That Awful Slime Moment

So last Tuesday morning, I went to grab ice for my morning smoothie from my trusty Hoshizaki undercounter machine. Pulled the lever and... what the heck? This weird, kinda cloudy ice cube plopped out. Definitely not the crystal-clear cubes I'm used to. Took a peek inside the bin, and honestly? Gross. Slimy film on the plastic parts. Water sitting there looking murky. Knew right then I'd skipped cleaning way too long. Time to fix that.

Rolling Up My Sleeves

First thing, pulled the plug. Safety first, right? Then, dug out the official Hoshizaki cleaner solution I bought ages ago – thank god I kept it. Emptied the ice bin completely. Looked kinda gross at the bottom, like old snow mixed with dust bunnies. Hosed it out in the sink real good, scrubbed with mild soap, left it drying.

Next, tackled the evaporator plate inside the machine itself. Turned off the water supply line. Couldn't see too well back there, but felt around – found little chunks of scale or gunk buildup near the bottom. Took a soft brush and gently loosened what I could before pouring the cleaning solution into the reservoir.

Flipped the machine's "clean" switch, like the manual says. Listened to it chug away for about 15-20 minutes as it circulated that solution. The water looked dirtier swirling around! When the cycle finished, I drained all that nasty soup out the drain tube. You wouldn't believe the brownish tint. Flushed it twice, three times with fresh water afterwards, just rinsing thoroughly. Plugged it back in, felt the familiar hum.

Why Bother? Because...

Doing this got me thinking – why is cleaning this beast so important? Based on this mess-up and fixing it, here’s what I figure:

• Ice you'd actually want to drink. Seriously, seeing that gunk convinced me. Clean machine means clear ice that tastes neutral – no weird smells, no floaty bits. I dumped my old smoothie and made a new one with the fresh batch – huge difference!
• Stops the machine from crapping out. That scale I brushed off? If it builds up too much, this guy is gonna work harder, freeze slower, and eventually break. Repairs cost way more than a bottle of cleaner!
• You just feel better. Knowing my ice is made in a clean environment? Yeah, peace of mind. And honestly, seeing the water drain clear again made the whole annoying process worth it.

Lesson Learned

Took maybe 40 minutes start to finish. Mostly waiting on the cleaning cycle. Biggest tip? Stick to a schedule. I wrote "CLEAN ICE MAKER!" on my calendar for next month. Ignoring it leads to nasty surprises and worse ice. Trust me, skip the cloudiness and the slime. Your drinks (and your machine) will thank you.