Before you start
- Unplug the machine and keep the plug and electrical controls dry.
- Find the exact model manual and follow its approved cleaner, concentration, and cycle instructions.
- Discard existing ice and drain standing water using the designed drain point.
- Do not submerge the appliance, spray electrical areas, or remove panels the manual does not mark as user-serviceable.
A safe general cleaning sequence
- Unplug, empty, and drain the unit according to the manual.
- Remove only the basket, scoop, reservoir parts, or other pieces the manual identifies as removable.
- Wash removable food-contact parts with the approved method; avoid abrasives that can scratch surfaces.
- Wipe accessible interior surfaces with the manual-approved solution and contact time.
- Run the specified cleaning or descaling cycle if the model provides one.
- Rinse as many times as the manual requires until no cleaner remains.
- Dry accessible surfaces and leave the reservoir or lid open only if the manual permits it.
- Discard the first post-cleaning batches when instructed by the manufacturer.
How often should you clean it?
Use the manufacturer interval as the baseline, then shorten it when the machine runs heavily, sits warm, develops visible scale, or produces an odor or taste change. Emptying stale water and allowing approved surfaces to dry can matter as much as the deep-clean interval.
Common cleaning mistakes
- Assuming a self-clean button replaces wiping, rinsing, drainage, and drying.
- Mixing cleaning chemicals or guessing a concentration.
- Using a social-media recipe that conflicts with the manual.
- Reaching brushes or tools into mechanisms not marked for user cleaning.
- Leaving concentrated cleaner or loosened scale in the water path.
Editorial transparency
This page is governed by our editorial policy, review methodology, and corrections process.