You might not really think about your water cooler getting dirty. However, it definitely can. The water dispenser is one part that needs to be cleaned and sanitized occasionally. (Remember that microbes really love moisture and there are plenty of them inside of your water cooler.)
Learn about how to effectively clean your water dispenser – both inside and out – and then find out what needs to be in order to sanitize your water cooler as well.
Note: Make sure that you always consult the care instructions from the manufacturer before you do any cleaning. Water coolers do not all have the same exact type of anatomy. You don’t want to damage or break yours.
How To Best Clean Your Water Dispenser
When you trying to determine what the best way is to clean your water cooler, wait until the water jug is empty. Your life will be so much easier since you won’t need to lift heavy water bottles or worry about spilling water everywhere. Â
What You Will Need:
Gallon pitcher or jug
3 cups of hot water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
Mild dishwashing liquid
Microfiber cloth
Bucket
Dishwashing gloves (optional)
Unplug your water cooler take out the bottle.
Use the cold water tap to drain your cooler’s content into your jug or pitcher. The water is drinkable still.
If needed, take the water guard off of the inside part of the cooler, if necessary. (The water guard is what will puncture the lid of the water bottle. Not every cooler has one of these.)
Remove the baffle gently. This is a metal or plastic disc.
Wash the baffle and/or water guard using your mixture of warm water and mild dishwashing liquid, just like you wash dishes by hand.
– Make sure that your thoroughly rinse the water guard and/or baffle to ensure that you remove all of the soap. Then place them on a dry and clean microfiber cloth.
Mix together 3 cups of water and  1 cup of distilled white vinegar and pour it into the cooler’s reservoir. (You might want to wear gloves, especially if you happen to sensitive skin.)
Use a microfiber cloth and the cleaning solution to wipe the inside of your reservoir.
Drain your cleaning solution from the water cooler’s reservoir into your bucket.
Rinse out the reservoir two times. Fill it up with clean water and then drain it into the bucket.
Put the water guard and baffle back into place.
Install a new bottle into the cooler and then plug the cooler back into the power supply.
How To Clean The Outside Of Your Water Cooler (Including The Taps)
You need to show the outside part of your water dispenser some love too! Think about all of the hands that touch it and things that may be going on inside of the taps. Fortunately, this is a pretty easy job.
Things You Will Need:
Microfiber cloths
Distilled white vinegar inside a spray bottle
Mild dishwashing liquid
Unplug the water cooler
Take out the tray and taps. Wash them n the sink using your mixture of warm water and dishwashing liquid.
Use a microfiber cloth to dry the tray and taps.
Take your spray bottle with vinegar and spritz the outside of your cooler, including the place where the tray sits. (Be careful if your kitchen has stone floors since stone can be damaged by vinegar.)
Wipe any vinegar and grime residue away with your microfiber cloth.
Put the tray and taps back into place.
Plug the water cooler in.
How To Properly Sanitize Your Water Cooler
A majority of manufacturers recommend that your water cooler is sanitized every three to six months or so. However, make sure to check the care instructions to ensure that you do this according to your manufacturer’s instructions.
It can also be a bit tricky to sanitize a water cooler and if you do not do it correctly it may result in the water having a funny taste or harming your health if you leave the sanitizer in too long. Â Many people use bleach to sanitize their water coolers. However, just remember that if you used vinegar to clean your water cooler, then that is not a smart thing to do. Vinegar and bleach are cleaners that you should never mix. since a toxic chlorine gas is created when they are combined.
That is why you should follow your manufacturer’s sanitization instructions or ask your water service company if they offer sanitizing services.
Do you need more times on how to keep your house clean or are you wanting to hire a cleaning company? Give Spotless Cleaning a call today!
