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The Best Ice Machine Cleaners for Optimal Hygiene and Food Safety
Written By Review Team at the Kitchen Institute
Pesky germs lurking in poorly maintained ice machines can end up costing you more than customers. The consequences of poor hygiene can include health risks, subpar ice quality, potential legal issues, and expensive mechanical repairs.
Given how every food business pretty much needs an ice machine, maintenance should be a high priority. Keeping these machines running smoothly and hygienic can help avoid negative consequences while also keeping customers happy with the quality of the food and drinks. If you’re a food vendor or you own an ice machine, you should focus on doing some routine maintenance. Regular cleaning can allow your machine to perform better and produce tasty ice consistently. And, with all this in mind, an ice machine cleaner can become an indispensable part of your maintenance kit.
Thankfully, there are a lot of options out there. Finding the right one for your situation and setup can be a little tricky though. But don’t worry, we’ve curated a list of some of the leading ice machine cleaners for 2025. So, let’s dive right in!
Comparing the Leading Ice Machine Cleaner of 2025 in Detail
Affresh Ice Machine Cleaner
Best Overall
This option from Affresh seems to understand that lime deposits can ruin an ice machine over time. They can cause problems like clogged dispenser holes and slow water flow, which can ultimately lead to a machine shutting down. And this can result in costly repairs or even needing a replacement. If you sell food and use ice machines in your kitchens, you should invest in cleaning agents like this product. This can help make sure your machine can keep producing quality ice without a lot of hassle.
The nickel-safe formula caters to a broad range of ice machines, too. And the manufacturer recommends using it every nine months. But the frequency also depends on your ice machine and kitchen requirements. The formula is carefully designed to remove calcium and hard water build-up, and it can dissolve extreme scaling and help prevent new scale formations without a ton of scrubbing. The easy cleaning method is what really sets this product apart.
Essential Values Three-Pack Ice Machine Cleaner
Best Quality
The Essential Values Three-Pack Ice Machine Cleaner is a trustworthy solution for maintaining the safety of pristine ice. This powerful cleaner eliminates mineral buildup, limescale, and bacteria. That way, it ensures that your ice stays fresh, clear, and free from unpleasant tastes or smells. This three-pack can provide you with long-lasting value and convenience, making it easy to keep your ice machine in peak condition.
What sets this cleaner apart from the crowd is its versatility. It is not only suitable for a wide range of ice machines, including ice makers, ice bins, and ice dispensers, making it a practical choice for both residential and commercial use alike. Regular use of this cleaner will not only help you maintain the quality of your ice but it will also prolong the lifespan of your ice machine. You can enjoy crystal-clear, odor-free ice in every drink with this ice machine cleaner.
Nu Calgon Ice Machine Cleaner
Runner Up
The Nu Calgon Ice Machine Cleaner is a comprehensive treatment plan that can help you maintain your ice machine’s performance. This product can help prevent and clean scale, frost, and icicles — and it can even work as a cleaning and polishing agent. It uses food-grade acid for effectively dissolving lime deposits, which is something that experts often recommend.
You can use this pick on plastic, steel, and glass surfaces to help remove stains and deposits. Just make sure that you are using this cleaner to extract scale from the water side of the evaporator, which can make things easier. The general application of this option is pretty simple too, but you need to focus on the ratio of cleaner and water. The fluid ratio to water is 3 fluid ounces to 1 gallon, and this cleaner works optimally when the combination is perfect.
Impresa Ice Machine Cleaner
Honorable Mention
If you have a lot of problems with hard water and excess waste in your ice machine, you should check out this option from Impresa. It can become your go-to cleaning agent for descaling and eliminating limescale. And as the hard water deposits are reduced, the chances of corrosion should also become significantly lower.
Another reason behind the popularity of this ice machine cleaner is its compatibility with several models. It can almost instantly wipe off stains and deposits from commercial and home ice machines. And each bottle can provide enough cleaner for descaling a machine eight times. The unique formula is also safe and effective for most popular brands like Scotsman and Sub-Zero. This machine cleaner can also help enhance the taste of ice by removing any obstacles inside an ice maker.
GE Ice Machine Cleaner
Also Consider
If you own an Opal Ice Maker, you should invest in this special cleaner by GE to help maintain its effectiveness. Regular cleaning can help ensure your machine maintains its performance and produces quality ice without lingering traces of waste.
