So my ice machine started spitting out cloudy ice cubes last week, and I'm like, "Crap, time for a deep clean." But then I realized I had no clue what cleaner to use without poisoning my guests.

The Investigation Phase

First thing, I dumped all the existing ice and yanked the plug. Grabbed my phone and googled for like an hour. Everyone's screaming "Don't use bleach!" and "Vinegar doesn't cut it!" So I dug deeper into those "safe for ice" claims.

Wrote down 7 products that kept popping up:

• Brand A tablets (some fancy NSF-certified thing)
• Brand B liquid (food service folks swear by it)
• Brand C foam (looked easier to rinse)
• Brand D powder (cheapo option)
• Brand E natural stuff (citrus-based, sounded nice)
• Brand F commercial-grade (overkill for home?)
• Brand G rinse-free (too good to be true?)

The Dirty Work

Scooted to the store and found only Brand A tablets and Brand B liquid available. Grabbed both because, heck, I'm thorough. Started with the tablets - dropped two in the reservoir with warm water. While it soaked, I scrubbed the bucket with Brand B liquid and a toothbrush (don't judge, works great for crevices).

Stinky chemical smell hit my nose immediately. Held my breath and kept scrubbing greenish gunk off the walls. Rinsed like crazy until the water ran clear, then repeated the rinse three more times because I'm paranoid.

Reality Check

Tried Brand E citrus cleaner next week for maintenance. Big mistake. Felt greasy and left film - reeked of fake oranges too. Back to scrubbing with Brand B. Lesson? Natural ain't always better.

Brand A tablets dissolved weirdly slow. Had to poke 'em with a chopstick to speed things up. But man, the mineral stains vanished like magic. Now I just pop one in monthly while drinking coffee. Ice comes out clear as my conscience after confession.

Final verdict? Brand B for regular grime, Brand A for stubborn crap. Others? Maybe for different machines, but mine's happy now.