How To Fix a Smelly Dishwasher

The dishwasher plays an important role to keeping your kitchen looking clean. You’ve cooked and eaten your dinner; all the dirty plates and cutlery are in the dishwasher and your kitchen is looking spotless. You can’t help but notice everything looks clean but there’s an awful smell coming from your dishwasher. You assume that your dishwasher is clean if it’s cleaning your plates and cutlery? Well, no, not really - your dishwasher can get dirty and start to smell for a number of different reasons. Read below about 4 ways to get rid of that nasty smell coming from your dishwasher.

1: Wash the inside/interior walls of the dishwasher and racks

The first thing you can do is give your appliance a good clean. You may be getting a bad smell simply because of the grime that has collected throughout the inside of the dishwasher. Remove the racks, as they will just get in your way. Use a rag with some hot soapy water to scrub the interior walls, this can be a hard job if the grime has been there for a long time. A textured rag may help with scrubbing.

Once you have done the inside of the dishwasher it’s a good idea to quickly soak the racks in hot water while you can. Its unlikely the racks have anything to do with the smell, however cleaning them takes minutes.

2: Clean the drain filter

If your dishwasher is giving off a bad odour, the drain filter could potentially be the reason. The drain filter can collect food particles, meaning over time it can become very dirty. You should have a detachable filter where all of the water drains, you will need to remove this filter by removing the bottom rack and twisting it out. Wash the filter with soap and hot water then place back in to the dishwasher.

3: Place a cup of distilled white vinegar in the top rack of the dishwasher

This is one of the most popular ways of getting rid of any bad smells coming from your appliance. Of course, make sure there is nothing in the dishwasher whilst cleaning using this method. Even though vinegar itself has an interesting smell, the acid in vinegar is good for removing bad odours. Place a cup of distilled white vinegar on the top of rack of the dishwasher and run a cleaning cycle.

Once you have done this, it is a good idea to then go with the baking soda method. Sprinkle a cup of baking soda over the bottom of the dishwasher. Baking soda is another product well known for removing bad odours. Run another short cycle, make sure the water is at the hottest setting to ensure all the baking soda dissolves.

After you have done these two steps, your dishwasher should be smelling fresh and clean.

4: Clean the spray arm

The spray arm can also get clogged up with food, just like the drain filter. If the spray arm gets clogged, it loses the ability to clean the items properly. The debris also leads to the bad smell coming from your dishwasher. Remove both the upper and lower spray arms and remove any food particles over the sink. Run water through both spray arms to ensure all holes are clear.

We hope by reading this article you have learned something new and are now educated on how to remove any bad smells coming from your dishwasher. Don’t forget that here at Smart-Cover we offerdishwasher insurancefrom just £6.29 p/m. Get a quote today.

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Top dishwasher cleaning tips include regularly cleaning the filter, running an empty cycle with vinegar, and wiping down the interior and door gasket to maintain optimal performance and hygiene.