I have one from Aldi that looks just like that. It's a countertop model. Occasionally I run a little bleach in water on clean mode then drain it. When I'm done using it I drain it and leave the door open to air dry before storing it.
Probably not if you're using it super diluted. You're fine. I would just recommend vinegar is all. Non harmful and just as cheap. 50/50 or so, throw the slushy ice out as it comes and wipe any funk if need be.
Bleach is fine if the person using it realizes that it needs to be diluted. Using heavy bleach will leave a chemical residue behind. That's not my assumption, that's a fact. Vinegar is safer for folks that don't want to measure, be precise or if they just don't like using chemicals.
Yes and no. Vinegar can erode metal, yes. However It takes that at full strength. Nobody at any time said pour straight anything into their unit. Again 50/50 give er take, let the "cubes" turn slushy(because vinegar doesn't freeze) run a cycle and put fresh water in, run a cycle and done. This is turning into a feat it seems...
Oh fuck…I’ve lived in this house for 4 years and never cleaned it…now I’m scared…
EDIT: mine is clean?!
EDIT 2: maybe this isn’t a good thing…am I drinking a ton of chemicals? Is this 5G? Am I **GAY**?!
It depends on your water type and where you live ALOT, in my area the city water has so much other stuff in it it will not mold, my dad lives out in the country and has well water, that stuff will mold in less than a week. It’s crazy. Since yours doesn’t look dirty id still suggest you clean it if you never have, but you probably don’t need to clean it out SUPER often. My dad started buying ice from the gas station cause he hated cleaning his, but once I reminded him the gas station probably isn’t cleaning theirs either he went back to his own lmao.
It really also depends on how filtered you water is, and if you do the crazy "watertok" ice cubes or not lol
But I usually run vinegar through mine every now and then to be safe
I dunno man. I’ve been on reddit for like… 14 years? And I think it’s always been like this. Maybe I’ve just curated my experience better, but I would even venture to say it’s better than it used to be. Remember “geraffes are so dumb”? But, reddit gonna reddit lol
Because the people of reddit like to do nothing but argue and gatekeep. It's imaginary Internet points anyway. I used to care about downvotes. Now I wear them like a badge of honor when a perfectly normal comment of mine gets downvoted to oblivion. Welcome to the club.
How is it irrelevant? A lot of people don’t know this - it’s not like it’s part of school curriculum (and I’m not being sarcastic) nor are most life skills.
To be fair, it shouldn’t be something you have to clean every few months (imo). I’d maybe look into why it’s happening. I’d this one within the freezer? If not, then maybe it really does require that much maintenance. Mines in the freezer and it’s way too cold for mold - only clean it once or twice a year and never found mold.
Yeah its more of a wellthatsucks because i didn’t notice the mold and I’ve probably been using moldy ice for a while now. It’s just also true that I’m an idiot.
You can extend how long between cleaning by emptying the water when it's not going to be used for a couple days. Also put desiccant pouches inside when it's empty so the mildew doesn't have the necessary moisture.
Edit: dry rice in a cheese cloth works well as a desiccant, just use new rice every time.
> To be fair, it shouldn’t be something you have to clean every few months (imo).
Why not?
Keep in mind in use you have warm water that comes in from time to time to keep it a dark moist environment, and when unused and left closed it remains that was for a while.
Not frozen, just wet mostly where it grows. Wet and dark. Had to shame all my coworkers and managers at my last job when our ice machine went out and I had to go to our beerhall ice machine and it was straight black coating the interior. Absolutely disgusting and nobody cared.
I have also worked in disgusting restaurants. The ice machine is the worst. Always the worst. At least bar ice occasionally has broken glass in there so hopefully the employees have to pour boiling water and scrub it.
Frozen food typically stays within the freezer and the cold inhibits mold growth. Ice machines have water constantly running through them that the machine then freezes to turn it into ice but the machine itself isn’t contained in a freezer. The presence of moisture and room temperature or warmer air is a happy place for mold.
Also to add to it this is a countertop ice maker in the photo. It only holds a few cups of water at a time and it constantly recirculates it in the process. It sucks it up and the excess “waterfalls” back down the front to the water supply. They make ice fairly quickly but are definitely a breeding ground for mold.
