Got Smelly Ice?

If you’ve got smelly ice, then keep reading. There’s a couple of reasons why ice would smell in your freezer, below are some tips to help you get rid of the stink and enjoy clean ice. 

Many refrigerators share a single evaporator, which means the cooling unit feeds into the freezer area first then through the use of fans, that same cold air is then fed into the fridge area. When there’s a constant exchange of air between the freezer and the fridge, odors can easily travel. Food that isn’t sealed tightly in the fridge can emit odors into the freezer and vice versa. With that in mind, when water is being fed into the ice maker, it’s absorbing those odors into the water and once it freezes, you get smelly ice. To prevent smelly ice, make sure that all food containers are sealed tightly, get rid of old, rotten food in both the fridge and freezer. Doing so will help prevent odors from getting into your ice. 

The fridge can be a nasty place. Bacteria can easily grow on surfaces and cause odors. After getting rid of the food problem, it would be advisable to clean the fridge and freezer. Wash any removable bins and shelves with dish soap and hot water. Spray the walls and other surfaces with a mild mixture of water and bleach. This will help kill any bacteria or mold growth that is lurking inside. During the cleaning phase, get rid of any ice cubes from the ice maker and thoroughly wash the trays and wipe down the freezer with the water/bleach mixture. 

Place two boxes of baking soda in the fridge and in the freezer to help control odors. Baking soda has many uses, and absorbing odors is just one of them. This is a low cost, yet effective way to prevent odors from spreading. Replace each box every 1-3 months to keep things fresh. 

Water that is fed into your ice maker can also be the culprit. City water isn’t known to be the best and if your refrigerator has a built-in water filter, make sure that it gets changed to the manufacturer’s suggested intervals. Most of these filters are carbon blocks, and they do a great job in filtering out chlorine taste/ odors and sediment found in tap water. Having fresh filters can make a world of a difference with the quality of ice and water coming through the fridge/freezer. 

Though built-in filters do work well, having a proper reverse osmosis system will provide the highest quality of water coming into the ice maker since the water is 99% pure. There are no contaminants to influence the taste or smell of the ice. In addition, the water dispenser will be serving delicious, clean water.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve discussed all the things anyone could address to solve the smelly ice dilemma, you should be able to enjoy fresh, clean, and great smelling ice from here on out. As with anything, start with the simplest fix, make sure food is sealed, throw out old food, clean the fridge. Then throw in a couple of boxes of baking soda in the fridge and freezer to absorb any lingering odors. Finally, change out any built-in filters and install a reverse osmosis system. Doing the latter will ensure that you’re getting pure water into your refrigerator, thus eliminating any factors from tap water, yet providing you and your family the best water you can have.