water.
- Dry the interior and exterior walls of the machine using a soft smooth fabric.
The internal cleaning of this machine pretty much the same as the previous one. All you have to do is to fill the reservoir with cleaning solution, make a couple of batches of Ice and discard those. Then fill it with clean fresh water and repeat the process twice and discard that ice too.Dry-wipe your machine at the end. It is ready to use again in perfect shape.
Cleaning the home Labs Portable Ice Maker Machine for Countertop
This hOmeLabs machine rated 4.1/5 on Amazon from a whopping 1864 no. of customers is another bestseller yet affordable at $119.99. It makes bullet-shaped ice cubes, weighing up to 1.5lbs at a time. With its 2.2lbs water reservoir, it can make 26lbs of ice per day. With its compact dimensions, it is easier to carry and move around anywhere you go.
This machine also gives you an option to select the size of ice cubes.
Its compressor requires low energy to cool down so it doesn’t consume a lot of power.
Since the water reservoir sits below the ice basket, so it can reuse water from the melted ice to make more ice, just like the IKICH portable Ice maker. Warning lights and an automatic shut off function are activated once the ice basket is full or when water needs to be refilled.
This ETL Certified electric ice maker has a user-friendly panel and of course, comes with a removable ice basket and scoop just like its contemporaries.
The external and internal cleaning procedure is almost the same as the IKICH portable Ice maker, which is to clean it with vinegar. Always dry wipe your machine at the end of cleaning to avoid having scale stains.
Wrapping Up!
If you want your gatherings to be hassle-free and cool, invest in a good portable Ice maker. Whichever Ice maker you invest in, always remember to clean it with a good quality vinegar to remove scums from the machine. Portable Ice makers are smart gadgets that are easy to use,don’t require a water hook up and are very easy to clean too.