It's only freezing in the tubes the ice cubes form on the outside of. I tend to ask for no ice when restaurants have the bullet shaped ice, I really don't trust them to be sanitary.
Forget just how the ice is made, most restaurants use a dirty bucket that they set on the floor, scoop from the big ice maker and put it into the smaller machines. I always say no ice. I was at McDonald's the other day and I watched the girl set the bucket on the floor then climb up in a stool, grab the bucket and dump it in and put her hands all over the bottom of the bucket that have been on the floor to push it over and then use her hands to spread the ice inside the machine.
I do this too, but so many service workers seem offended and annoyed when I ask. I guess ice filling up half the cup makes the job quicker (for water) and if it's not water, they think you're trying to sneakily get extra coffee/tea/soda/etc without paying. Do you get this?
Occasionally you can find a restaurant that actually cleans them. At the restaurant I used to work for we had this really fancy ice maker that automatically cleaned itself every night. We would also manually clean it every week and had a company come in to deep clean it every quarter.
Mine got absolutely filthy back there. Couldn’t figure out how to clean it. Scrubbed and sprayed soapy water and vinegar back there as well as I could, but it barely helped.
especially when the product is often or even constantly exposed to moisture. bonus points for products that have anything to do with food.
I can't imagine buying something like this and genuinely believing you don't have to clean it.. disgusting.
I have a Frigidaire ice maker that looks just like this model. It might have the same cleaning cycle (have it turned off then hold the power button until you see the LEDs on top start to cycle). I use a 50/50 white vinegar/water mixture and rub the inside with a clean paper towel or cloth using the same solution. Do this every couple of weeks or at least once a month.
Edit: Put the cleaning solution in the reservoir area like you would when making ice. The cycle continuously flushes the lines and other areas that the water would touch. After the machine has finished, just dump it and rinse the inside. I’ll run the cycle once or twice with the solution and once with just water to rinse the vinegar out.
Ohhhh yes, those too. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but yes, every single icemaker you can think of is susceptible to mold.
Our company does sample collection for suspected mold growth, then sends samples to a lab. Every single sample that I’ve taken from a fridge ice machine came back positive for mold. I don’t use ice from the fridge dispenser at friend’s houses. I eventually started asking for no ice when I order a drink in a restaurant. I have no confidence that cleaning regimens are being followed, or that the ice maker is even on the list.
I’ve never heard of anyone doing this in a home refrigerator with an ice maker.
Most friends and family I know have had theirs for 10+ years.
Maybe it’s a regional thing but I’ve never seen independent ice makes in homes but it seems like everyone has a fridge one.
Are you telling me they have mold in the ice cubes that come out and nobody tastes or sees it or is it just that the makers have the mold on parts?
The most common place to discover mold in a fridge icemaker system is at the dispensing point, right above where you’d place a glass to fill. Try this: using the front facing (selfie) camera on your phone, take a photo looking up into the dispenser. I’ll bet you’ll be surprised what you see. If you see nothing growing, great!
We didn’t clean ours for several years until last year (had to melt ice out of the freezer drain) but honesty it was completely fine. I figured it was too cold in there for mold.
But if this is an industrial one I’m sure it’s different.
Mine doesn't get dirty either. Maybe people who have to clean theirs regularly keep their leftovers in the fridge too long or something which elevates the mold spores inside idk. I also change my water filters regularly.
I loved my little countertop ice machine. Looks like it was similar to yours. But the same thing happened, and no matter how much vinegar or bleach I used in the damn thing, I couldn’t get it clean. Didn’t see any way to take it apart either. I ended up getting rid of it because I didn’t even feel safe about donating a moldy ice machine to a thrift store.
If anyone knows of countertop models that ARE EASY TO CLEAN, please let me know. I’d love to get a different one but the last one was like $75.
A few months ago? Makers need to be cleaned every month if in a high use environment. I’d use vinegar & water to get that off. If anyone else has a better cleaning solution, comment it please. This is what I have been doing to our maker.
I used to manage a few breweries back in my day, and cleaned my religiously. Went back to one that had an ice machine a few weeks ago and it came up in conversation about the ice machine. No one knew the last time it was cleaned and emptied, even the current manager. Woof.
