Why does my ice smell like garlic?

In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “why does my ice smell like garlic” with an in-depth analysis of the reason behind foul-smelling ice. Moreover, we are going to discuss the ways by which you can save your ice from smelling like garlic.

Has it ever happened to you that you brought out your ice cubes tray from your freezer to add some ice cubes to your cocktail but the ice cubes smell like garlic? Yeah! We all have been there. So if you are tired of foul-smelling ice cubes and want to get rid of this irritating garlic smell that found its way to your ice cubes then you need not worry as we are going to tell you the reason behind this and the ways by which you can prevent your ice from smelling like garlic.

So without much ado, let’s dive in and figure out more about it.

Why does my ice smell like garlic?

So if your ice smells like garlic there can be a variety of reasons behind this particular phenomenon. 

Improperly stored garlic

Firstly if you have stored peeled garlic in your freezer and that too in an uncovered box then the smell of the garlic can find its way to your ice cubes. As garlic is a really strong smelling food item therefore it can impact its smell as well as hints of its flavor in the ice. So care should be taken while storing the garlic in the freezer and it should always be stored in an airtight container or plastic zipper bag so that its smell won’t interfere with other food items present in the freezer.

Single evaporator

So if your ice maker is making the ice cubes having the smell of garlic in it, then a reason for that could be the presence of a single evaporator in your whole refrigerator. So what happens is that in order to keep the food fresh and cool in both the fridge and the freezer part, the air moves between both the compartments of the refrigerator.  By doing so it also carries the smell of various strong-smelling food items present in these parts. 

So if you have stored garlic in the fresh food compartment of a refrigerator that has a single evaporator then it means that when the air will move between the fresh food compartment and the freezer, it will also carry the smell of garlic with it, and that’s what makes your ice cubes smell like garlic.

You can read more about this here.

Is there some risk associated with using the ice smelling like garlic?

So using the ice that smells like garlic won’t harm you or cause health problems but frankly speaking who wants to utilize such foul-smelling ice. No one wants their lemonade, cocktail, or any other beverage to taste like garlic. So it’s better to get rid of it and use the proper measures to root out the cause of this very problem.

Other FAQs about Garlic which you may be interested in.

How long does peeled garlic last in the fridge?

Can garlic cure chlamydia?

How to get rid of the garlic smell in your ice?

Cleaning ice maker

So to get rid of that garlic smelling ice you should consider cleaning and refreshing your ice maker. 

1. So firstly you have to defrost all the ice present in the freezer. For doing that you should get all the items out of the freezer, turn it off and let it thaw.
2. Now take a lemon and roll it on the counter a few times while pressing it gently. Afterward cut the lemon into two halves.
3. Now take some baking soda on a plate.
4. Now take the half sliced lemon and coat its cut side generously with the baking soda present on the plate.
5. Now take this lemon and with the help of this, wipe and clean your ice maker. Moreover, you can also use a toothbrush for cleaning purposes. All you gotta do is to take a clean toothbrush and add some baking soda and lemon juice to it and then scrub your ice maker with it.
6. So once you have completely covered the ice maker with enough lemon and baking soda mixture, leave it for an hour and afterward clean it with the help of a damp sponge.
7.  So once you have thoroughly wiped away all the baking soda and lemon mixture from the ice maker with the help of a sponge, now it’s time to put it back in the freezer and turn it on.
8. You should wait a couple of hours before checking the quality (smell) of the new ice.

Store your foods properly

Apart from cleaning your ice maker, you should also try to store strong-smelling foods like fish, onion, garlic, etc. properly. The best way to store these strong-smelling food items is to pack them in an airtight container or a plastic zipper bag so that their smell won’t affect other food items present in your fridge or freezer.

Dual evaporator

So that seems like more of an expensive solution for your smelly ice problem but what you can do is to buy a dual evaporator fridge that has individual evaporators for both the fresh food compartment and the freezer. So there won’t be any air moving between both the compartments therefore any odor from your fresh food compartment won’t find its way to your ice.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we answered the question “why does my ice smell like garlic” with an in-depth analysis of the reason behind foul-smelling ice. Moreover, we discussed the ways by which you can save your ice from smelling like garlic.

Citations

https://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/smelly-ice-cubes-refrigerator/

https://www.hunker.com/13420343/how-to-use-a-lemon-to-refresh-your-refrigerator