Water Cooler Cleaning

Here are a few simple steps you can follow to ensure that your water cooler is clean and your Culligan water tastes great. This cleaning process should be conducted every four to six months.

What Your Will Need

  • Clean rubber gloves
  • Paper towels or clean dry towels
  • A plastic scrub brush, a long handle will make cleaning easier. NEVER use soap or detergents, steel wool or other abrasives on your reservoir.
  • A measuring spoon,one teaspoon volume
  • Calibrated container, e.g. 2 gallon pail
  • Unscented household liquid bleach
  • Clean 1 gallon container filled with bottled water

Steps to Cleaning Your Water Cooler

Step One

UNPLUG the power cord.
Step Two

Remove the bottle. If there is still water in the bottle, make sure that you cap or cover the bottle for re-use.
Step Three

From the COLD FAUCET drain all water from the cooler into a bucket and discard water.
Step Four

Remove the cooler top. If the cooler is equipped with a no-spill device, it may need to be removed first. Look in the reservoir to see if there is a removable baffle. If there is, remove the baffle.
Step Five

If there is water remaining in the cooler, drain it out. If the reservoir has an ice ring in it, add hot water to melt the ring and completely drain out reservoir. Do not spill water outside of the reservoir into the interior of the cooler.
Step Six

Prepare a cleaning solution in the calibrated container by adding one teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach to each gallon of water.
Step Seven

Wearing clean rubber gloves, immerse the lint-free towel and/or scrub brush in the cleaning solution. Squeeze all excess cleaning solution from the towel and aggressively clean all surfaces of the reservoir interior. DO NOT pour the cleaning solution directly into the reservoir.
Step Eight

Rinse the reservoir - Carefully fill the reservoir with bottled water from the one gallon container, to 1/2 inch from the top of the reservoir. Completely drain the rinse water from the reservoir through the COLD faucet.
Step Nine

Use the same cleaning solution brush and/or cloth to clean the baffle, the cooler top, drip receptor and faucets. If your cooler is equipped with a no-spill device, it should be cleaned with the same cleaning solution. Take care not to get the air filter wet. Use the clean 1 gallon container filled with bottled water to thoroughly rinse these parts.
Step Ten

Wearing rubber gloves, re-install all parts: baffle, cooler top, faucets if removed and no-spill device (if equipped).
Step Eleven

Place a bottle back on the cooler and drain two cups of water from each faucet, or until there is no evidence of chlorine taste and/or odor. Dry all spilled water on the cooler and floor.
Step Twelve

Plug the cooler back into the electrical outlet. Allow forty-five (45) minutes for the water to reach the appropriate temperature.
You now have a clean cooler and this will contribute toward perserving the quality of the equipment.

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