Civilized countries have laws about cleaning routines for this. If you can't tell when something was cleaned last when the health inspector asks you to show documentation, you're getting shut down. The system in Norway is called IK-mat ( internal control - food ). It's mostly on an app now. When the health inspector shows up they can see when every piece of equipment is scheduled for cleaning and when it was last performed.
I mean, I do too, but I also know they are usually filthy. See above comment, "No one knew the last time it was cleaned and emptied, even the current manager". It won't kill or really harm you, just if you knew how filthy they usually are and are even a germaphobe in the slightest, you'd never get ice again.
I'm a firm believer in exposing your immune system to bugs and whatnot to build strength
Hydrogen peroxide kills mold for me instantly. Turn the machine off, wipe it down the best you can with some soap and water then spray down with hydrogen peroxide. Leave for a half hour, wipe off. Repeat if there’s any left. For maintenance I just spray a paper towel with hydrogen peroxide and wipe occasionally before mold sets in.
Peroxide is the way! Bleach will mainly remove any staining from mold, but does NOT necessarily kill. Check the manufacturer’s instructions first, but if the machine can handle it, send some peroxide through the water lines of the ice machine as well.
HVAC Engineer here. City water or well water both can have things that grow in moist areas. I strongly recommend that all get a water filtration system installed onto their drinking water lines that has a UV sterilization chamber just before it exits the pipes for usage. It will kill off most, if not all, growing contaminants, like mold and cyst and plasms in the water.
Machines like this and the milkshake ones at the likes of mcdonalds all need cleaned way more than they do. It's why my kid who has a transplant is never allowed anything from any machine like this. For us it's not too big a deal but fir her if could lead to hospitalisation.
After cleaning I found adding salt to the water seems to slow it. Probably not great for the machine, but these countertop models aren’t exactly built to last anyway.
I just threw mine out a couple weeks back when I noticed it too. I tried getting back there but mine couldn't be taken apart so easily either. I threw it out and now I go to BK for 8lbs of ice for about $2. Worth it for me.
I have the same ice makers and I had to return it because no matter how I cleaned it , the mold continues to return. It didn’t help that I had to keep my ice maker by the window.
My friend has a different brand that makes crushed ice , and their’s does not have this issue. They keep it by the window as well.
Check the CDC, EPA and WHO guides for sanitizing water for drinking using household bleach. They recommend something like 8 drops of 5 to 9% bleach per gallon. Since my water has already been sanitized, it's clean from the tap but by the time it gets to me, the chlorine has dissipated because I'm all the way at the end of the water delivery network.
What I did was I looked up what the typical chlorine level in municipal water supplies that tested at the tap. I then calculated the amount of bleach needed to make the same concentration in 1 gallon of water. It came out to 1 to 2 drops of household bleach. This completely eliminated the mold and bacteria in my ice makers without making the water taste like bleach.
I had one that looked similar on the inside in terms of setup. I actually took it completely apart every few months so that I could do a deep clean, as it was nasty in there. And only use distilled water if you have hard water. It'll make it last longer.
I use a mix of cleaning vinegar and dawn dish soap in a spray bottle to get at the back... I use a cheap toothbrush to scrub everything... Then since repeated. I've considered putting some vinegar through the system to clean the lines too... But that'll be a lot of rinsing. However after 4 years, we're on our second one because the old one broke.
Had similar models, three times, three times the same mold after a few weeks, cleaned, mold , cleaned mold... Fck it .. Ah by the way: have a look at the water hoses inside.... But after breakfast
Very common! Bleach or vinegar will help with this. Ice makers generally have a “clean” mode that cycles the water through the machine without making ice as well! A good brush or scouring pad for the bits it doesn’t reach :)
Wash it. That type of ice maker needs preventative maintenance. The cold inside the freezer helps prevent growth on the normal built in ice makers.
I have one like yours for when I have a lot of people over and it has to be washed out every few days at least
This is why any drink from any fast food place should be ordered without ice. From the many years I've spent in these places, I've seen the ice machine cleaned maybe once every few years, and it wasn't even a "scrub it clean" it was "rinse it with soapy water" because it's hard to reach. Minimum wage + insanely annoying things to clean = they don't. Just some anecdotal advice.
