Manufacturers say twice a year. Health inspectors say clean when dirty. Here is the schedule that keeps both of them happy and keeps the machine making ice.
Scale and slime are the two things that kill ice machines early. Scale comes from your water. Slime comes from your kitchen air, yeast and flour especially. Both build up in places you cannot see without opening the machine.
A schedule that works
Every two weeks: wipe the bin, the door, and the scoop holder. Every month: check the water filter and look at the evaporator plate for cloudy buildup. Every six months: a full descale and sanitize cycle with the covers off. If you are near a bakery line or a pizza oven, make that every four months.
A machine that is making smaller cubes, taking longer to harvest, or making ice that tastes off is overdue. Those are the calls we get right before a machine stops entirely.
