Do you know how to clean a water cooler? Your water cooler is your home’s safe and healthy source of hydration, helping you and your family drink delicious, filtered water at the push of a button. But without proper maintenance, water coolers can become less hygienic and even suffer damage. Regular cleaning helps protect the taste of your water and the performance of your cooler, so you can trust that you’re drinking the best water possible.
Learn how to clean water dispensers and coolers, and when you should take the time to perform each maintenance task.
Your Basic Water Cooler Maintenance Routine
Regular care helps keep your water cooler in top condition. Without proper cleaning, bacteria and other microorganisms can make themselves at home in your water cooler.
Thankfully, maintaining your water cooler is easy. Here are some tasks you can do every day or week to keep your water dispenser running well:
- Give the exterior a wipe-down. This removes dust and, if your cooler is in the kitchen or dining area, grease and splashes.
- Clean the drip tray regularly so water never sits in there for long.
- Wipe the nozzles and mop up any splashes.
- Check vents every so often for dust or blockages.
- Check any cords or cables for damage.
Bottleless water coolers, sometimes called Point-of-Use or POU coolers, connect directly to your water supply and may include advanced filtration to offer cleaner, better-tasting water. You will need to replace filters according to the manual as part of your maintenance routine.
Bottled coolers may have filters as well, but the bottles still must be changed regularly. A bottle that’s left in place for too long can become a breeding ground for bacteria. Swap bottles out every 30 days, even if they’re not empty.
Movable countertop water coolers are convenient and easy to clean, but they can quickly gather dust in high-traffic areas. Wipe them daily and keep the drip trays clean and empty.
Step-by-Step Cleaning and Sanitizing
Give your water cooler a light cleaning every week. But for the best results, plan on fully sanitizing your water dispenser at least once a month.
When your water cooler needs a deeper clean, here are the steps to follow:
1. Turn off your water cooler’s heating and cooling switches and unplug it from the electrical outlet.
2. Empty any stored water from the machine and drip trays.
3. Remove bottles from bottled coolers.
4. Remove nozzles and any other removable parts.
5. Clean the water cooler with an approved solution, focusing on areas you can’t normally see, such as where the nozzles attach.
6. Rinse thoroughly before reassembly.
7. Ensure all parts are reattached before switching the water dispenser back on.
You can always refer to your water cooler manual or the Brio website for more in-depth information on cleaning procedures.
How You Know It’s Time for a Deeper Clean, Repair, or Replacement
If you haven’t had time to keep up with daily cleaning, or if you’ve missed a deep clean session, you might start to notice problems with your water cooler.
These include the following:
- Your water now tastes worse or has an unpleasant odor.
- Dispensing is slower than usual.
- The cooler makes noises it never used to.
- Water temperature becomes inconsistent (for example, cold water is sometimes room temperature, and hot water is only warm).
- There is a visible buildup of dirt, scale, or even mold.
Aging units may experience these issues even if you clean them regularly. So, if these problems continue even after a full cleaning, it could be time to invest in a new water dispenser.
Brio provides numerous water coolers, but which is the easiest to maintain? Here’s a quick comparison chart:
Explore more easy-to-maintain water coolers on the Brio site, and remember to start following these cleaning tips on your existing water coolers right away.