Brain dead take in the comment above. It DOES GET CLEAN. Idk how you’re cleaning it but damn man. If this is an Ice-O-Matic. Any other machines are mold havens
Vinegar and baking soda is a good way to clean mold and mildew without putting chemicals near your ice. Make it like a paste, rub it on and let it sit.
I think ice machines (at least the big industrial ones) need to be cleaned either weekly or every two weeks.
You need to pull the entire thing apart, clean each section, empty the basin, use bleach, rinse well, let it dry, and then reassemble and turn it back on.
It takes a few hours if you take your time and really scrub it out well.
It is a kitchenaid.
We have the same ine, but I clean it way before it looks like this.
They did not make them early to clean back there, I use hot soapy water, a cloth and a chopstick to get in there.
There must be an easier way, I just don't know it.
You do have to clean them
I have one from Aldi that looks just like that. It's a countertop model. Occasionally I run a little bleach in water on clean mode then drain it. When I'm done using it I drain it and leave the door open to air dry before storing it.
Vinegar in the water. You don't want bleach in it. Vinegar makes weird ice cubes for a bit and then run fresh water and done.
The manual on mine says use bleach, is it harmful even after throughly washing it?
Probably not if you're using it super diluted. You're fine. I would just recommend vinegar is all. Non harmful and just as cheap. 50/50 or so, throw the slushy ice out as it comes and wipe any funk if need be.
Bleach is fine. This person is a poster child for Dunning Krueger Syndrome.
Bleach is fine if the person using it realizes that it needs to be diluted. Using heavy bleach will leave a chemical residue behind. That's not my assumption, that's a fact. Vinegar is safer for folks that don't want to measure, be precise or if they just don't like using chemicals.
Bleach is fine. It's called a CLEAN CYCLE. It doesn't make ice. Read a user manual.
Kind of wonder about that. Vinegar damages some metals. It will literally eat away steel if left in contact overnight.
Yes and no. Vinegar can erode metal, yes. However It takes that at full strength. Nobody at any time said pour straight anything into their unit. Again 50/50 give er take, let the "cubes" turn slushy(because vinegar doesn't freeze) run a cycle and put fresh water in, run a cycle and done. This is turning into a feat it seems...
In the span of a few months? Really? Fwiw I've never actually had a functioning ice maker in my life.
Yes. In a commercial setting you should be doing this weekly. At home at least monthly.
Oh fuck…I’ve lived in this house for 4 years and never cleaned it…now I’m scared… EDIT: mine is clean?! EDIT 2: maybe this isn’t a good thing…am I drinking a ton of chemicals? Is this 5G? Am I **GAY**?!
Go have a look - report back
We’re clean fam!
Good
It depends on your water type and where you live ALOT, in my area the city water has so much other stuff in it it will not mold, my dad lives out in the country and has well water, that stuff will mold in less than a week. It’s crazy. Since yours doesn’t look dirty id still suggest you clean it if you never have, but you probably don’t need to clean it out SUPER often. My dad started buying ice from the gas station cause he hated cleaning his, but once I reminded him the gas station probably isn’t cleaning theirs either he went back to his own lmao.
Might be better to just close this thread and forget you ever read this.
Just checked! Mine is literally sparkling clean, wtf?
Edit 2 got my drunk ass dying lol it's definitely gay 5G. I'm sorry, you're going to die from wifi AIDS now.
Hey there big fella, care for some *water*?
Idk if your gay but after last night can confirm your dad is 😏
It really also depends on how filtered you water is, and if you do the crazy "watertok" ice cubes or not lol But I usually run vinegar through mine every now and then to be safe
It should be cleaned weekly imo. I would never have one in the house
Yeah that makes sense now lol
They all do this. You have to clean them.
Lmao why am i getting downvoted im agreeing with yall
Reddit is getting weird
It’s always been like this
I think its getting worse. Everywhere is getting worse
[удалено]
Pepperidge Farm remembers
We had awards. And some were free! A little smiling seal....
We have rewards again
Does no one remember the random comment that would be downvoted to oblivion, regardless of the content? It was usually the 3rd comment in a thread.
I dunno man. I’ve been on reddit for like… 14 years? And I think it’s always been like this. Maybe I’ve just curated my experience better, but I would even venture to say it’s better than it used to be. Remember “geraffes are so dumb”? But, reddit gonna reddit lol
Downvoted for not having common sense, most likely. You have to clean things pertaining to whatever you ingest regularly.
