How to Clean Your Ninja Creami: Spindle, Paddle, Bowl, and Lid

How do you clean the Ninja Creami spindle?

• The spindle that goes up and down inside of the machine is self cleaning.  There is no need, or way, to clean the spindle, with the exception of the tip that sticks out of the machine.  It’s hard to believe that the spindle does not pull ice cream up inside of the machine, but it’s built in a way that it does not.  
• The tip of the spindle that sticks out of the machine when it’s not being used does need to be cleaned.  It should be cleaned after every use.  To clean the spindle, wipe it clean with a damp towel.  If you are cleaning it after every use, the ice cream residue should wipe off pretty easily.  If you do not clean it after every use, you may end up with dried on ice cream.  You can use warm water and a toothbrush or a bottle brush to clean the spindle tip.
• A user took a broken machine apart to see if the inside was clean or dirty.  The inside of the machine where the spindle is, was clean.  Here’s the Facebook post with videos that shows the inside of the machine.

How do you clean the Ninja Creami paddle, outer bowl, and outer bowl lid?

The paddle, outer bowl, and outer bowl lid are top-shelf dishwasher safe.  However, the outer bowl lid can take a little extra work to get it really clean.  You might not need to do a deep clean on the outer bowl lid after every use, but deep cleaning can help get all of the ice cream out of the lid. The deep clean can help reduce the likelihood of the lid starting to smell, mold, or get insects inside of it.

There is a rubber gasket inside of the processing lid. Ice cream can get stuck underneath this gasket, so it needs to be cleaned periodically. The first few times that you take the gasket out of the lid, it can be a little tight. Don’t pull too hard on it, as you don’t want to stretch it out.

1. Take the gasket out of the lid.
2. Rinse the gasket and the lid where the gasket goes with soapy water.
3. Allow the gasket and the lid to air dry.
4. Put the gasket back into the lid.

To deep clean the outer bowl lid, detach the paddle from the lid.  The paddle can go in the dishwasher.  It’s very common for ice cream to get inside of the lid itself.  There are a few tricks to getting it really clean.  Here are a few options:

• Rinse the lid under warm water.  Be sure to get water in the holes on the side of the lid.  Move the lever back and forth several times while rinsing with water.  While there is water in the lid, swirl it around to break up anything that might have gotten in there and then drain the water.  Repeat this process several times until the water is clean.  Drain all of the water by letting the lid dry standing up, allowing water to drain out of the little holes. 
• Soak the lid in warm water with Alka seltzer tablets.  Swirl the lid around in the water while moving the lever back and forth.  Rinse the lid and then drain all of the water by letting the lid dry standing up, allowing water to drain out of the little holes. 
• Use a waterpik to spray warm water into the little holes.  Swirl the lid around in the water while moving the lever back and forth.  Rinse the lid and then drain all of the water by letting the lid dry standing up, allowing water to drain out of the little holes. 
• Soak the lid in warm water with vinegar.  Swirl the lid around in the water while moving the lever back and forth.  Rinse the lid and then drain all of the water by letting the lid dry standing up, allowing water to drain out of the little holes.

How do you clean the Ninja Creami containers and lids?

The containers and their lids are top shelf dishwasher safe.  Rinse them out and put them in the dishwasher to clean them. 

Make sure you only use the top rack of the dishwasher and do not use a super hot, sanitizing cycle as the temperature of the water can be too hot and cause damage to the containers.

If you are worried about the containers melting in the dishwasher, handwash them instead.