Why Does Refrigerator Ice Taste Bad?

The ice in your refrigerator may come out looking like regular ice. However, when you sniff it or let it melt in a glass of cool water, smell and taste are foul. This can be worrying. Is your ice tainted? Is it dangerous? The good news is that bad-tasting ice isn’t usually harmful, it is just annoying. If your refrigerator is putting out bad-tasting ice, here are the common causes.

ABSORBED FOOD ODORS

If you leave the ice to linger too long in your refrigerator or have exposed food in the freezer section, the ice will absorb the odors that waft around. Even if you do not keep open food around, ice can go stale if left sitting for too long. You will simply want to make fresh ice, but this also means there is no problem either.

DIRTY WATER FILTER

Your first concern is that your tap water has issues, and that can indeed be a cause. However, if your tap water still tastes normal, then you must look within the appliance itself. If you can’t remember the last time that you have changed your water filter in your refrigerator, then this is likely the cause. A water filter can end up harming the quality of the water going inside your appliance if it grows too dirty.

DIRTY ICE MAKER

It may be below freezing in the freezer, but that doesn’t always inhibit mold and other growth from appearing. If your ice maker grows too dirty, then this will affect the taste of the ice. You will want to soak the bin in a solution of diluted bleach and water. You will want to use the same solution to wipe down the actual ice maker as well. You will then, of course, want to make sure the bin and ice maker are completely dry before using them again.