Everyone has been in a situation where they go to get ice for their drink to find out that there is no ice! A broken ice maker is a very common problem, here are some tips to prevent this from ever happening again.

First of all: Be informed
Instead of throwing the manual to your refrigerator away, read through it. The best way to keep your ice maker in working condition is knowing how it functions! Many of these machines have an indicator light that tells you when the water filter needs to be replaced. Do not ignore this warning, make sure you change your water filter at least twice a year to avoid complications.

Second of all: Keep it clean
Making sure that your ice maker is properly cleaned and sanitized will increase its longevity. Most ice makers need to be cleaned just once a year, unless you have hard water, then it sound be cleaned a little more frequently. Once every few months, dumping out the ice bin will ensure that smelly ice cubes at the bottom will be gone, leaving your freezer odorless.

An easy way to clean your ice maker is to take out as much of it as you can, be careful to make sure the ice maker is off. Using warm water and an ice pick, get as much ice out as possible. Then using dish soap or a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar, clean the interior and exterior of the ice bucket. Make sure everything is all dried off before reinstalling the component. Instead of using soap or vinegar and water mixture, you can also buy a specific ice maker cleaner. For sanitation, mix half a cup of bleach with a gallon of water, use a rag to wipe down the ice bucket. If your ice bucket is dishwasher safe, then you can put it through a sanitizing cycle.

Before you put back your ice bucket after a good washing, make sure it is bone dry. Any leftover liquid will freeze once reinstalled.