Should I buy a portable ice maker?

If your refrigerator does not have a build in ice maker, you find that your current ice maker doesn't always meet your needs, or if you frequently visit the store to buy bagged or blocked ice, than a portable ice maker may be for you. Many of the countertop models will out perform built-ins,making them more efficient.

They make ice much easier than the old fashioned tray method, and it's a whole lot cheaper in the long run than buying it from the store. Overall, if you use a lot of ice, you'll love a portable ice maker.

What do I do when I first use the ice maker?

The first thing that you'll notice about your new portable is that it makes ice very quickly.

All you need to do is pour in fresh filtered water, and on some models set the size of ice cube that you'd like.

That's all there really is to it. You'll notice with most new ice makers on the market today that you're getting your first round of ice cubes in 10-15 minutes as opposed to built in refrigerator models that can take as much as half an hour to over an hour on some that we've seen.

What to look for before purchasing.

Though nearly all of the portable ice machines on the market today are similar in size and shape, there are subtle differences between the models you'll want to pay attention to before you buy. Though nearly each portable ice machine is designed to make ice not store it.

Other than that, the differences that you'll want to pay close attention to are capacity (how much will the built in bin hold), ice rate (how fast the machine makes ice), and ice cube size (what sizes of cube will it make).

How do I clean and maintain my portable ice maker?

You should definitely clean your portable ice maker before it's first use. The process is the same that you'll use for subsequent uses and goes as follows:

Fill your reservoir with water and a few cap fulls of lemon juice or water. Run a couple of cycles (discard ice). After 2 or more cycles, run several cycles of pure water to rinse the inside. You can stop once the ice has no flavor or smell associated with it. Cleaning your portable ice machine in this manner also assists with calcium build up.

Should I buy a portable ice maker?

What do I do when I first use the ice maker?

What to look for before purchasing.

How do I clean and maintain my portable ice maker?

Portable Ice Makers