AUSTIN, Texas — Remember when you reached for some ice to cool down a drink—only to find it smelled funky and maybe even tasted like the leftover lasagna in your fridge? Gross.
Consumer Reports explains how to tackle the stink and guarantee fresh-smelling and tasting ice.
“It is a surefire way to ruin your drink.”
Like many of us, Consumer Reports home editor Dan Wroclawski has dealt with smelly ice.
“This usually happens when ice has been sitting in your ice maker or ice bin for several weeks or even over a month, and it’s had a long time to absorb the smells of the food that's in your fridge.”
But there may be another culprit - your refrigerator!
This is more common in older refrigerators with one cooling system where cold air passes between the freezer and fresh food compartments, making it easier for your ice to get smelly.”
The first thing you should do—dump your entire ice bin.
If some of it smells, likely all of it smells.
Next, to clean your ice bin—
Check the manufacturer's instructions. You might be able to put it in the top rack of your dishwasher. If you have to hand-wash it, usually baking soda and warm water will do the trick.
Then, boxes of baking soda should be placed near the icemaker to absorb food odors.
If you don’t have an icemaker, baking soda can also help keep odors from creeping into your ice cube tray.
Speaking of those trays… it might be time to try something new, especially if you’re using silicone molds, which can absorb odors.
This plastic tray from Rubbermaid is a good option. The same goes for this tray with a lid from OXO.
Once your ice smells nice again, treat yourself to a frosty frozen beverage.
These blenders from Oster and NutriBullet aced CR’s icy drink test.
Cheers to that!
Speaking of cocktails, some refrigerators now have specialty ice makers that can make ice spheres or nugget ice for your favorite beverage.