Imagine this: on a hot summer day, you are sweating profusely, and the entire way back from work, you have been miserable for a glass of cold lemonade with ice. You get home, pour yourself a drink, and add ice. You might even kill for it.
Ah, finally! You can already feel life returning to your body. The lemonade is cold, re-energizing, citrusy-sweet, and… salty? Your ice cubes being salty can be quite a mood-killer. Let’s dive into why this happens and what you can do about it.
Reasons for Salty Ice Cubes
- Salty Water Supply
The most probable reason your ice cubes taste salty is that the water is salty. Have you ever thought of how not all water tastes the same? Well, this is because of the different compositions of minerals in your water that give it a different taste.
It is highly possible that the water you are drinking has high salt percentages or minerals that taste salty. Sometimes, the saltiness is not all that prominent when water is in its usual state, i.e., the liquid state.
But it can become prominent when it forms into ice, which could be the case with you, and why you haven’t noticed it yet. You can use a water filter to solve this problem.
It will block the excessive amounts of salts and give you access to normal-tasting water, so your ice cubes won’t taste salty again. It is also good practice to get your water supply checked regularly for its composition. You don’t want to drink unclean water and risk your health.
- Issues With an In-Built Ice Maker
Many refrigerators now come with an in-built filter for ice makers that is incredibly useful if you have a salty water supply, for it filters the water for you. Despite having such ice makers, people have still been facing the problem of salty ice cubes.
- The water supply could be saltier than usual because even after filtration, the ice cubes turn out to be salty. In this case, you will have to get the supply inspected and employ remedial measures for it.
- There is another reason behind salty ice cubes: low pressure. If the water supply to your ice maker has low pressure, then the ice cubes can get salty. You need to make sure that your water supply gets a consistent pressure at all times so that it can churn out ice cubes that have the regular taste.
- New ice-making devices have a reject stream. If your ice cubes taste salty, it is possible that the reject stream is blocked. You will have to clean and unblock your reject stream pipelines to make your cubes unsalty.
- A build-up of hard minerals or ice in the chute can also cause the ice to taste weird. You will have to clean it off thoroughly.
- Water Softener
If you use a water softener and your ice tastes salty, then you must check the water softener. It could be set such that excessive salt is getting retained in the water and is not getting removed by the filters. Checking and fixing the water softener will solve this problem for you.
- Bacteria
Often, harmless bacteria begin growing in the ice makers’ lines that change the way ice cubes smell or taste. If you suspect this to be the case, then you should clean your ice maker meticulously to stop the growth of bacteria.
Getting your ice maker serviced every once in a while or even cleaning them yourselves is a good idea. It not only keeps your ice cubes from smelling or tasting funny but also ensures your ice maker lasts for a long time.
- Ice Cubes Absorb the Smell
Since the refrigerator is an enclosed space, the smells of all food items are trapped in the cooling space. The ice cubes may absorb the aromas of all the foods you have placed in the fridge and, in turn, start tasting weird.
To avoid this, you should clean out your refrigerator frequently and not let anything sit in it for too long. Not only is it an unhealthy habit, but it can also ruin all the other fresh foods in your fridge. Not to mention, make your ice cubes taste salty.
- Food Spills
We are only human, and it is natural for us to make mistakes every once in a while. You may have spilled some food or drinks in the freezer and forgotten to clean it.
Spilled food itself can get the ice cubes to not taste their normal self, but at times they can also cause mildew growth, which is both disgusting and a health hazard. Clean your freezer with a mild cleanser such as baking soda and water solution.
Why are we suggesting gentle cleansers? Because strong cleaning solutions like bleach or ammonia will damage the walls of your freezer or refrigerators and cause them to lose their functionality. You can also refer to your refrigerator’s manual for the recommended cleaning practices.
Some Tips to Avoid Salty Ice Cubes:
- You should clean and defrost your refrigerators often to let your ice cubes smell and taste good.
- Consistently cleaning your ice trays will ensure your ice cubes are clean, healthy, and delicious.
- Keeping a box of odor-absorbent, perhaps baking soda, in the refrigerator, as well as the freezing unit, will absorb any extra smells. The taste of your ice cubes will not be compromised then.
- Cleaning your refrigerator’s collection bin by referring to the manual will also keep such ice issues at bay.
- Keeping your ice in air-tight containers will make them last for a long time and keep them fresh and secure from the harmful effects of any external particles.
- If your ice cubes taste or smell bad even after you have washed your ice trays, it is time to get new ice trays. It is natural for the aroma of the container to seep into the ice, and it could be one reason why your ice tastes salty.
- If you are unsure whether the problem lies within the freezer or with the water, do this. Get a bottle of mineral water and freeze that into cubes. If it does not taste the same, the problem is within your water supply or plumbing.
The Bottom Line
It is an established fact that ice cubes tasting or smelling anything other than normal is very off-putting and, frankly, ruins the entire drink for you.
Luckily, we have figured out a number of probable reasons why ice tastes salty and what the solutions are for them. If your ice tastes salty, you can use these methods and get your ice to taste delicious again in no time!