How to Clean Soda Guns and Drink Dispenser Nozzles

When you don’t have working beverage equipment, you don’t have delicious drinks to serve your customers — and nobody wants that. The easiest way to keep your equipment operational is to practice regular cleaning and sanitization. 

If you’re in need of immediate emergency repair for your beverage equipment, you can find one of our local technicians nearby to help out. Otherwise, check out the easy-to-follow guides on how to clean soda guns and drink dispenser machine nozzles below.

How to Clean a Soda Gun

First, gather your cleaning supplies. When it comes to how to clean a soda gun, your first step is to be prepared. Make sure you have all the supplies you need to do a good, thorough job:

• A bucket
• A cleaning brush with strong bristles
• Mild detergent or cleaning solution
• A clean cloth or sponge
• Sanitizing solution

After that, you can follow these numbered steps:

1. Turn off the soda gun. Locate your soda gun’s shut-off valve and turn it off to stop the flow of liquid. This will keep you from any accidental spills or messes during cleaning.
2. Remove the nozzle and associated parts. Some soda guns have an o-ring attachment and some have twist locks. Whatever variety you’re using, detach it while being careful not to lose any small parts.
3. Soak the nozzle and parts. Fill your bucket with warm water and your detergent or cleaning solution. Fully submerge the nozzle in the bucket with additional parts like the diffuser and o-ring and let them sit to soak for 3-5 minutes.
4. Get scrubbing. Use the cleaning brush to gently scrub the submerged parts, detaching any residue or build-up loosened by the initial soak.
5. Rinse the nozzle with clean water and set aside. Once soaked and scrubbed, these parts will be ready for a rinse. You can hold them in your hand (wash them first!) and run them under the water in the sink before setting them aside on a towel for later.
6. Clean the soda gun’s housing. When it comes to how to clean a soda gun, you can’t forget the housing. Take one of your cleaning clothes and use the cleaning solution to wipe down your soda gun’s exterior. Pay special attention to the area where the nozzle connects to the housing, because build-up loves to hide there.
7. Sanitize everything. Now that things are cleaned and dried, it’s time to sanitize. Empty your bucket and re-fill it with whatever sanitizing solution your soda gun manufacturer recommends. Submerge the separated parts back in this bucket and let them soak for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer.
8. Re-rinse. Once sanitized, re-rinse the detached parts to get rid of any residual sanitizer.
9. Reassemble and test your now-clean soda gun. Once everything is fully dry, reattach the nozzle, turn the valve back on and test the soda gun by dispensing a small amount into a glass. If the flow is smooth and you can’t spot any leaks, then you’re all done!

How to Clean Soda Machine and Drink Dispenser Nozzles

Whether you run a commercial kitchen or are slinging sodas from a stadium walk-up at game time, sometimes things get clogged. If your drink dispenser’s nozzles aren’t delivering drinks optimally, you can follow the how-to-clean guide above to unclog them with just a few small changes:

• Use a small bristle brush instead of a large one. You’ll have smaller parts to scrub when cleaning a soda machine, so a clean toothbrush or similar tool will work best.
• Soda machine shut-offs are located in a different place than those for a soda gun. To shut off your soda machine, you’ll want to flip the main power switch — usually on the back.
• Removing and detaching the nozzles is a little different, too. On a soda machine, the nozzles you’ll be soaking and cleaning are on square or rectangular blocks that fit into the front of the machine. Most can be removed by simply twisting and pulling them off.

One additional tip: you can pour a combination of a small amount of bleach and hot water down the drains on your soda machine at the end of the day to sanitize them and prevent fruit flies from causing trouble.

Regular care and preventative maintenance for your beverage machines will help your team ensure smooth operations and avoid costly downtime. Use these tips to keep build-up from getting in the way of your drink dispensing performance and, if things ever need expert repair — you can always call on the team at Smart Care.