The Reason Your Fridge Ice Always Tastes Bad

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We've all been there. You come home from a long work day or a hot afternoon in the sun craving a glass of ice-cold water. You fill your glass with ice from your fridge and water, only to find that as an ice cube slips into your mouth, it has an odd taste. You've become a victim of bad fridge ice.

Bad-tasting ice from your fridge is unfortunately common for a few different reasons. Maybe it's been a long week, and you've let your ice sit in the freezer longer than you should have. As the ice sits in the tray or bin, it starts to pick up all the odors that come from freezer-burnt foods and leftovers that you stashed away. If you have an ice maker, it uses a water filter that needs to be changed about every six months. Other parts of the mechanism could also be dirty, and over time, a buildup of bacteria and mildew can cause bad-tasting ice.

Another reason for bad-tasting ice could be the fridge itself. With some older model refrigerators, there's only one cooling system for both the fridge and freezer sections. The same air passes between them, and inevitably, the same smells. So if there's a piece of fish from dinner a week ago that has been chilling in your fridge, chances are your ice will be a little fishy, too.

Thankfully, some tips can change your ice-making game. The first thing you can do to improve your ice is clean out your fridge as well as your ice maker, tray, or bin — go ahead and toss all the ice too. When cleaning, follow the manufacturer's instructions. If you cannot find them, just use mild soap or baking soda and warm water instead. You can even defrost your freezer and clean the whole inside for a thorough purge. Even this simple cleanse will make your ice cleaner than bagged ice from the store.

After, make sure your water comes from a clean, filtered source, whether you're using your fridge's ice maker or water from the faucet. Then, it's just as important to keep that water pure while your ice freezes. It takes up to about four hours to freeze a whole tray of ice cubes, so that whole time, the water is being subjected to the open air in your freezer. Investing in a good-quality plastic tray with a tight-fitting lid – like these Oxo Good Grips ice cube trays — is the best way to keep your ice clean, so no liquid is exposed. With these few easy steps, you'll find your ice tasting more like Chick-fil-A's delicious crushed ice and less like it's straight from the bar well.