Ninja Creami Users Beware: The Gross Discovery One Woman Made That Everyone Should Know

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If you're squeamish, buckle up — we're about to talk about something gross. If you have a Ninja Creami at home, you likely use it frequently to whip up frozen treats, and you know the importance of giving it a thorough cleaning afterward. That being said, there are some hidden crevices in your Ninja Creami machine that can easily escape what you believe to be a solid cleaning job — namely, the area inside the outer lid. Some people on social media are reporting that ice cream is getting into the outer lid of their Ninja Creami machines, and mold and maggots are setting up camp. One TikTok account shared a story of finding maggots in ice cream that they made in their Ninja Creami, only to discover that they were living inside the lid itself.

According to the Ninja website, the machine was designed so ingredients couldn't get into the unit. Unfortunately, it's happening anyway. The inside of the outer lid is notoriously hard to clean. Even if you're scrubbing the surface of the lid and removing the rubber gasket, it can be nearly impossible to get into the area of the lid that contains the springs, but somehow, splatters of food still manage to make their way into the transparent inner lid. The mold or critters aren't always obvious, so you'll need to look closely at your lid to see whether you're having an issue (and you may want to check your other appliances while you're at it, as your blender probably isn't as clean as you think it is either). Thankfully, some people on social media have come up with ways to make sure every last bit of ice cream residue is removed.

There are a few steps you can take to stop unwanted guests from taking up residence in the outer lid of your Ninja Creami. First, you'll need to wash the lid after every single use, and the standard options for getting gross gunk out of kitchen appliances aren't quite going to cut it here. You'll notice that there are very small holes surrounding the outer edge of the circle that sits on top of the lid with a small lever. Move the lever from side to side as you run the lid under hot water to swish out some of what gets left behind.

If you can see gunk (or other, ahem, undesirables) inside the lid, let it soak in hot water for a while. Then, you can throw the lid into the dishwasher (it's safe on the top rack). On social media, Creami users encourage placing the lid in the dishwasher so the tiny holes are pointing down, allowing water and residue to flow out of the lid. Finally, you can try using a cleaning solution like One Step No Rinse Cleanser, to make sure every nook and cranny of your Ninja Creami lid is totally clean. 

If you find that you have mold or maggots in the lid of your Ninja Creami, you have a few options. If you decide that it's not worth your time to try to clean and you want to just throw it in the trash (that's the route I'd go — just saying), you can order a new lid directly from Ninja (it'll run you about $20). You can also snag one on Amazon (non-original equipment from the manufacturer is usually a little bit cheaper).

You don't necessarily need to get rid of the whole appliance because you found maggots, assuming that you can properly clean it. But you can still file a warranty claim if your Ninja Creami is less than a year old. While we're not exactly sure how the company handles maggot-infested lids, it's worth reaching out. 

From what we can tell, Ninja has yet to issue any sort of official statement on the matter. We're not sure whether all Ninja Creami models have the potential to develop this problem, but a look at the Ninja Creami website showed that all currently available models have similar-looking lids. No matter what model you have — or how you decide to clean the components of your machine — for the love of all things Creami, be sure to closely inspect the inner area of the outer lid each and every time you use your Ninja Creami machine.