How to Get Rid of the Bad Taste in Ice Cubes From the Fridge

If your dinner guests insist that a warm soda is fine or request a glass of iced tea minus the ice, you may have an issue. Nothing ruins a refreshing drink quite like stinky, foul-tasting ice cubes. There are several issues that could give your ice a funky flavor, so you may have to do some troubleshooting to determine what's going on. Once you do, fixing the problem is usually a simple task.

If you're thinking "my ice tastes weird," it may be time to give your freezer a good cleaning. Start by looking for signs of spilled or spoiled food. Clean up any spills that you find and throw away any food that has gone bad. Remember to check your refrigerator, as well as your freezer. Gnarly food smells from your fridge can easily migrate to the freezer and contaminate your ice cubes.

Even if you don't find anything obviously amiss, it's probably time to give your fridge and freezer a wipe down with a damp rag and mild cleaning solution. Experts recommend giving your freezer a deep cleaning three to four times a year. That means that with the possible exceptions of June Cleaver and Martha Stewart, you are most likely overdue.

The longer ice hangs around in your freezer, the more chance it has to pick up an odd odor or taste. For optimal flavor, you should store your ice only for about a week. If ice hangs around longer than that, toss it into a sealed freezer bag to protect it.

You may wish to consider going back to good old fashioned ice cube trays, too. Ice makers are great for parties and big events, but they produce much more ice than most households need. To keep ice on hand, make a batch of ice with your ice maker, place it into sealed bags, and then turn the ice maker off until you need a fresh batch of cubes.

If ice cubes you make in plastic or silicone ice cube trays taste bad, it's time to replace them. Ice cube trays can last a long time, but minerals from your water will eventually coat them and leave behind deposits that can affect how your ice cubes taste. The trays themselves can pick up an odor, as well. Replacing your old ice cube trays is a fast, simple and inexpensive way to eliminate ice cube issues.

Before making your next batch of ice cubes, take a minute to taste your water. If the water you start with tastes or smells bad, your ice cubes absolutely will, too. Some ice makers contain a water filter, and changing it as recommended keeps ice clean and tasty. You should change the water filter on most ice makers every six months, but it's an easy chore to forget.

If your household water system has a filter on it, check that, as well. You can change this filter or add a faucet water filter to ensure that tap water used for making ice is as free of potential contaminants as possible. It's more expensive, but you can also fill your ice cube trays with bottled or spring water for a cleaner taste.