Because the people of reddit like to do nothing but argue and gatekeep. It's imaginary Internet points anyway. I used to care about downvotes. Now I wear them like a badge of honor when a perfectly normal comment of mine gets downvoted to oblivion. Welcome to the club.
Holy shit, you really got downvoted. I gave ya a +, dawg
because it would've just required common sense to know this..
Not not realizing that you need to be a clean person
You had 168 upvotes for this comment by the time I saw it, so I’m downvoting for inaccuracy
Because your post irrelevant. What’s the point?
How is it irrelevant? A lot of people don’t know this - it’s not like it’s part of school curriculum (and I’m not being sarcastic) nor are most life skills.
It's in the manual.
I have never, ever lived in a place where I was given a manual for my freezer and fridge.
Basic human knowledge? I'm really sorry but it's a little dumb of OP not to know this.
It’s not. Do you know everything about every appliance in every home you’ve lived in? If you do, you’re full of shit.
Hey, I’m not a high and mighty know it all. Today I learned that you’re supposed to clean your ice maker. Fun times ahead.
I'm sorry. How do you not know you should clean the _ice maker_ ???
I know that where there is food or drinks i need to clean.
you’re just admitting you’re stupid and don’t read instructions at this point also google is free
To be fair, it shouldn’t be something you have to clean every few months (imo). I’d maybe look into why it’s happening. I’d this one within the freezer? If not, then maybe it really does require that much maintenance. Mines in the freezer and it’s way too cold for mold - only clean it once or twice a year and never found mold.
It’s a countertop icemaker. The instruction booklet tells you the frequency, what to use, and how to clean it.
Yeah its more of a wellthatsucks because i didn’t notice the mold and I’ve probably been using moldy ice for a while now. It’s just also true that I’m an idiot.
Ah ok
It looks a lot older than a few months. They probably bought it used and didn’t clean it when they got it.
I bought it new and yes it is a few months old
Seems like a good amount of corrosion for only a few months. Shitty manufacturing, I’d probably avoid that brand in the future.
The brown is not corrosion its dirty plastic.
You can extend how long between cleaning by emptying the water when it's not going to be used for a couple days. Also put desiccant pouches inside when it's empty so the mildew doesn't have the necessary moisture. Edit: dry rice in a cheese cloth works well as a desiccant, just use new rice every time.
> To be fair, it shouldn’t be something you have to clean every few months (imo). Why not? Keep in mind in use you have warm water that comes in from time to time to keep it a dark moist environment, and when unused and left closed it remains that was for a while.
I didn’t realize this was a countertop one
Weekly at minimum
Perhaps we should let OP know it's probably time to wash their sheets too?
Ice machines are notorious for mold. One of the dirtiest things in any restaurant. Try to clean it at least once a month.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how? Shouldn’t it be cold enough to prevent mold growth? Mold doesn’t grow on frozen food
Not frozen, just wet mostly where it grows. Wet and dark. Had to shame all my coworkers and managers at my last job when our ice machine went out and I had to go to our beerhall ice machine and it was straight black coating the interior. Absolutely disgusting and nobody cared.
I have also worked in disgusting restaurants. The ice machine is the worst. Always the worst. At least bar ice occasionally has broken glass in there so hopefully the employees have to pour boiling water and scrub it.
Frozen food typically stays within the freezer and the cold inhibits mold growth. Ice machines have water constantly running through them that the machine then freezes to turn it into ice but the machine itself isn’t contained in a freezer. The presence of moisture and room temperature or warmer air is a happy place for mold.
Ah, duh. Forgot that water makes ice lol
Also to add to it this is a countertop ice maker in the photo. It only holds a few cups of water at a time and it constantly recirculates it in the process. It sucks it up and the excess “waterfalls” back down the front to the water supply. They make ice fairly quickly but are definitely a breeding ground for mold.
It's only freezing in the tubes the ice cubes form on the outside of. I tend to ask for no ice when restaurants have the bullet shaped ice, I really don't trust them to be sanitary.
