How to keep dishwasher from smelling

[Anonymous]

I have tried everything and nothing seems to last for more than a few washes. I've tried Dishwasher magic, Finish dishwasher cleaner, Finish dishwasher booster (use every wash), and vinegar. After using these products the dishwasher smells better but it's only for a few more washes. Then the dishes start to stink again. I hate it! Please tell me what works for you. Can I run vinegar in every load with the dishes?

[Anonymous]

I want to know too. I've started putting in a scoop of oxiclean. It works okay but not great. Do you have an energy efficient DW? I do.

[Anonymous]

There's probably something caught in the drain that needs to be cleaned out. Check your manual for cleaning instructions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's probably something caught in the drain that needs to be cleaned out. Check your manual for cleaning instructions.

I agree with this. Also, I use vinegar instead of rinse aid for every wash. Natural rinse aid and helps kill odor and germs.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yes believe dishwasher is energy efficient. Will check out how to clean the drain, thanks PP.

15:48 - You just put vinegar where the Jet Dry would go?

[Anonymous]

I switched to Finish powder from liquids and packs (Cascade). My internet searches suggested that liquids, gels and packs don't properly dissolve and gum up the system. Definitely get in there and clean out the drain/filter in the bottom of the machine.

[Anonymous]

Are you talking about the swampy/wet dog smell? I smell it sometimes at my house. I believe that it is egg residue that causes this smell. I put an eggy pan through my dishwasher yesterday and as as soon as I opened the dishwasher...there it was...the wet dog smell.

I had to put in more detergent and run the entire cycle over again. This time, I also poured about a 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher. You could also try vodka. No swamp smell.

I have a new dishwasher, use a dishwasher cleaner 1x month and rinse aid and nice smelling dishwasher tabs.

[Anonymous]

15:52- That is helpful. I do use Finish tablets. Maybe the powder is better.

16:09- Yes that is the nasty smell!! We do eat a lot of eggs at my house so maybe that is part of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:52- That is helpful. I do use Finish tablets. Maybe the powder is better.

16:09- Yes that is the nasty smell!! We do eat a lot of eggs at my house so maybe that is part of it.

We get the same smell, and we don't eat eggs (DC is allergic). My guess has been poultry. Our dishwasher seems to smell the worst the morning after we've had chicken/turkey for dinner. It's awful.

FWIW, our dishwasher is new (1 year old) and the filter/drain is clear. Running an empty load with white vinegar helps sometimes. But not always. And the smell eventually comes back.

I'll try running it with white vinegar every cycle. I assume that's safe for the dishes?

[Anonymous]

How dirty are the dishes you put in? We gives our a quick scrub with a dish brush (the dishes, not the diswasher) so they're relatively debris-free when going in. No smell problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes believe dishwasher is energy efficient. Will check out how to clean the drain, thanks PP.

15:48 - You just put vinegar where the Jet Dry would go?

Yes, put the undiluted vinegar directly in the reservoir. I use the cascade tablets, alternating with my experiment to find a more natural detergent that doesn't leave a film (research continues). The only time my dishwasher has smelled is when stuff was caught in the drain catcher thing. I don't regularly run the clean cycle or use a bunch of chemicals. I do pre-rinse dishes pretty well.

[Anonymous]

Rinse your dishes before you wash them! And run your disposal before you run the dishwasher.

[Anonymous]

Baking soda. Pour some in the bottom of the dishwasher and run a load. Don't include vinegar unless you're looking for a science fair volcano experiment planned.

[Anonymous]

Do PPs happen to have a Bosch dw? Asking bc we had a kitchenaid that was perfect, redid our kitchen & got talked into replacing it w/ 2 Boschs. Well one is their top of the line & the other is midrange. The midrange stinks!!! I have had the Bosch repairman, my own appliance repairman & my plumber out. Everything is done correctly & nothing in the drain. It stinks. Bosch cust svc claims they've never heard of that as a problem but google Bosch dishwasher smells/stinks & there are full websites dedicated to it!

[Anonymous]

I had the same problem --

we've had this dishwasher for 8 years! It works fine but ... One day I was feeling around trying to find the source of the odor and I found a space inside the door on the bottom down near the hinge. So with the door open all the way flat I could stick my fingers under the plastic liner at the bottom about one inch and there was a huge amount of gunk up in there! Got it all out -- now I check it all the time and its pretty clean -- it must have just taken a long time to build up. Also check along the sides on the rubber seal strip - mine gets unky there too.