Dishwasher smells bad
by
Kay
+4
I can't find any food items in the bottom of the dishwasher. We have alot of lime in our water. I have tried putting pieces of lemon or lime in it but does not eliminate the odor. I don't want to damage in interior of my new dishwasher!
7 answers
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I have the same problem. I believe the units are sealed so tightly it allows moisture to stay in. I leave the door open not locked tight and that solved the problem for me.
James Ford
on Jun 12, 2013
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I run vinegar through mine occasionally after I wipe it down. Smells great afterwards!
Lianne Coates
on Jun 13, 2013
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Kay your not alone with this type of issue. Quite often water quality and hardness play a big role in the performance of dishwashers and their ability to clean and to smell fresh. Sometimes the filters located below the round disk below the bottom rack gets plugged with old dish debris. Sometimes also smaller plastic wrap parts that were torn off plates and bowls and such may have partly blocked the drain screen trapping debris in the screen that you may not even see. In any case I understand your issue. The first thing you need to do is to carefully check the inlet screen at the bottom of the unit. Remove the dish racks and using a mirror and flashlight check all the way around that round disk shaped thing on the bottom of the machine. The mirror will help you to not having to climb into the machine to see the back side of the drain area. Once your sure that nothing is blocking the screen you want to put everything back and run the machine on a full cycle using Finish Dishwasher Cleaner. http://www.finishdishwashing.com/products/enhancers/dishwasher-cleaner/ This product will remove odors and lime scale in the spray arms and in all the other hidden and open areas of the machine. The stuff works really well if you have hard water in the house also. Our machine was smelly and the dishes were cloudy causing us to have to rewash again and again but to no avail in removing the cloudy look. After running this through my machine a few times and then using the Finish all in one dish washing soap. After a few washings all our dishes and glasses are clear as new and the odor has not returned. A few other things can be causing the odor as well. This has to do with the drain pipe that connects from the machine to the drain. First off you must have the drain pipe come up from the bottom of the machine to up and over the highest part of the machine then back down to the drain connection. The next thing is you need an air gap device. This can be simply one that is seen often in older homes as that shiny chrome device on the sink or the machine hose connected to the drain pipe under the sink before the trap. The air gap device is there to prevent complete siphoning of the water out of the machine once its done doing the dishes. If that occurs odors will come up and out of the pipes producing perhaps what you smell. Never simply allow the drain pipe to run across the bottom of the machine into the basement then connect tight to the drain sewage system. Not sanitary and will produce the odors your having.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Jun 13, 2013
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I'm with Lianne..I run vinegar through mine, but I put it in the bottom before I run it with a load of dishes. I go ahead and use Cascade and wash like I always do, but the vinegar at the bottom, about 2 cups, cleans the dishes better and runs through the entire washer and pipes. It also cuts some of the build-up in the pipes you can't see. Some of the issues are actually the pipes. Ever smell and see the yuk that comes up through the sinks when you are running the dishwasher? Take a day a week and run hot water into your sink for 5 minutes then add baking soda and vinegar...this cleans out the build-up. After it sets 10 minutes, flush with hot water again. Soon, you won't have the smell because you're hitting it from all angles. xoxo
Junk Gypsee
on Jun 13, 2013
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Thank you, I will use all ur suggestions!
Kay
on Jun 13, 2013
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I have a trick that has worked well for me. If you use vinegar as the rinse it will clean out anything that is in your rinse holder. The dishes come out cleaner and glasses don't look smoky, they actually shine. Sometimes it takes three or four times to wash out all the junk.
Pamela Nelson
on Jun 14, 2013
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I moved into a house that was not to clean.. we scrubbed and painted everything.. For the dishwasher, it had slime under under the gasket : for sanitation,,,, I poured 1 C. bleach into the bottom and ran it off W/O any soap.. I wiped the entire inside after. Now that I know its clean, I do use the vinegar trick to keep it that way. Especially since I don't run the dishes that often.. I wouldn't do the bleach on a regular basis, it may not be great for the gaskets in done all the time.
Wanda sinnema
on Jun 30, 2015
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