Why You Should Never Order Restaurant Ice

One of the greatest pleasures in life is going out to eat. You get great food and you don’t have to cook! However, there are many items at restaurants that could cause harm to our health if we are not careful.

Sometimes, it is the items you think are the most innocent that are the most harmful.

One of these items is ice, and if ice machines are not cleaned properly the amount of bacteria within them could cause serious illnesses.

Ice comes standard at every restaurant, whether it be fast food of high dining.

The problem with having ice in your drink is the harmful bacteria that is often found within the ice.

A study showed that 6 out of 10 restaurants ice machines had higher levels of bacteria than their own toilet water.

We would never drink the toilet water from a restaurant, but we blindly drink and chew on the ice in the drinks given to us.

Ice Can Lead To Illness

Ice machines aren’t something restaurants think they need to clean very often.

The problem with ice machines is they can create mold like any other appliance.

The constantly wet environment makes ice machines the perfect atmosphere for mildew and mold to grow.

Some may think that ice machines are too cold to harbor harmful bacteria, but that is far from the truth.

In fact, some of the most dangerous bacteria is able to survive in the cold of ice machines.

Ice machines can harbor E. coli, Shigella, Cholera, Typhoid fever, Legionella, Hepatitis A, Salmonella, and Norwalk virus.

These illnesses can be life threatening if not caught and treated quick enough.

The bacteria grows very fast, as well. Populations of bacteria can double every 10 minutes, leading to an unstable outbreak within the ice machine.

And since these ice machines aren’t cleaned near as often as they should be, the bacteria sticks around.

If the restaurant you are going to uses a hand scooper for ice, the levels of bacteria become much higher.

This ice is also subject to fecal matter, which comes with its own host of illnesses.

Avoiding the Bacteria

The best way to avoid the bacteria is to stop ordering ice from restaurants. Unfortunately, most restaurants are unaware of their problems with the bacteria filled ice.

In order to protect you from harmful illnesses, avoiding ice is best. Most drinks are already stored in a cool area, so you while you may not get something ice cold, it won’t be lukewarm either.

Ice mold and bacteria isn’t only left to restaurant freezers. Bacteria and mold can also occur in your own household.

If you are trying to remember the last time you cleaned your ice machine, it has been too long.

Your ice machine should be cleaned every three months.

To clean your ice machine, unplug your icemaker. Never try to work on the ice while it is still running.

Once it is unplugged, remove the icemaker and wash it with warm water and mild dish soap. If possible, run the different parts from the icemaker in a sanitizing cycle in the dishwasher.

If you cannot sanitize your icemaker in the dishwasher, wipe it down with a water and vinegar mixture.

Try one part vinegar to five parts water. You also need to wipe down the inside of the freezer with this water and vinegar mixture.

Some ice machines will have a cleaning cycle built in. If so, run this cleaning cycle once and then dump out the ice it made.

While it can seem like it takes awhile to clean out your ice machine, the benefits to your health are worth it.

By properly sanitizing your ice machine you prevent harmful bacteria and mold build up.

These bacteria are severe enough that they could cause a fatal illness.

Always avoid restaurant ice, especially from fast food restaurants. If you avoid the ice at all costs, and properly clean your own ice machine, you can avoid these harmful bacteria completely.