‘My Dollar Tree ice tray would never’: TikToker dismantles ice maker, shocked at what they find inside

A user on TikTok has a piece of advice for viewers: clean your ice makers.

In a video with over 4.6 million views, TikTok user Kat (@katallen8) says that her ice maker began making strange-tasting ice after about 3 weeks of not cleaning it. She decided to clean the ice machine, only to discover that the machine was far dirtier than she anticipated.

@katallen8 Pt. 1 🤢🤮 #icemaker #cleantok #gross #ice #part1 #fyp #voiceeffects #cleaning #discusting #nasty #icemakersatisfaction ♬ Funny - Gold-Tiger

In a follow-up video with over 11.8 million views, Kat realizes that there’s another area of her ice maker that she hasn’t cleaned before. Opening up this area, she discovers a major buildup of mold and grime.

@katallen8 This is absolutely disgusting. #icemaker #cleantok #gross #ice #pt2 #part2 #nasty #fyp #icemakersatisfaction #icemakercleaning ♬ original sound - __kaattt__

“I’m disgusted,” she says in the video. “I instantly felt sick, started coughing, sneezing, wheezing…How have I not died?”

While her ice maker’s manual does have instructions for how to clean the ice maker, it does not provide a timeframe for which one should do so. That said, it appears she’s cleaning her ice machine more often than experts recommend, who suggest that a machine be cleaned anywhere between once every 2 and 6 months.

@katallen8 Replying to @n0z3r #greenscreen ♬ original sound - __kaattt__

Commenters were quick to offer advice about how to prevent something like this from happening.

“Use vinegar! run a cycle with vinegar and water every once in a while. it'll help,” shared a user.

“I have the same one- use filtered water only and when you’re done using it then drain water and leave lid open until fully dry,” suggested another.

That said, the potential for mold buildup has left other commenters wondering about commercial ice makers.

“That’s at your house ice maker. Know imagine restaurant ones,” said a commenter. “That is why I order all drinks without ice.”

“Now imagine a fast food industrial ice maker that hasn’t been cleaned in 25 years,” added a second.

One doesn’t need to imagine—a TikToker once shared their own viral post on just how bad ice machines can get, saying that a dirty ice machine can make those using it sick.

Thankfully, Kat’s ice maker appears to now be working free of mold and grime. In a recent video, she shows the machine in action, noting that the problem areas have been rid of all grime and debris.

@katallen8 In about a week, I’m going to be running hot water and vinegar through the machine, I did order the solution and will be trying that as well, and I will also be trying distilled water to hopefully never have my icemaker looking like it did again thank you all for all the suggestions and comments❤️ #icemaker #fyp #cleantok #icemakersatisfaction #icemakercleaning @__kaattt__ ♬ Golden Hour: Piano Version - Andy Morris

Still, some aren’t ready to trust ice machines.

“That’s why I threw mines away,” recalled a commenter. “Even after you clean it within the next day or two it’s back.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Kat via TikTok direct message.

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