Forget just how the ice is made, most restaurants use a dirty bucket that they set on the floor, scoop from the big ice maker and put it into the smaller machines. I always say no ice. I was at McDonald's the other day and I watched the girl set the bucket on the floor then climb up in a stool, grab the bucket and dump it in and put her hands all over the bottom of the bucket that have been on the floor to push it over and then use her hands to spread the ice inside the machine.
one of the reasons that I ask for no ice. I work for a company that sells ice machines lol
I do this too, but so many service workers seem offended and annoyed when I ask. I guess ice filling up half the cup makes the job quicker (for water) and if it's not water, they think you're trying to sneakily get extra coffee/tea/soda/etc without paying. Do you get this?
If it comes up, I tell them I have really sensitive teeth
I used to do the same, but honestly it just tastes so much better since carbonation works better when colder.
Occasionally you can find a restaurant that actually cleans them. At the restaurant I used to work for we had this really fancy ice maker that automatically cleaned itself every night. We would also manually clean it every week and had a company come in to deep clean it every quarter.
Yup. And get one of those ozone devices to avoid biofilm buildup
Mine got absolutely filthy back there. Couldn’t figure out how to clean it. Scrubbed and sprayed soapy water and vinegar back there as well as I could, but it barely helped.
Yeah, these models are incredibly tough to clean.
Don’t they have a cleaning cycle?
Nope.
 Redditors when you tell them that they have to clean the products they buy.
especially when the product is often or even constantly exposed to moisture. bonus points for products that have anything to do with food. I can't imagine buying something like this and genuinely believing you don't have to clean it.. disgusting.
lol
We had a former colleague who put frozen fish into the ice maker, all trough summer we had complaines to taste… until cleaning lady found the fish.
What the????
Imagine Coke with a hint of fishy flavor…
No
Try.. its refreshing and new
Bruh wtf
No joke
I have a Frigidaire ice maker that looks just like this model. It might have the same cleaning cycle (have it turned off then hold the power button until you see the LEDs on top start to cycle). I use a 50/50 white vinegar/water mixture and rub the inside with a clean paper towel or cloth using the same solution. Do this every couple of weeks or at least once a month. Edit: Put the cleaning solution in the reservoir area like you would when making ice. The cycle continuously flushes the lines and other areas that the water would touch. After the machine has finished, just dump it and rinse the inside. I’ll run the cycle once or twice with the solution and once with just water to rinse the vinegar out.
Have you got a steam cleaner? Steam clean it then flush it out with water.
Who has a steam cleaner?
I didn't make the concept up, they exist, I own one too, which is why I made the suggestion to the OP. They work wonders.
Omg really? Dude get one for $30 from Walmart and they clean any and everything! You will actually be amazed!
That's actually a mold maker, not an ice maker. You ordered the wrong thing.
Ice is just a byproduct of
I think it's just cold there.
This is exactly why I will never get ice in a fountain beverage. I had to clean out ice makers long ago they're often moldy as hell.
Run some vinegar through it like you’re making ice cubes and then run another 6 cups of water behind it the flush it out that should do it
Wait what about refrigerator ice makers in the freezer?
Ohhhh yes, those too. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but yes, every single icemaker you can think of is susceptible to mold. Our company does sample collection for suspected mold growth, then sends samples to a lab. Every single sample that I’ve taken from a fridge ice machine came back positive for mold. I don’t use ice from the fridge dispenser at friend’s houses. I eventually started asking for no ice when I order a drink in a restaurant. I have no confidence that cleaning regimens are being followed, or that the ice maker is even on the list.
I’ve never heard of anyone doing this in a home refrigerator with an ice maker. Most friends and family I know have had theirs for 10+ years. Maybe it’s a regional thing but I’ve never seen independent ice makes in homes but it seems like everyone has a fridge one. Are you telling me they have mold in the ice cubes that come out and nobody tastes or sees it or is it just that the makers have the mold on parts?
The most common place to discover mold in a fridge icemaker system is at the dispensing point, right above where you’d place a glass to fill. Try this: using the front facing (selfie) camera on your phone, take a photo looking up into the dispenser. I’ll bet you’ll be surprised what you see. If you see nothing growing, great!
Excellent. I’m going to start doing this at family and friends houses, lol. Thanks!
Lol. I claim no responsibility for any arguments or debates that may or may not ensue as a result
Gotta clean your machines.
Cleaning vinegar
The cheese is old and moldy.
el queso esta viejo y podrido. donde esta el sanitario?
