Your dishwasher might be a lifesaver when it comes to kitchen cleanliness, but even the best cleaning tools need some TLC from time to time. A very clear sign that you need to clean your dishwasher is a bad smell. Your dishwasher should be a clean and efficient machine, and should definitely not smell like rotten food, burnt plastic, or even sewage.
The good news is that most unpleasant odours can be dealt with quickly, easily, and sometimes without professional help. Read on to learn more about the common causes of bad dishwasher smells, what you can do to fix them, and how to help avoid them in future.
Possible Causes of a Smelly Dishwasher
So, why does your dishwasher smell? It could be caused by a few different things. The most likely culprit of a bad odour is food. Food debris can get trapped in lots of different parts of your dishwasher, which causes an unpleasant smell as the food breaks down. Food can often get stuck in your dishwasher’s filter and drain, but it can also get lodged in parts of your machine that are harder to access, like the drain hose.
Another potential cause of bad smells is mould or mildew. Mould grows quickly in damp, warm, and dark environments, making the inside of your dishwasher the perfect breeding ground. It is more likely to develop if you don’t use your dishwasher for a longer period of time, such as during a holiday, or if you leave standing water inside your dishwasher. Mould and mildew can develop in any part of the machine if it is not cared for properly.
Finally, plastic items can get burnt during cleaning cycles, which can also cause bad smells in your dishwasher. Some plastic items, even if they are dishwasher safe, can be burnt if you are washing at higher temperatures than the plastic can handle, or if the plastic is positioned too close to a heating element.
How Can I Determine What Is Making My Dishwasher Smell?
The first step in dealing with any bad smells coming from inside your dishwasher is to figure out what might be causing it. Luckily, there is an easy way to tell what is causing the problem - by using the smell itself.
Food debris stuck somewhere in your dishwasher will smell like, well, rotting food! The smell will be particularly bad for foods like eggs, meat, or dairy. If the smell is more like sewage, you most likely have a serious clog in your dishwasher’s drain line. Mould or mildew will typically smell musty, similar to rotting vegetables.
How to Eliminate Odour from Your Dishwasher
Some dishwasher smells can be dealt with using household cleaning products and a single wash cycle, while others may need to be solved by a professional. You may need to try a few different tactics to completely solve the problem. Read on to learn how you can fix bad smells coming from your dishwasher’s filter, drain, and pipes.
Odour from Dirty Filter
Your dishwasher’s filter catches a lot of food on a daily basis, so it’s no surprise that it can get pretty smelly from time to time. If your dishwasher’s bad smell is coming from its filter, the good news is that it is super easy to clean. Before cleaning the filter, check your dishwasher’s manual for more information. The filter on a manual dishwasher can usually be found under the bottom dish rack. Once you have removed the filter, by turning the housing counterclockwise and pulling it up, you can easily remove the mesh. Clean it with soap and water, return it to the housing, and run a cycle. Make sure you clean your dishwasher’s filter monthly to help avoid future problems.
Odour from Clogged Drain
A rotting food smell can also be caused by a clog in your dishwasher’s drain. The drain is located in the bottom of your dishwasher. Inspect the area for any signs of food or blockages, and remove anything you can see with your hands. Check your dishwasher manual to learn how to unblock the internal parts of your dishwasher’s drain. To help prevent grease and limescale buildup, try using an internal cleaner like Finish Dishwasher Deep Cleaner Liquid to regularly clean the hidden parts of your dishwasher.
Plastic Odour
The first step to getting rid of a plastic smell is to remove any remaining burnt plastic. Make sure any debris has completely cooled down before using your fingers or a blunt tool (that is not used for food prep) to scrape away any remaining plastic. If you can still smell burning plastic, try placing a small bowl filled with baking soda inside your dishwasher and leave it to deodorise overnight.
Sewage Odour
If you have tried cleaning your dishwasher’s filter and drain and are still noticing a bad smell, similar to sewage or a wet dog, then you may be dealing with a blockage in one of the hidden parts of your dishwasher- the drain hose. If this becomes clogged, bent, or is positioned too low, wastewater can be washed back into your dishwasher, causing bad odours. Access the drain hose behind the machine, after turning the power and water off, and check for any problems with the hose. If there is a substantial clog or serious damage, you will need a professional’s help to fix it.
How Finish Can Help
Getting your dishwasher clean again is possible with Finish. As we know, wash after wash, limescale, grease and grime can build up in hidden parts of your dishwasher, from its pipes and spray arms to its filter. Finish Dishwasher Cleaners help deliver a deep clean of your dishwasher, and work to remove this likely build up of grease. Thanks to is powerful dual-layer formula, Finish Dishwasher Deep Cleaner delivers 2x better grease and limescale removal for a more hygienic clean (vs Finish All in 1 Tablets alone).
