--- title: "Ice Machine Cleaning and Sanitizing" description: "Scale off the evaporator and distribution tube, slime out of the bin, curtain and drain, with the maker's cleaner and sanitizer on its schedule." url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-cleaning-and-sanitizing/" --- # Ice Machine Cleaning and Sanitizing Scale off the evaporator and distribution tube, slime out of the bin, curtain and drain, with the maker's cleaner and sanitizer on its schedule. ## What the ice machine cleaning and sanitizing involves. Every ice machine needs cleaning on a schedule its maker sets, commonly every six months and more often where the water is hard or the air carries yeast, flour or grease from a bar or a kitchen line. Two separate jobs hide under that word. Cleaning, with the maker's approved ice machine cleaner, dissolves the lime scale that builds on the evaporator plate, in the holes of the water distribution tube, in the sump and on the thickness probe, which is what turns cubes thin, hollow or slow to release. Sanitizing, with a different solution mixed exactly as the manual says, kills the slime and mold that grow in the dark, wet places: the bin walls and door, the water curtain, the splash shields, the pump, the tubing and the drain. The technician shuts the machine down, removes the ice, takes out the parts made to come out, cleans and then sanitizes them by hand, runs the machine's own cleaning sequence where it has one, and rinses until no solution remains. The first batch of ice afterwards is thrown away, the condenser is brushed or its filter washed, and a new water filter goes in if one is due. How the visit goes ### What it usually costs Lowest · Full cleaning and sanitizing, condenser filter wash and a fresh water filter A scheduled cleaning of a head on a bin or an undercounter unit, with the curtain, tube and probe cleaned by hand, is the smallest job here. Heavy scale that needs a second pass, a large bin, or slime deep in the drain lines adds time to it. ### Answers 5 problems Slime or Mold Growing in the Ice Machine Bin Ice From the Ice Machine Tastes Stale, Chemical or Musty · Ice Machine Cubes Coming Out Thin, Small or Hollow · Cloudy, Soft or Wet Ice From an Ice Machine · Ice Machine Making Too Little Ice for the Rush ### Comes up most on Modular ice machine Undercounter ice machine · Nugget ice machine · Ice and water dispenser ## Ice machine cleaning and sanitizing, step by step. Make a first batch of ice and discard it, watch the next harvest, and leave a note of the date and when the next cleaning falls. 01 Shut the ice machine down, empty the bin, and look at the scale and slime on the plate, the tube, the curtain and the bin walls. 02 Take out the curtain, the distribution tube, the probe and the splash shields, and clean them with the maker's cleaner, never mixed with anything else. 03 Run the machine's cleaning sequence or clean the evaporator by hand, then sanitize the parts, the bin and the drain with a separate solution. 04 Rinse until no solution remains, refit the parts, brush the condenser, and fit a new water filter if its date has passed. 05 Make a first batch of ice and discard it, watch the next harvest, and leave a note of the date and when the next cleaning falls. ## The problems it answers. 5 of them, from slime or mold growing in the ice machine bin to ice machine making too little ice for the rush. [All problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Most common ### Slime or Mold Growing in the Ice Machine Bin 6 causes, cheapest first Before you call ### Tell us this when you book 1. When the ice machine was last cleaned and sanitized, and by whom 2. What you see: a crust on the plate, pink or black slime in the bin or on the curtain, a musty taste, or ice that clings together 3. Whether the water supply has a filter or a softener, and when the cartridge was last changed 4. The make and model, so the cleaner and sanitizer suited to that evaporator come with the technician It also answers - [**Ice From the Ice Machine Tastes Stale, Chemical or Musty** 6 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-ice-bad-taste-or-smell/) - [**Ice Machine Cubes Coming Out Thin, Small or Hollow** 6 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-ice-small-or-hollow/) - [**Cloudy, Soft or Wet Ice From an Ice Machine** 6 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-ice-cloudy-or-soft/) - [**Ice Machine Making Too Little Ice for the Rush** 6 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-making-little-ice/) ## Lowest, on the site's scale. A scheduled cleaning of a head on a bin or an undercounter unit, with the curtain, tube and probe cleaned by hand, is the smallest job here. Heavy scale that needs a second pass, a large bin, or slime deep in the drain lines adds time to it. [Read the full cost guide](https://icemachinerepair.center/cost/) | Repair | Relative cost | | --- | --- | | **Full cleaning and sanitizing, condenser filter wash and a fresh water filter** | lowest | | [Inlet valve, sump float or level probe, supply line and filter head](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-water-valve-and-filter-repair/) | | | [Thickness probe, curtain switch, harvest assist and hot gas valve](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-harvest-repair/) | | | [Compressor start parts, leak repair, evaporator or compressor replacement](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-compressor-and-sealed-system-repair/) | | | [Condenser cleaning, fan motor, water regulating valve or remote condenser work](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-condenser-and-fan-repair/) | | | [Control board, display, transformer, thermistors and harness](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-control-board-repair/) | | | [Drain line clearing, air gap, drain pump, float and check