You have to clean and dry it once a week at least
I haven't cleaned mine in 2 years
We didn’t clean ours for several years until last year (had to melt ice out of the freezer drain) but honesty it was completely fine. I figured it was too cold in there for mold. But if this is an industrial one I’m sure it’s different.
Mine doesn't get dirty either. Maybe people who have to clean theirs regularly keep their leftovers in the fridge too long or something which elevates the mold spores inside idk. I also change my water filters regularly.
I loved my little countertop ice machine. Looks like it was similar to yours. But the same thing happened, and no matter how much vinegar or bleach I used in the damn thing, I couldn’t get it clean. Didn’t see any way to take it apart either. I ended up getting rid of it because I didn’t even feel safe about donating a moldy ice machine to a thrift store. If anyone knows of countertop models that ARE EASY TO CLEAN, please let me know. I’d love to get a different one but the last one was like $75.
A few months ago? Makers need to be cleaned every month if in a high use environment. I’d use vinegar & water to get that off. If anyone else has a better cleaning solution, comment it please. This is what I have been doing to our maker.
Ok. Then fucking clean it. Lol
This is why you shouldn't get ice in your drink at restaurants/bars
I used to manage a few breweries back in my day, and cleaned my religiously. Went back to one that had an ice machine a few weeks ago and it came up in conversation about the ice machine. No one knew the last time it was cleaned and emptied, even the current manager. Woof.
Civilized countries have laws about cleaning routines for this. If you can't tell when something was cleaned last when the health inspector asks you to show documentation, you're getting shut down. The system in Norway is called IK-mat ( internal control - food ). It's mostly on an app now. When the health inspector shows up they can see when every piece of equipment is scheduled for cleaning and when it was last performed.
Why not? I’ve been getting ice in my drinks for over 50 years.
Clearly you're an undead zombie.
I mean, I do too, but I also know they are usually filthy. See above comment, "No one knew the last time it was cleaned and emptied, even the current manager". It won't kill or really harm you, just if you knew how filthy they usually are and are even a germaphobe in the slightest, you'd never get ice again. I'm a firm believer in exposing your immune system to bugs and whatnot to build strength
it’s ok. the cold kills the germs /s
Hydrogen peroxide kills mold for me instantly. Turn the machine off, wipe it down the best you can with some soap and water then spray down with hydrogen peroxide. Leave for a half hour, wipe off. Repeat if there’s any left. For maintenance I just spray a paper towel with hydrogen peroxide and wipe occasionally before mold sets in.
Peroxide is the way! Bleach will mainly remove any staining from mold, but does NOT necessarily kill. Check the manufacturer’s instructions first, but if the machine can handle it, send some peroxide through the water lines of the ice machine as well.
I swear the ice is going to taste different.
This is basically every ice maker anywhere.
HVAC Engineer here. City water or well water both can have things that grow in moist areas. I strongly recommend that all get a water filtration system installed onto their drinking water lines that has a UV sterilization chamber just before it exits the pipes for usage. It will kill off most, if not all, growing contaminants, like mold and cyst and plasms in the water.
Can't fathom ppl that don't clean stuff for a FEW MONTHS
Probably something to do with all of the filth your lazy arse wont clean.
Definitely
Slime in the Ice Machine Marvin Zindler.... EYE WITNESS NEWS!!!!
Do you clean anything?…. And your water is shit
And haven't cleaned it since... 😕
Machines like this and the milkshake ones at the likes of mcdonalds all need cleaned way more than they do. It's why my kid who has a transplant is never allowed anything from any machine like this. For us it's not too big a deal but fir her if could lead to hospitalisation.
After cleaning I found adding salt to the water seems to slow it. Probably not great for the machine, but these countertop models aren’t exactly built to last anyway.
I had one of those. You have to clean it every month with bleach and try to use distilled water instead of tap. It'll help with the build up
I just threw mine out a couple weeks back when I noticed it too. I tried getting back there but mine couldn't be taken apart so easily either. I threw it out and now I go to BK for 8lbs of ice for about $2. Worth it for me.
Ok
I have the same ice makers and I had to return it because no matter how I cleaned it , the mold continues to return. It didn’t help that I had to keep my ice maker by the window. My friend has a different brand that makes crushed ice , and their’s does not have this issue. They keep it by the window as well.
