What is your ice machine cleaning policy? Once a week? Every two weeks? Once a month? Once a year?
Don’t have a cleaning policy?
Every ice machine manufacturer provides a recommended cleaning and maintenance schedule for each of their models of ice machine. This cleaning schedule is designed to keep the machine clean under optimal operating conditions. For most ice machine operators, however, this recommended schedule isn’t enough.
For instance, ice machines operated in restaurants tend to need more frequent cleanings than their recommended schedule. This is because the restaurant environment is perfect for breeding slime and other contamination inside the ice machine. Particles in the air, continuous opening and closing, appropriate temperature range, and a large number of individuals using the machine all contribute to the swift growth of slime in ice machines. Following the recommended ice machine cleaning policy in environments like this is often inadequate.
Designing an ice machine cleaning policy that works for your specific environment isn’t difficult. All that is required to design your own ice machine cleaning policy is observation. If your recommended cleaning schedule recommends cleanings every three months, but you notice a buildup of slime within the second month then adjust accordingly and clean more frequently.
Of course, knowing when to clean an ice machine isn’t always the problem. The problem is that cleaning an ice machine is a time consuming, labor-intensive process. For many operators, more frequent cleanings seem out of reach. This is exactly why many operators opt for a clean-in-place and automated solution like ICEZONE.
BSG Scientific’s ICEZONE can offer operators a viable alternative to manual cleaning, while still addressing the need to ensure their ice machines meet their high standards of sanitization.
ICEZONE is an easily installed NSF, UL, and HACCP certified automated ice machine sanitation system that inhibits the growth of slime, mould, yeast, bacteria, and other contaminants. Approved by all ice machine manufacturers, ICEZONE is easily retrofitted and scalable for any make or model of ice machine.
Because ICEZONE is an automated ice machine sanitation solution, it reduces ice machine cleaning time by up to 80%. Which means that operators can relax their ice machine cleaning policy without sacrificing sanitation standards.
