How to Clean a Restaurant's Ice Bin
Though there are different types of ice bins available for restaurants, the process to clean each is similar and relatively easy, whether the bin is also an icemaker or just a container for use made by another machine. The most difficulty you will face while cleaning the bin is perhaps where to store ice while cleaning and what time of day to clean the bin without causing chaos in the kitchen.
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Remove the ice from the ice bin. Scoop the ice out with the ice scoop and dump into the sanitized buckets. Wear waterproof and insulated gloves as you remove the ice in order to prevent your hands from getting cold and cramping or going numb.
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Store the ice appropriately, if you intend to replace the ice into the cleaned ice bin instead of making new ice. To store the ice, sit the ice in clean bucket or containers in a large, restaurant-size walk-in freezer.
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Unplug the ice bin and allow the bin to cool down and allow frost along the insides of the ice bin to melt. Open the plug at the bottom of the ice bin and allow the bin to drain. Promote faster melting by pouring hot water into the bin.
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Wipe all inner and outer parts of the ice bin down with a food-safe sanitizer. Though no visible dirty spots are likely to be present, the sanitizer will kill the tiny, invisible bacteria inside the ice bin. After wiping down with sanitizer, thoroughly rinse the entire bin with hot water.
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Allow the hot water to drain from the bin and dry out the insides of the bin with cloth or paper towels. Plug the ice bin back in after and allow the ice bin to cool back down to freezing before replacing the ice in the bin or making new ice to place in the bin.
References
Warnings
- Do not use a bleach solution or soaps to clean the ice bin, as any residue left behind from these substances may either harm customers or taste badly and give your restaurant a bad reputation.
Writer Bio
Stephanie Daniels is a freelance writer residing in Louisa, Kentucky. Daniels focuses on parenting, children, gardening and home-decor articles. She was the manager of Home Decor for Home Depot for 4 years. Daniels has written for many online publications and enjoys ghostwriting.
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