This handy kit includes two 2.5-ounce bottles of cleaning solution, and it can effectively remove deposits from a machine’s water lines, augers, and other parts. Other accessories include a sponge, some Q-tips, and a cleaning cloth. The manufacturer has also customized the formula to help make sure it works effectively on Nugget Ice Makers, too. Plus, it doesn’t include harsh chemicals or odors, which can be a common problem with a lot of ice machine cleaners.
Finding Your Next Ice Machine Cleaner: A Buyer’s Guide
As convenient as ice machines are, they do require a lot of maintenance to help keep them running and long-lasting. An ice machine cleaner is pretty much a must-have when you have an ice machine in your kitchen or business. It can help keep your machine functioning and allow it to produce safe, consumable, and good-tasting ice.
It’s important to understand some aspects of these machines (and their cleaners), too. This can help you choose a premium-quality ice machine cleaner as well as some effective ways of cleaning your machine.
Factors To Consider When Buying Ice Machine Cleaners
Some factors you should think about when purchasing ice machine cleaners include:
User-friendliness
A cleaner should be gentle and user-friendly. Some ice machine cleaners may contain harsh chemicals that can harm whoever’s cleaning the machine. They can even cause problems like a burning sensation in the eyes or skin. You should make sure that the ice machine cleaner you choose doesn’t cause allergic reactions and offers a pleasant scent. Also, it should be effective enough to remove stains and mineral deposits.
Killing bacteria
Germs and bacteria are a major problem for dirty ice machines. They can impact the taste of your ice and even cause health issues. It is very important to find an ice machine cleaner with a powerful formula. It can fight germs and give you a squeaky clean ice machine that produces safe, healthy, and pleasant-tasting ice.
Water type
The kind of water in your location can greatly impact how often you need to clean your ice machine. Some areas have harder water supplies, which can lead to problems like limescale and mineral deposits. These substances can also interfere with how well your machine produces ice. Once you have determined the type of water you’re supplying to your ice machine, you should choose a cleaner that can effectively remove the impurities.
How To Clean Ice Machines
Ice machine maintenance requirements can differ from one machine to another. Some products come with detailed guidelines, while others follow a more general procedure. When choosing an ice machine cleaner, you should check out the instructions provided by the manufacturer of your particular machine.
If the ice machine cleaner you chose doesn’t include any specific instructions, you should follow some general directions, which are as follows:
- Remove any ice from the bin or dispenser. You can then press the power switch at the end of the harvest cycle after ice falls from the evaporators — or you can allow the ice to melt at normal room temperature.
- Press the “wash” or “clean” button. The water will flow through the dump wall and move down the drain. Wait until the water trough refills and indicates you should add the chemicals.
- Add the cleaner and make sure you have added the recommended amount.
- Wait until the cleaning cycle finishes. Once it ends, disconnect the power from the machine and the dispenser.
- Remove the internal components from your machine. If you are unsure about the removal, check the instruction manual for your ice machine. Once all the parts are clean, you should move to the next step.
- Dilute the cleaning solution according to the instructions on the bottle or manual. A general water to cleaner ratio is 1:16. The ratio can also vary according to the level of mineral build-up in your ice machine.
- Use half of the water and cleaner to clean every part of your ice machine. You can use a soft, nylon brush to clean every part and then rinse them with clear water. Most solutions will also produce foam when they contact limescale or minerals.
- Make sure you have rinsed all the areas of your machine with clean water. This will help remove the chemicals and help reduce the chances of contamination.
Failing to maintain a clean ice machine can end up costing you a lot. To help prevent this, get yourself a top-quality ice machine cleaner for producing safer, better-tasting ice more reliably.
People Also Asked
What’s considered the ideal ice machine cleaner?
Ice machine cleaners with phosphoric or citric acid in their formula can help remove minerals and other gunk stuck inside a machine. Some products have found success by using vinegar-based ingredients, which appeal to a lot of users. This is because vinegar is a food product, and users feel safer using these kinds of cleaners in their machines.
What can I use instead of an ice machine cleaner?
If you don’t have access to an ice machine cleaner, you can use vinegar and water. Use a 10:1 ratio of water to white vinegar.
How often should I use my ice machine cleaner?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has categorized ice as a food product, which means you should take all the necessary measures to ensure that your machine produces hazard-free ice. According to food laws, ice machine cleaners should be cleaned and sanitized regularly. Ideally, an ice machine cleaner should be used four times a year, or at least twice every year.
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