valve](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/) | | | [Bin thermostat, paddle, curtain switch or ice-level sensor](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-bin-control-repair/) | | | [Agitator motor, dispense wheel, chute gate, solenoid, lever switch or sensor](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-dispenser-mechanism-repair/) | | ## Where it comes up most. Most bookings: Modular ice machine, Undercounter ice machine, Nugget ice machine, Ice and water dispenser. [All ice machine types](https://icemachinerepair.center/types/) Often the same visit - [**Ice machine water valve and filter repair** 2 problems in common · low to moderate](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-water-valve-and-filter-repair/) - [**Ice machine harvest repair** 2 problems in common · low to moderate](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-harvest-repair/) - [**Ice machine condenser and fan repair** 2 problems in common · low to moderate](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-condenser-and-fan-repair/) ### Modular ice machine ### Undercounter ice machine ### Nugget ice machine ## The makes we see it on. 20 makes on this site, and the ice machine cleaning and sanitizing on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 20 brands](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/) ## Ice machine cleaning and sanitizing, where we come out. The kitchen, the climate and the building all change how the ice machine cleaning and sanitizing goes. These notes are about that, metro by metro. [All service areas](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas Warm Gulf air feeds slime inside an ice machine's bin and water trough, so Tampa Bay bars and restaurants often clean and sanitize more often than the minimum, with the maker's own cleaner and sanitizer and the steps its manual gives. - [Hyde Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas Orlando's resorts and convention hotels hand out ice to guests all day, and food service inspections look at ice machines too, so a cleaning visit takes apart what the maker allows, sanitizes the bin and the ice path, and logs the date. - [Winter Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - [Bay Hill](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/bay-hill/) - [Lake Nona](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/lake-nona/) - [Heathrow](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/heathrow/) - [Celebration](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/celebration/) [Miami / South Florida](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/) FL · 47 areas Beach hotels and rooftop bars in South Florida run their ice machines in heat that rarely lets up, and the mold and pink film that grow in the dark of a bin are cleared with a full clean and sanitize using only the products and strengths the maker names. - [Brickell](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/brickell/) - [Coconut Grove](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/coconut-grove/) - [Coral Gables](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/coral-gables/) - [Pinecrest](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/pinecrest/) - [Key Biscayne](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/key-biscayne/) - [Aventura](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/aventura/) - [Sunny Isles Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/sunny-isles-beach/) - [Bal Harbour](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/bal-harbour/) - [Miami Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/miami-beach/) - [Golden Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/golden-beach/) - [Weston](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/weston/) - [Boca Raton](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/boca-raton/) - [Palm Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/palm-beach/) [New York Metro](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/) NY · 75 areas Slime grows in a busy New York bar's bin and water trough whatever the water, so a cleaning visit concentrates on sanitizing the curtain, the distribution tube and the bin walls on the maker's schedule, well ahead of the next inspection. - [Upper East Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-east-side/) - [Upper West Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-west-side/) - [Tribeca](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/tribeca/) - [SoHo](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/soho/) - [Greenwich Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/greenwich-village/) - [Battery Park City](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/battery-park-city/) - [Brooklyn Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/brooklyn-heights/) - [Park Slope](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/park-slope/) - [DUMBO](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/dumbo/) - [Forest Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/forest-hills/) - [Great Neck](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/great-neck/) - [Southampton](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/southampton/) - [Scarsdale](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/scarsdale/) [Houston](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/) TX · 36 areas Houston's long, humid summers speed the growth of slime and mold on an ice machine's evaporator and inside its bin, so offices, clinics and restaurants here often book cleaning and sanitizing on a shorter interval than a machine in a drier city would need. - [River Oaks](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/river-oaks/) - [Memorial](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/memorial/) - [Tanglewood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/tanglewood/) - [Greater Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/greater-heights/) - [Kingwood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/kingwood/) - [Bellaire](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/bellaire/) - [Bunker