Alright so today I finally got around to cleaning my nasty ice machine. Been putting it off forever, you know how it is. Figured I'd actually follow the instructions this time since ignoring that weird smell coming from my drinks seemed… unwise.

First thing I did was stare at the machine. Looked fine? Hell no. Started ticking off the signs they say mean cleaning time: The ice smelled kinda funky, like old fish tank water. Not refreshing at all. Sign number one, check. Then I noticed it was making ice slower than usual, just dribbling out cubes like it was tired. Sign number two, big check. Finally, peeked inside – saw some scummy gunk clinging to the sides near the water inlet. Yeah, gross. Sign number three screaming at me. Time was way past due.

Grabbed the Nickel Safe cleaner stuff specifically. Gotta use that for these machines apparently; regular cleaners mess up the metal inside. Made sense. Read the bottle directions: pour solution in, run machine, wait, rinse like crazy. Seemed easy enough.

Switched the machine off first. Dumb, but I almost forgot that part. Safety first, right? Emptied all the existing ice out – straight into the sink. Some of it looked suspiciously cloudy. Mixed up the cleaner solution with warm water in a jug like the bottle said. Poured it right into the water reservoir where the machine sucks up water to make ice.

Turned the beast back on. Watched it slurp up that cleaning mix instead of water. This is the part where it does its magic inside, dissolving all that built-up scale and slime. Left it running for the full time the bottle said – about 15 minutes. Smell started changing… less funky pond, more chemical factory. Progress, I guess.

Turned it off again. Now came the messy part: rinsing it out forever. Emptied the cleaner solution. Filled the reservoir with plain water. Ran it. Watched brownish water pump through. Emptied that mess. Did it again. Water still looked dirty. Did it again. Seriously lost track of how many times I rinsed. Used maybe a whole jug of fresh water just flushing that cleaner residue out. Bottle ain't kidding when it says rinse thoroughly.

Finally, the water ran clear. Filled the reservoir back up with fresh water. Started a new ice cycle. Stood there staring like an idiot waiting for the first clean cubes to drop. They looked crystal clear. Fished one out. Smelled it – just cold water smell. Big improvement over the old ones. Mission officially accomplished. Took less than an hour total, most of it rinsing. Should have done this months ago. Gotta set a reminder on my phone for next time!

• Spot the Signs: Funky Smell, Slow Production, Visible Gunk
• Use Nickel Safe Cleaner ONLY
• Rinse, Rinse, Rinse!