Dishwasher smell

[Rinceyourrice]

Full disclosure : my family say I have 'a thing' about this and it's not really a problem.

There a very specific dishwasher smell. I can sometimes smell it on cleaned plates and bowls, and I can't bear to use them. The dishwasher itself smells. I regularly clean the bit out.

New dishwasher. But it was the same with the old one.

What is the smell? Any way to avoid it?

Are you regularly using a dishwasher cleaner and rinsing the worst off the plates/pans etc before you put them in ?

Yes rinsing everything off.

No, not using specific dishwasher cleaner. I didn't know that was a thing.

Yes, I occasionally take the filter out and clean it, then run a cycle with a dishwasher cleaner.

Apparently you shouldnt do this as it stops the dishwasher working properly.

OP, this smell is common and it's the reason a lot of people do not use dishwashers. Older people and some cultural backgrounds see them as the devil (or a place to store plates!).

Here is one idea - https://www.needanewdishwasher.co.uk/guides/common-dishwasher-problems-solutions/how-to-stop-your-dishwasher-leaving-a-lingering-smell-or-unpleasant-odour

Yes I know the smell and want to know how to get rid of it!

Id describe the smell like when the kids have been out to play on a bit of a autumn day and they come back smelling of the outside. I can't describe the word in English but there is a word for it in the other language I speak!

If I don’t rinse when I have something like curry/chilli/pasta sauce I end up with a type of grit on top of the mugs, so despite what the all knowing dishwasher scientists say, I will continue to rinse before I put dirty things in.

We’ve had this problem for years on and off. It can be bad, like a wet dog smell left on plates. I’ve tried everything- from a new dishwasher to flaps in the drain outside. Our latest trick which seems to work is to never wash anything in it that has had egg on- wash all that by hand. Apparently it’s something about the egg reacting with hot water. And run a cleaner through it approximately monthly.

Rinsing before putting in the dishwasher totally baffles me. Why have a dishwasher at all? If you’ve scraped and then rinsed you’ve pretty much washed up already. I know that smell you’re referring to, OP, as I hate it too. I used to think it was the washing tablets but I’ve used various ones and it makes no difference. I think it might be to do with the water supply composition, as it’s variable. For me, it lingers on the crockery but the machine itself doesn’t smell (it’s quite new).

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3923969-Does-egg-make-your-dishwasher-smell

No I agree and do, too. I think a lot of these tests they do on dishwashers are on brand new machines. It might be true the first couple of times but that's it.

I personally think they smell damp. I lessened the smell by not concealing it in a unit and leaving the door open when not in use. It has worked to some degree.

Perhaps having a dishwasher isn't for me.

I absolutely know the smell you mean. I've noticed that it's not just our dishwasher I've noticed it at work.
For some reason it reminds me of pigeon shit... I don't know why🤢 🤷‍♂️ I regularly have to rinse all the plates before I can use them.

Put dishwasher salts in it once a week and it won’t smell. I buy big bags and just throw a cup into the machine and run on an intense wash. Mine never smells. Make sure to clean the filter too.

Do you physically clean round behind the door seal, wash out the debris filter and the spray arms, or just run a cleaning cycle? I used to be amazed at how much gunk builds up behind the door seal.

@PersephoneParlormaid I used to get that gritty residue if the rinse aid had run out - the display stopped working properly on my last dishwasher so you couldn’t see the indicator to say it had run out.

Are you cleaning the filter once a week? Are you topping up the rinse aid regularly as well as the salt? Try running a dishwasher cleaner too. I try to do one every two months or so but often forget unless the dreaded smell arrives

Yes when I was pregnant and had hg I physically couldn't be near the dishwasher without the smell making me sick.
I clean it all but it's a wet dog smell. Interesting about egg as we eat a lot of them
I use lidl dishwasher cleaner. When my washing machine us smelly I use side crystals, I wonder if there's similar for dishwashers?
I'll never go back to hand washing, smelly plates or not

I take the filter apart and rinse it off after every cycle, it only takes a few seconds. It's always pretty disgusting so I imagine the dishwasher would smell if I didn't.

I never wash eggy things in the dishwasher and I never wash anything that has contained mashed potato.
I use a dishwasher cleaner and descaler occasionally.

I’ve been wanting to post this same thing! I find it a bit of an eggy smell… (I don’t eat meringue, but had a bit the other day and it tasted like the smell! 😆) it’s not every wash. It’s been happening years… 4 different dishwashers in 3 different houses. Our current house we installed a water softener but that hasn’t made any difference. When I open the dishwasher to empty, I smell the plates now and if the smell is there I put the machine back on a quick 30 minute wash and this usually helps.

once a year ish, I take all the racks onto the back lawn and spray them with the hose. They are full of crud. Also scrub the filter basket every month or so in my dreams.

Yes they are s couple of £s but the cheapest the branded ones are just the same.

You need to clean the full thing including the filter and the plastic spinning bits weekly I’m afraid plus use hg dishwasher odour powder in with the dishwasher tablet bit!

Use vinegar instead of rinse aid.

If the smell persists, sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda (separate cycle, don’t mix the vinegar and bicarbonate).

I have found that in life, there are few problems that can’t be solved with a bit of vinegar.

i just run it again. the smell gets washed away.

one time i was about demented as it took six runs. goodness knows how much that cost.

i put dishwasher cleaner in regularly now and it does help.