Hill Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/bunker-hill-village/) - [Piney Point Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/piney-point-village/) - [Hunters Creek Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/hunters-creek-village/) - [Sugar Land](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/sugar-land/) - [Cinco Ranch](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/cinco-ranch/) - [The Woodlands](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/the-woodlands/) - [West University](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/west-university/) [Chicago](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/) IL · 50 areas Chicagoland taverns and banquet halls see their ice machines work hardest from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so many book a full cleaning and sanitizing in spring, before the patios open, and another in the fall as the season winds down. - [Lincoln Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lincoln-park/) - [Near North Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/near-north-side/) - [West Loop / Near West Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/west-loop-near-west-side/) - [Wilmette](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/wilmette/) - [Winnetka](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/winnetka/) - [Glencoe](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas In Los Angeles, dust carried on dry winds settles in an air-cooled ice machine and wildfire smoke can reach the bin through an open door, so a cleaning visit after fire season sanitizes the ice path and clears the condenser filter as well. - [Beverly Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - [Holmby Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/holmby-hills/) - [Brentwood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/brentwood/) - [Pacific Palisades](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pacific-palisades/) - [Santa Monica](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/santa-monica/) - [Hancock Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/hancock-park/) - [Studio City](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/studio-city/) - [Calabasas](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/calabasas/) - [Manhattan Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/manhattan-beach/) - [Palos Verdes Estates](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/palos-verdes-estates/) - [Pasadena](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pasadena/) - [San Marino](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/san-marino/) - [Malibu](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/malibu/) [San Diego](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/) CA · 31 areas Coastal marine air keeps a San Diego ice machine's bin damp even on mild days, so harbor restaurants and beach bars book cleaning and sanitizing on the maker's schedule, and the visit includes the air filter that salty air coats over the months. - [La Jolla](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/la-jolla/) - [Carmel Valley](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/carmel-valley/) - [Point Loma](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/point-loma/) - [Del Mar](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/del-mar/) - [Rancho Santa Fe](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/rancho-santa-fe/) - [Coronado](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/coronado/) - [Encinitas](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/encinitas/) - [Solana Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/solana-beach/) [San Francisco Bay Area](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/) CA · 74 areas Bay Area offices with nugget ice machines in shared kitchens have dozens of hands near the dispenser every hour, so a cleaning visit sanitizes the chute and the auger path along with the bin and replaces the water filter if its date has passed. - [Pacific Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/pacific-heights/) - [Presidio Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/presidio-heights/) - [Russian Hill](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/russian-hill/) - [Noe Valley](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/noe-valley/) - [Sea Cliff](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the ice machine cleaning and sanitizing. ### Can I clean my ice machine with vinegar or bleach? Please use only what the maker's manual names. Many evaporators are nickel-plated, and the wrong acid strips the plating; bleach combined with an acid cleaner gives off a harmful gas. The manual lists the cleaner, the sanitizer, the amounts and the order, and nothing else belongs in the machine. ### Why is there pink or black slime in my ice bin? Airborne yeast and bacteria settle in the wet, dark parts of the machine and feed on what drifts in from the room. Pink film spreads quickly and black spots are mold; both mean a cleaning and sanitizing is due, and a machine near a fruit station or a bakery may need it more often than the manual's minimum. ### How long is an ice machine out of service for a cleaning? Plan on a couple of hours for a head on a bin or an undercounter unit, longer when the scale is thick or the bin is large. No ice is available during that time or from the first batch afterwards, so keeping some bagged ice on hand helps. --- **[Read on the site: Ice Machine Cleaning and Sanitizing](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-cleaning-and-sanitizing/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**