How To Properly Clean And Maintain Your Water Dispenser
What You Need to Clean A Water Cooler
Before beginning the process of cleaning your water cooler there are a few essentials you should have ready to use. Cleaning a water cooler doesn’t take very long and is a fairly simple cleaning process, so to ensure everything goes smoothly preparation is key. Having a copy manufacturer’s manual nearby ensures if there are any doubts about how to clean the water cooler you can find out more information! Have your cleaning solutions and tools ready to use as well so you aren’t finding yourself having to stop in the middle of cleaning the water cooler. With everything in place and all tools and materials ready to go you can begin the cleaning process. Continue reading to learn more about best practices for cleaning water coolers!
Read Manufacturer’s Instructions on Cooler Maintenance
What may seem like an obvious step can be one of the most crucial parts to cleaning your dispenser. Reading the manufacturer’s instruction manual may give you some important insight into how your particular water dispenser works, what unique functions or parts it may have, and if there are specific suggestions from the manufacturer. We always recommend users read the instruction manual since every water cooler is unique. Once you have gone through the important parts of the manual you are ready to clean your water cooler! Collect your cleaning solutions and cleaning tools and begin the process!
Materials and Tools for Cleaning
There is a small list of things that are important to have on-hand when cleaning a water dispenser or cooler with a water filter. A container, like a five gallon bucket will be used to mix a cleaning solution to sanitize the water dispenser. A sponge and dry towel will also be necessary in order to gently scrub the parts. The airflow vents, often found on the rear or side of the machine will need to be dusted or vacuumed to clear any dust and debris that could be hindering airflow, so have a duster or vacuum ready. Dish soap and a cleaning solution will be used to clean the equipment. While not necessary, we always recommend rubber gloves to protect your skin from harsh chemicals or cleaning products.
Dispenser Cleaning Solutions
When using cleaning solutions on a water dispenser it’s important to make sure you’re diluting the solution properly. Double check the ratios of water to solution before mixing them together. A cleaning solution that is too strong is more likely to leave behind residue inside of your water dispenser, which can impact taste and potentially cause the water dispenser to malfunction. Safety is also a big concern when working with cleaning solutions. Be certain you’re not using a solution that is too strong for cleaning the cooler. When in doubt check the bottle of the cleaning solution for more information on dilution and cleaning solution recipes.
The most common cleaning solution is one made from chlorine bleach. Creating a solution that sanitizes requires some precision in measuring. The goal is to kill bacteria without leaving chlorine bleach behind inside the water cooler. A standard ratio for this sort of cleaning is typically one tablespoon of chlorine bleach to one gallon of water.
Alternatively to using bleach some may use a solution made from white vinegar and water to clean their water cooler. A standard ratio is 1 part distilled white vinegar to 3 parts warm water. This cleaning solution may not be as effective at killing bacteria, but is sometimes used to clean dispensers with water filtration. The white vinegar can help descale the water lines to keep hard water minerals from building up over time.
Other cleaning solutions may be recommended by the manufacturer of the water cooler.
How Frequently Should You Clean Your Water Cooler
There are many different styles of water coolers, some that double as a water purifier, and others that are simple dispensers for pre-filtered, pre-purified water. Regardless of what type of water cooler you have, cleaning them regularly helps them to last longer and ensures that the great water quality doesn’t suffer!
The frequency of cleaning your water dispenser will be partially determined by how much use it gets over several months. If the cooler is being used heavily and water bottles are swapped out frequently then we suggest cleaning every three or four months. If the water cooler isn’t used very heavily then cleaning every five to six months should be sufficient. Thankfully cleaning a water dispenser only takes about thirty minutes and should be relatively easy to do several times a year. Cleaning the exterior of the water cooler is much easier and can help reduce the spread of bacteria. Some water coolers claim to be self-cleaning, but we recommend following a thorough cleaning schedule to be certain that bacteria doesn’t build up over time from splatter and users touching the equipment.
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How to Clean a Water Dispenser
Removing the Water Bottle & Preparing the Water Dispenser
To prepare the water dispenser for cleaning, unplug it from its energy source and make sure to clear the general area of anything that is powered by electricity. Remove the water bottle from the cooler and wait several minutes for water to drain.
Cleaning the Water Dispenser parts
If your dispenser has a water guard be sure to remove it at this point and scrub it with a gentle dishwashing liquid. If your dispenser has a baffle that controls the flow of water, remove it and clean it the same way. Be sure to scrub down and rinse off any pieces that attach to the water bottle and wipe clean with a clean cloth.
Remove the Water from your Reservoir Line & Clean
If any water remains in the reservoir line be sure to drain it so nothing will spill out and your cleaning solution will not be diluted. This water is still clean and is perfectly safe to drink if you can easily collect it!
Using your sanitizing solution, clean the inside of the reservoir of the water cooler. We recommend waiting the suggested time for sanitization, which is around five to six minutes for a bleach sanitizer.
Rinse & Drain the Water Dispenser Reservoir
Drain the solution back into your bucket and wipe down the reservoir with your microfiber cloth. To be sure the reservoir has no cleaning solution left inside of it, fill the reservoir with water twice and let it drain each time. At this point any parts you have removed from the inside of the dispenser can be replaced including water guards, baffles, and any other additional parts that needed cleaning. Attach and install a new water bottle into the dispenser, and once fully in place you can plug it back into the power source.
Tips for Cleaning a Hot Water Dispenser
Cleaning a hot water cooler has a few more steps. It is not recommended to ever use a chlorine bleach solution to clean inside of a hot water cooler, but instead use boiling water. This can be dangerous so proceed with caution! Fill the hot water cooler’s reservoir with boiling water, let some of the water through the spigots in order to flush out any cool water. After several minutes use a soft brush to clean the reservoir, and then allow it to drain. Rinse twice afterwards. For coolers that supply hot & cold water see the manufacturer’s manual for further instructions.
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