If you are like most people, you’ve probably never even
thought to clean your ice maker or its dispenser. Not cleaning these parts can
lead to a serious case of mold and bacteria accumulation. To prevent this from
happening to your refrigerator, clean your ice maker and dispenser regularly and
you won’t have to worry!
To
begin, you should turn off your ice maker and remove the ice bin. Dump out all
the ice from the bin into a sink. Then, clean the bin with a sponge in warm
water and mild soap, making sure to thoroughly dry it before placing it back
inside.
Next, soak
a soft cloth in your mild soap and water and wipe down the ice chute. Be sure
to thoroughly dry it off after cleaning it to prevent frost from forming down
the chute. The grass cradle and pad can be cleaned with the same mild soap and
water or a solution of vinegar mixed with water, and then dried with a soft
cloth.
You may
find that your refrigerator spill shelf, found on the outside of your unit
below the dispenser, may be spotted from repeated spills that were never dried
properly. Removing these spots can easily be done by soaking it in undiluted
vinegar. Take the shelf off of the unit and soak in the undiluted vinegar for
approximately 30 minutes, the deposit spots will become loosened by the vinegar
will wipe right off. After you have removed the spots, you can then go ahead
and wash the shelf with your mild soap and water.
For
best results, keep up with the cleaning of your ice maker and dispenser and
make it a part of your routine household cleaning.