Alright folks, let me tell you about my morning wrestling match with my shop's ice machine. Seriously, you wouldn't believe the gunk I found in there. I figured it needed a clean, so here’s exactly what I did, step by step. Took me about an hour and a half, mostly soaking time.

The Gross Discovery

Popped open the front panel and peeked inside the bin where the ice falls. Saw some weird cloudy stuff coating the sides and some suspicious dark spots in the corners. Not good. Realized I probably hadn’t given this thing a proper deep clean in way too long. Felt pretty guilty looking at it.

Getting Started & Shutting It Down

First thing, I flipped that power switch off. No point messing around with electricity and water, right? Then I found the little wire at the back that tells the machine to stop making ice – yanked that out so it stayed off. Dumped every single ice cube out of the bin into the sink. Some were stuck together in weird clumps.

Gathering My Weapons:

• Regular white vinegar (had a big jug in the pantry)
• A big plastic bucket
• The flimsy plastic scraper thing that came with the machine
• A couple of old towels I didn't mind staining
• Some soft cloths (those cheap microfiber ones)
• A jug of warm water
• Lots of patience

The Scary Inside Parts

Time to get dirty. Took out the big plastic ice bin completely. Heavy and awkward! Turned it upside down in the big sink. The inside felt slippery in a bad way. Then I found all these panels you can actually remove:

• The cover where the water sprays in.
• The metal grates the ice freezes on.
• Some plastic splash guards. Seriously, it was like dismantling a cheap toy.

Every single piece had some kind of slimy film or chalky white build-up. The metal freezing parts looked almost furry! Ick.

Attack of the Vinegar!

Poured about four cups of white vinegar straight into the plastic bucket. Filled the rest with warm water, sloshing it around to mix. Dunked every removable plastic piece into this vinegary bath. Made sure they were completely soaked. The smell? Yeah, it hit me hard. Left them swimming in there while I dealt with the rest.

For the metal freezing parts and that spray area you can't dunk, I used the same vinegar-water mix. Poured it right into the spots where the water normally flows, letting it sit inside the machine itself. Let everything soak and marinate in the vinegar for a solid hour. Ate lunch.

The Scrubbing Struggle

After an hour, nothing was magically clean. Had to get in there. Yanked the plastic parts out of the bucket. That slimy stuff? It came off way easier now. Used the plastic scraper and my fingers mostly – scrubbed hard, especially around the little holes and grooves. The build-up on the metal freezing grates was tough! The vinegar helped loosen it, but I still had to scrub quite a bit with a cloth and a lot of elbow grease. Got off all that fuzzy white stuff. All the removable bits went back into the sink under running warm water to wash off the vinegar stink.

Rinse and Wipe Everything Down

Rinsed out the inside of the machine itself really well with warm water – got all the leftover vinegar taste out. Used a clean cloth to wipe down every surface I could reach inside the big metal box. Poured a bunch of fresh water through the system where I’d put the vinegar solution, letting it just run out the drain.

Got all the cleaned plastic pieces out of the sink, dried them off with a towel, and snapped them back into place inside the machine. Put the big ice bin back in.

Fire It Back Up

Plugged the little ice level wire back in. Flipped the power switch back to ON. Heard that familiar hum and the water trickling in. Watched it like a hawk for a while as it made its first batch of new ice. Took a few cubes, let them melt a bit, then tasted the water. Absolutely clear taste now, no hint of plastic or vinegar. Success!

It felt like a small victory, honestly. Such a simple thing, just cleaning a machine, but seeing that first batch of clear, fresh-tasting ice cubes come out? Totally worth the smelly hands and elbow grease. Definitely adding this to the monthly chore list.