How To Clean A Nugget Ice Maker

Nugget ice maker is a great convenience, but it’s very important to maintain your countertop ice maker with great care (in order to keep away mould or bad smells).

Although most nugget ice makers come with a very nifty cleaning cycle feature, it’s wise to go the extra mile from time to time and really clean your machine thoroughly.

If you want to know how to do just that, you have come to the right place!

Because today, I’ll show you exactly how to clean a nugget ice maker, step-by-step.

What Do You Need To Clean Your Nugget Ice Maker?

There are a couple of things you need to clean your nugget ice maker. You’ll want to have a soft sponge or cloth to clean the walls of the ice machine. You’ll also need an ice machine cleaning solution. Usually, the cleaning solution is provided with your nugget ice maker, but you can also buy it from amazon if needed:

• Ice machine cleaning solution and descaler - Check now on Amazon
• Soft sponges - Check now on Amazon

When you have everything you need, you can go ahead and get to work!

Cleaning Your Nugget Ice Maker Step-By-Step Guide

The steps you should take to clean your nugget ice maker will differ from model to model. Keeping that in mind, I’ll try to give a general description of the steps you should take, that will apply to most models.

Here is how you thoroughly clean your nugget ice maker in 18 steps:

1. The first thing you want to do is to salvage all the ice that’s left in the machine. You can put it in a ziplock, (dedicated) glass container, or stainless steel can and put it in the freezer.
2. Then you want to unplug the machine and take it over to the sink.
3. At the sink, you’ll want to remove the drain tubes and let all the water run out. Once all the water is out, you can connect them back to the main lines.
4. Next, you need to turn the switch and put the machine in cleaning mode (if your machine has a switch).
5. Plug the nugget ice maker back into the outlet. Depending on the nugget ice maker you have, you should start to see a (light) indicator that shows the cleaning mode is ready to be used.
6. Take out the filter and wash it out.
7. Now you can fill the nugget ice maker with water until the indicated line.
8. After this, you’ll want to take the cleaning solution and pour the appropriate amount into the water. You can stir the water a bit with a soft sponge or cloth.
9. You can start wiping down the walls of the nugget ice maker with your sponge.
10. Let it sit for a few minutes until the cleaning cycle has finished.
11. When the cycle has finished, you’ll want to take your sponge, douse it in the solution, and put it on top of your ice sheet. Let it sit overnight for maximum effect (18-24)hours.
12. The first thing you want to do is to salvage all the ice that’s left in the machine. You can put it in a ziplock, (dedicated) glass container, or stainless steel can and put it in the freezer.
13. When you come back, you can take the sponge that was on top of the ice sheet and clean the walls with it (again).
14. Next, you’ll need to let all the water run out of the drain tubes again, and reconnect it right after.
15. After the third cycle, you can go ahead and drain the nugget ice maker with the drain tubes, one last time (and then reconnect).
16. Put your nugget ice maker back in its original place and turn the ice machine back to ice mode.
17. Fill the ice machine with fresh water.
18. Enjoy your clean nugget ice maker with fresh new ice!

Conclusion

Now you know exactly how to clean a nugget ice maker!

Although it does take some time, you’ll be able to enjoy fresh new batches of super soft nugget ice on which to chew (which is not bad for your teeth in contrast to normal ice cubes). And it will come from a super clean nugget ice maker, which is delicious.

If you’re just doing preparatory work and haven’t even bought a nugget ice maker yet, I highly recommend you to check out my article on how to choose a nugget ice maker and the complete list of the best nugget ice makers on my homepage. Here you’ll find everything you’ll need to make the best choice!

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Do you have a GE Profile Opal 2.0?

Scott Urbach has made a great video on how to clean your GE Profile Opal 2.0 nugget ice maker. Be sure to check it out.