How do you get rid of a bad smell in your dishwasher?

Question

We bought a house about two years ago and when we opened up the dishwasher it stunk. The dishwasher is not that old. The more we run it the less it smells, but it never really goes away. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Try to get Jet-Dry Dishwasher Cleaner, you pull the sticker off the top and put it inside your silverwear dispenser without any dishes in the washer and run your water closest to your dishwasher until it's hot and then run the dishwasher on the longest cycle, it gets the limescale, grease, and mineral deposits from the inside of the dishwasher. Also I use white vinegar in my prewash and in my wash cycle with a dishwashing tab and it makes my dishes super clean and no residue, also no smell. I had a foul odor inside mine for a while and I started putting the vinegar in with all my cycles and it keeps the buildup of junk to a minimum and once a month I use the jet-dry dishwasher cleaner and now it's clean and fresh all the time.

Answer 2

Check the filter to see if it is clogged, run a empty cycle with white vinegar, repeat if necessary.

Have your checked the manufacturer website as well? That might help.

Hopefully nothing is up in the dishwasher or surrounding cabinet housing that has died. If everything else doesn't work you may need to call a plumber or if you are handy, disconnected it and pull it out from the cabinet to check around in there.

Answer 3

There is a small strain where the water drains from your dishwasher. Sometimes tiny bits of food get trapped there. The strain needs to be cleaned off periodicallly. The dishwasher is probably doing it by itself since it smells less the more you use is.

Answer 4

Empty a package of Tang in your soap cup and run it through the wash and rinse cycle. May need to do it twice, but dishwasher should come out sparkling clean and fresh.

Answer 5

Try running it on the longest cycle with no dishes, add distilled vinegar and don't put any detergent in it. You can add baking soda as well. You should do this on a monthly basis for good maintenance.

Answer 6

Run some baking soda or white vinegar through it.

Answer 7

run a cycle of vinegar and baking soda, lots of it. A couple of times should do the trick.

Answer 8

Maybe do as you would with a coffee pot... run some vinegar through it on the next wash.

Answer 9

try using bleach or CIL those should help to clean out that smell if those dont work talk to a repair shop see what he thinks..

Answer 10

get a new one/ put lotsa lemon juice/ lemon washing liquid in and just turn it on without anything inside. it most likely will work.