Ice Maker Maintenance
Our refrigerator may not produce Sonic or Chick-fil-a ice, but having ice on demand is a convenience most of us can’t live without. When that ice starts smelling or tasting bad, you may chalk it up to your ice maker being broken. Before you call a repair technician, try these trouble-shooting tactics to see if you get your ice back to its clean, tasty state.
1. Tap Water Issues
Just because your ice is bad doesn’t mean your ice maker is too. Bad tasting or smelling ice could be caused by hard water which can change the flavor of your water and ice. If this is the case, you may consider testing your home water supply to see if there is an issue with the filtration system or to see if your water needs to be softened.
2. Brand New Refrigerator
Peeling off the protective liner of a new refrigerator is a great feeling. Getting a glass full of bad tasting or dirty ice is not. Always remember to dump the first batch of ice that’s made when you get a new refrigerator, as dust and dirt can build up in the ice maker. Additionally, flushing the water lines by disposing of the first 5-7 liters of water ensures you’ll have clean ice in the future.
3. Food Odors
Odors from food inside your refrigerator is fairly common, and can often get into your ice. To keep your ice clean, make sure to remove any spoiled or poorly wrapped items, seal food properly before placing it into the refrigerator, and try to maintain monthly refrigerator clean outs. Wiping down the refrigerator and freezer’s interiors with a refrigerator cleaner will help keep bacteria and bad smells out.
4. Stale Ice
Everything has an expiration date, even ice. Ice that has been left to sit too long in the freezer can taste stale and even develop mold from spoiled items within the refrigerator. If your ice tastes stale it’s best to dispose of the ice and clean the bin with soap and warm water. When the bin is completely dry, fill it with ice and dispose of it again before you use any ice from the ice maker.
5. Bad Refrigerator Water Filter
Filters screen out contaminants from getting into your water and your ice. A build up of these contaminants can sometimes cause impurities to slip through and pass on to your ice or even your drinking water. Replacing the water filter in your refrigerator every 6 months is a good practice to keep contaminants out of your water supply.
6. Deep Cleaning
If all of the previous tactics don’t work when getting your ice back to tasting or smelling fresh and delicious, deep cleaning your ice maker is the next step. Check out our step-by-step instruction below of how to properly deep clean your refrigerator ice maker.
Deep Clean Your Ice Maker in 4 Simply Steps
1. Turn off the ice maker and dispose of the ice in the ice bin.
2. Wash the bin in warm soapy water using 1-2 tbsps of baking soda to a gallon of water to remove persistent mildew.
3. With a clean cloth and a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water, wipe down all the ice maker’s external components. Using a tooth brush dipped into the solution, you can clean the hard-to-reach spots in the ice maker.
4. Dry the ice maker and the bin before returning the bin. Make sure to dispose of the first 1-2 batches of ice before use.