Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Springtime for ice machines

The time to remember to clean your ice machine is now

With holidays rapidly approaching and the media stories about contaminated ice still fresh in the mind, now is the time to take another look at your ice machine cleaning and maintenance schedule and make sure it’s fit for purpose.

While most people would consider maintaining hygiene as vitally important for the smooth running of any foodservice business, it is fairly easy to overlook the inner workings of the ice machine as part of the regular cleaning schedule.

However, the importance of keeping your ice machine clean cannot be overestimated. Putting in place a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule should keep the nasties out of your ice. Done correctly, it will not add much to your staff’s existing workload.

This schedule should be divided into three phases: daily tasks, monthly tasks and those done every six months.

Daily cleaning tasks include sanitising scoops or tools used for removing ice from the bin. These should not be stored in the bin. Cleaning the external surfaces of the ice bin with food-safe sanitiser, paying particular attention paid to areas touched while opening the storage bin. Finally, carry out a visual inspection every day to ensure no contaminants have entered the storage bin. If there is anything present that shouldn’t be, the ice should be immediately discarded, and the bin fully cleaned.

Every month you should be doing a full and deep clean of the unit according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This involves switching it off and emptying out all the ice first. This is a good time to remove and clean the air filters as well, and if your machine uses an anti-bacterial system that should also be replaced.

Finally, water filter cartridges should be replaced every six months. This will prevent limescale from building up, helping to guarantee crystal clear cubes as well as helping to prevent bacteria entering via the incoming water supply.

Alongside these cleaning routines, it is also a good idea to reiterate the training you give to staff to make sure they are fully aware of best practice recommendations for handling ice. The primary cause of contaminated ice is human contact. It can be easy to overlook the actions required to limit the chances for contaminating the ice supply during the everyday bustle of work, so making sure they are aware of what is required is vital.

For example, ice should never be handled with bare hands, always use tools, like tongs or scoops. These should be cleaned and sanitised at least once a day to keep contamination under control. While human contact is the biggest vector for bacterial transmission, the storage bins should remain closed to minimise bacteria falling into the ice from the air.

For the same reason, never use the ice bin as a method of cooling other items, for example bottles.

While cleaning procedures can be comprehensive on paper, if your staff are not trained properly and made fully aware of the risks of serving contaminated ice to customers it makes no difference.

Taking the time to review both your procedures and your staff’s training will help to prevent risks to your business’ reputation, and more importantly, your customers’ health.

Full cleaning guides can be downloaded from the Scotsman Ice website here: https://www.scotsman-ice.co.uk/downloads/ . The site also has a series of videos demonstrating exactly how to clean various ice machines.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *