How to Clean a Soda Machine

Clean your Soda Machine to Make it Last Longer

If you want to have great long lasting soda machine, then cleaning is a priority. It may take a little time, but the effort that you put into it will outweigh the costs that may incur in the long run. These basic routine maintenance steps will keep you vending machine up and running for years to come.

Word of Caution about Cleaning Your Soda Machine

We will get one thing out of the way first you should NEVER clean your machine with any power washers, jet sprayers, hoses or water nozzles. This WILL ruin the vital electrical components that are located inside your vending machine and this will cost you in the long run. Hence, not accomplishing what we are trying to accomplish here; extending the life of your vending machine. I would also suggest that you unplug your vendor before cleaning just to be extra cautious by avoiding electrical shock.

The Outside Cabinet of Your Soda Machine

This is what your customers will see and hopefully be attracted to your coke machine. You will want to clean the cabinet as it is called in the vending industry with a good mixture of warm water and mild soap. You can achieve this by using a damp cloth or sponge and a good sized bucket. Just wipe the whole thing down top to bottom left to right. Then rinse and dry the machine. Remember not to use a hose to rinse the machine off.

Now for that extra shine on your machine. Well it is no hidden secret or rocket science here. It is a good automotive wax and a good buffing. All you need to do is just apply the wax as you would on a car, or follow the instructions on the wax itself, let dry and with a dry cloth or buffer, it you prefer, take the wax off and buff to a pristine shine. Now who can resist a bright and shiny Pepsi machine?

The Door of Your Vending Machine

Most of your soda vending machines have a lexicon front that could be damaged beyond repair if cleaned with any abrasives such as steel wool, soft scrub, sandpaper or anything alike. This damage would be in the form of yellowing of the front of the machine by the removal of the protective coating that is used for these fronts. So it is advised that you just use a mild soap and water mixture to clean any dirt or debris and then dry with another cloth.

If you have a glass front machine you may use any common glass cleaning product of your choice. Just spray and wipe dry. Oh yes a hint from my grandmother use news paper to do this. Wow what a shine. You might even have someone trying to just grab the merchandise because they don't think there is glass in it.

The Inside of Your Pop Machine

The inside of your vending machine is where all the vital components of your machine are. There should be extra precaution taken when clean this section of your machine. Remember be careful and do not use any sprayers or nozzles when cleaning this part you will ruin all the electrical devices found inside. This part of the machine can also be cleaned with a mixture of warm water and mild soap mixture. You would definitely want to use a damp cloth or sponge for this because we need to focus on what we are cleaning.

What you will be cleaning will be all the columns, when your soda cans or bottles are stacked. The bottom of the machine and also and parts that do not have any wires coming in and out of it or anything that you believe would contain electricity. When you are done wiping all of these parts clean of any dust or debris it is suggested that you just take a dry cloth and dry them off. As we know that standing water and metal do not mix, they from a substance called rust.

If you do see any rust on the inside of your machine it is advised that you take a piece of fine steel wool and get rid of it. Sand it down until it is all gone and then apply some aluminum paint to cover and protect that area you just used steel wool on. This goes for any other scratches you may find on the inside of your machine. Because exposed metal is especially prone to rusting.

The electrical components of your soda machine can be cleaned or should I say dusted off with some compressed air. You can find this at any local computer or even hardware store. All you need to do is point the spray can and shoot away all that dust that will collect in your machine. This will keep all those parts functioning at their optimal level.

The Compressor or Refrigeration Deck

This is the part of your machine that will keep your customers happy with nice cold beverages. You will want to maintain this area of your machine often as it does tend to collect a lot of dust on it. You can find this part by going behind your machine and under the front part of the machine when the front door is open. Here you will see several vital components and it is highly advised that you unplug your vending machine because there are fans in this part of the machine and you won't know when they are going to turn on.

When you clean this part of your machine it is advised that you can use a vacuum cleaner, shop vac, or dusting brush to achieve your desired results. You will want to get all the dust, dirt and debris out of this area because it can restrict air flow thus, not allowing your machine to cool properly. This can also build up to a point where your machine will not cool at all. We will want to pay close attention to the fins in this part of the machine you will want to get most of the dust out of those parts.

This will complete the simple task on how to clean your soda vending machines This will keep your machine up and running for years to come it will also keep your customers happy and buying product out of your machine. This will make you happy and give you extra cash in your pocket since you won't need to spend dollars on parts. This could have been avoided if you would clean your soda machines.