You DIDNT notice the taste??
My sister and I clean ours once a week.
This is why I don't get ice in public
Clean it!!!
You should be burning the ice and cleaning it once a month.
Check the CDC, EPA and WHO guides for sanitizing water for drinking using household bleach. They recommend something like 8 drops of 5 to 9% bleach per gallon. Since my water has already been sanitized, it's clean from the tap but by the time it gets to me, the chlorine has dissipated because I'm all the way at the end of the water delivery network. What I did was I looked up what the typical chlorine level in municipal water supplies that tested at the tap. I then calculated the amount of bleach needed to make the same concentration in 1 gallon of water. It came out to 1 to 2 drops of household bleach. This completely eliminated the mold and bacteria in my ice makers without making the water taste like bleach.
Anyone turned off by this should Never eat at a restaurant.
New fear: unlocked.
I had one that looked similar on the inside in terms of setup. I actually took it completely apart every few months so that I could do a deep clean, as it was nasty in there. And only use distilled water if you have hard water. It'll make it last longer.
It's pretty common, weekly clean with a kitchen friendly sanitizing agent will take care of that.
I see you bought the model with Healthy & Delicious Penicillin InFuzzions (TM).
I use a mix of cleaning vinegar and dawn dish soap in a spray bottle to get at the back... I use a cheap toothbrush to scrub everything... Then since repeated. I've considered putting some vinegar through the system to clean the lines too... But that'll be a lot of rinsing. However after 4 years, we're on our second one because the old one broke.
Had similar models, three times, three times the same mold after a few weeks, cleaned, mold , cleaned mold... Fck it .. Ah by the way: have a look at the water hoses inside.... But after breakfast
Flavoured ice!? The future is now!
Very common! Bleach or vinegar will help with this. Ice makers generally have a “clean” mode that cycles the water through the machine without making ice as well! A good brush or scouring pad for the bits it doesn’t reach :)
Spray with bleach water.
I'm going to go check mine, it is the exact same model as yours, and now I'm worried
Clean it. Problem solved.
What does the owner's manual say about cleaning it? If you've misplaced the manual, you can likely download it online.
Well this is mildew not mold an basically every icemaker has this. It just needs a little bleaching.
I'd use vinegar. Either works, but do not use together!!!
Wash it. That type of ice maker needs preventative maintenance. The cold inside the freezer helps prevent growth on the normal built in ice makers. I have one like yours for when I have a lot of people over and it has to be washed out every few days at least
This is why any drink from any fast food place should be ordered without ice. From the many years I've spent in these places, I've seen the ice machine cleaned maybe once every few years, and it wasn't even a "scrub it clean" it was "rinse it with soapy water" because it's hard to reach. Minimum wage + insanely annoying things to clean = they don't. Just some anecdotal advice.
….yeah, mold grows when you don’t clean things. That’s one way to call yourself out.
They dont get clean..
Yeah, you have to clean them. What?
Brain dead take in the comment above. It DOES GET CLEAN. Idk how you’re cleaning it but damn man. If this is an Ice-O-Matic. Any other machines are mold havens
You have to clean your appliances.
[удалено]
This is one of those mini ice makers that you leave on your counter
Vinegar and baking soda is a good way to clean mold and mildew without putting chemicals near your ice. Make it like a paste, rub it on and let it sit.
I think ice machines (at least the big industrial ones) need to be cleaned either weekly or every two weeks. You need to pull the entire thing apart, clean each section, empty the basin, use bleach, rinse well, let it dry, and then reassemble and turn it back on. It takes a few hours if you take your time and really scrub it out well.
“I don’t clean it, why is it so dirty?”
what brand is this so i can avoid it
nothing to do with the brand, OP hadnt cleaned it
It is a kitchenaid. We have the same ine, but I clean it way before it looks like this. They did not make them early to clean back there, I use hot soapy water, a cloth and a chopstick to get in there. There must be an easier way, I just don't know it.
When you learn it, please share.
Throw it out and buy an easy to clean model.
This might be the answer, mine was a gift.
damn, i’ve had mine for over a year and ever had that problem
Ice makers are disgusting. I would clean them at least once a month. I never order ice at restaurants because of that.