If your food business sells ice creams in any capacity, then you will be using a commercial ice cream freezer for displaying the ice cream and keeping it frozen yet soft. As it’s an important appliance for your business, you must ensure that it functions smoothly. For that, you have to stay on top of its cleaning and maintenance requirements. You can do cleaning yourself, but maintenance is recommended to be done by a commercial appliances repair expert. But apart from that, you can do many things that can minimize issues and breakdowns. Let’s get started!

Cleaning A Commercial Ice Cream Freezer

Daily cleaning of ice cream freezers is vital, but once or twice a month, a deep cleaning is also important for abiding the food storage codes and keeping your stock fresh and free of contamination.

Pick A Date And Time

If you have already created a cleaning schedule for your commercial appliances, you might have a date and time with you to deep clean the ice cream freezer. If you haven’t yet, you should choose a day when the sales are slow and the time should be right after you close so that you can clean the appliance and let it dry in the end till the morning. The right time depends on how your business operates and what works best for you and your staff while keeping the operation smooth for customers.

Unplug It

A basic but important step is to unplug the ice cream freezer before cleaning or maintaining it. You can turn off the switch on the appliance or remove the power cord. Experts suggest removing the power cord because it’s considered safer.

Unload The Ice And Ice Cream

The next thing to do immediately is to take out ice and ice cream from the appliance and keep it in a freezer or cooler. It’s important to discard the ice and use fresh ice after cleaning the ice cream freezer.

Regarding the ice cream, make sure you never keep ice cream in the freezer that’s past its use-by date because it can cause mold and bacteria growth in the freezer, which can affect the health of your customers and also impart a bad taste to your ice cream.

So, if the ice cream is not usable anymore, discard it and only keep the leftover ice cream in the cooler, for now, that’s still fresh.

Let The Interior Reach Room Temperature

Initiating the cleaning process right after plugging off the ice creamer freezer can lead to damage like cracked interior. So, wait for at least a few hours after turning off the appliance. This step is ignored by many people which can cause premature wear and tear to their ice cream freezers.

Take Out All The Removable Items

Now that the wait is over and your ice cream freezer has reached room temperature, take out all the parts of the appliance that are removable. It may be drawers, shelves, etc.

Clean The Interior

Use a microfiber cloth and dip in a mixture of warm water and soap or cleaner to remove stains. Choosing the correct cleaner is vital because the wrong one can cause abrasion and damage to the interior. Consult the user manual or an expert to pick the right cleaner. If you’re dealing with tough stains on the interior walls, use a soft-bristled brush to clean them.

Then, wipe the entire interior with warm water and a cleaner. After wiping, rinse the interior with warm water to ensure no product residue left on the interior of the appliance.

Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the condenser fins. Make sure that you don’t take the cleaner too close to the fins or put any pressure because this can bend the fins. This will make them ineffective and will need to be repaired or replaced.

After that, clean the glass from the inside as well. The outside part can be cleaned when you clean the exterior. You may have to use a glass cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. However, if the manual allows you to use the same cleaner you employed for cleaning the interior, then go ahead with that cleaner.

During cleaning, don’t put anything in the air-inlet and outlet valve else the airflow and cooling performance of the ice cream freezer will suffer.

After cleaning all the interior parts, make sure to let it dry. In the meantime, you can go ahead and clean other parts.

Clean The Cabinet Door And Its Seal

The cabinet door is opened and closed countless times during operation so you have to keep it clean as you use it. However, during deep cleaning, you must clean it with a cleaner and warm water. Check the seals and wipe dirt and debris off them. If they are too stiff, you may even need to replace them.

Vacuum The Condenser

You should never use a hose on the rear of the ice cream freezer where the condenser, compressor, and other important parts are housed. Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the area or use a microfiber cloth for dusting.

Clean The Exterior And The Removable Parts

Now, wipe the exterior of the ice cream freezer with the manufacturer-recommended cleaner and warm water. After that, clean the removable parts.

Let Everything Dry

Plug in the ice cream freezer only when everything including the interior, exterior, glass, and removable parts are dry.

Ice Cream Freezer Care Tips

Run The Ice Cream Freezer Empty For 1-2 Hours Before Stocking

After cleaning or defrosting, you must plug it in and let it run empty for about one or two hours. When the time is up, you can safely stock the freezer with ice cream and frozen products.

Don’t Place It Too Close To A Wall

There should be enough distance (a few inches) between the nearby object or wall and the ice cream freezer so the heat is dissipated efficiently. If not, the wall or the object will obstruct the vent. This will overheat the unit and also cause ineffective freezing.

Keep The Cabinet Door Closed When Not Taking Out Ice Cream

It’s part of the training of staff members who use ice cream freezers. They have to make sure to close the door after they take out ice cream for the customers. Because if the door is left open or not closed properly, the freezer will use more power to freeze the ice cream. Plus, this can spoil the ice cream as well.

Don’t Keep The Ice Cream Freezer Under Direct Sunlight

No refrigeration unit apart from an air conditioner’s outdoor unit can function well under direct sunlight. If an ice cream freezer is under direct sunlight, it will use more power for refrigeration. In spite of that, the ice cream might melt. If the location of the unit is not changed and the ice cream freezer is operated like this for months, the appliance might require repairs more often.

Conclusion

For your ice cream to be delicious, fresh, and healthy, prepare a schedule for daily cleaning and monthly deep cleaning. Moreover, follow the ice cream freezer care tips to avoid common mistakes and extend the lifespan of your commercial appliance. In case of any issue, consult an authorized ice cream freezer repair Fairfax service.