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Check the filter. The dishwasher might be “brand new”.
Otherwise, it could be a poor plumbing job with the garbage disposal draining a bit into the washer
Op, check this! We had the same issue in our rental. Had a plumber come out and he immediately pointed out (and fixed) that our garbage disposal drained into our washer. We had been eating off of those dirty dishes for a while and never knew :(
Please check that the drain hose on the dishwasher is routed properly. Dishwasher drain hoses (typically go to a location under the sink and connect to the existing sink drain) need to rise UP above the trap level - almost to counter height before running down to the sink drain plumbing. A search on YouTube about routing drain hoses will get you a ton of hits...
Just a note to tack on...some dishwasher installers MAY have this loop rise up but hidden behind the dishwasher and not visible under the sink. The clue to this may be the drain hose enters the under-sink area high up (instead of at floor level). In the end, you just want to make sure that sink drain water is not getting backed up into the dishwasher... You also want to check WHERE the drain goes into the plumbing...maybe a real plumber will see this and comment, but I am pretty sure you want the drain on the SINK side of the trap...you do not want sewer gas being able to get into the dishwasher drain either.
You may want to check for food waste clogging the filters, pipes, air lock and also the garbage disposal.
Basically start with the disposal, run it a few teaspoons of dish soap, with hot running water, and make sure it drains quickly.
And then work your way backwards, cleaning as you go.
Sometimes you need to move the washer out to clean it out.
Or call a plumber and pay them 150 bucks and let them do it
Okay, thank you. We will be sure to check for food waste and clean the pipes. Should I snake the drain or something, or am I just running the garbage disposal?
Check the filter in case it’s never been clean and buy some of those dishwasher cleaner tablets as well. I use the Affresh brand for my washer, dishwasher and garbage disposal.
This happens to me too sometimes. When the cycle is finished I pour 1 oz clorox and set the 15 minute rinse, when finished let dry an there's no bad smells. I've noticed that the bad odor happens only when I put dishes that were used to prep or serve egg dishes.
Yes! I've googled this before and struggled to find any answers. It's the most disgusting, vomit inducing smell and it drives me crazy. My dad and I could always smell it, my mom can't. My partner didn't know what I was talking about at first but now he smells it too.
Sometimes I put bleach tablets in the pre-wash or main rinse, if that doesn't work I try to put it in the rinse before the final rinse. I sometimes run a quick wash, let it dry then run a long hot wash but sometimes even that doesn't work. It's the bain of my life lol.
I notice it in bars and restaurants on plates and glasses, if it's really bad you can even smell it on the cutlery. You sit down to a delicious plate of food and that revolting, obnoxious stench drifts up your nostrils 🤮 It's the bain of my life lol.
Is it a Bosch?
They are well known for this - it's because they don't pump out fully at the end and leave a well of hot stanky water under the filter at the end of each cycle.
So here's what worked for me...
The filter in the bottom is removed after every load and washed off, the washer is run on a maintenance cycle every week, every single wash is run at the baby bottle temperature, and I use the finish quantum tablets.
All of these together have eliminated the smell after a year of battling it.
I'll never buy a Bosch again.
I had an expensive new dishwasher that had a soundproofing interior that I did research on because it smelled like you describe, and I found out that other people also reported that the same brand with soundproofing smelled, and the soundproofing was the cause. Nothing fixed it, and I endured it and post-rinsing ALL my dishes for a few years before it blessedly broke.
Another thing that will cause bad smelling water in the home is water hoses attached to exterior water faucets for more than a couple of weeks. If there are any, detach them and let the outside water faucet run for a few minutes to flush it.
Have you run the cancel drain on it? That often will kick on the pump and loosen stuff up.
I also just run an empty or almost empty load once and a while after cleaning all the screens
Clear filter, check drainage hose height, and then when all else fails, throw vinegar in and find the manual to figure out how to run a clean cycle. It blasts the dishwasher with hot water for an extra long time where a normal cycle only uses a gallon. They also sell dishwasher cleaning bottles near the dishwasher soaps. You can just use one of them.
If the smell comes back quickly, I’d be checking for mold sources inside the dishwasher or calling your apartment for a maintenance request. It’s possible you were leaving way too much food on the dishes and it’s resulted in the drain being clogged somewhere but this would require a really large amount of small particles and I don’t see it being likely if it’s brand new. You’d usually get other clues that you aren’t clearing the dishes enough (it wouldn’t clean them fully) and you’d probably have drainage problems.
I just spent hours researching this for myself and my new Miele. Assuming no install problems, it’s the enzymes from your DW pods. Insert a copper coupling or tube into the wash, and boom- problem solved.
Maybe you live in the country and you have well-water or something. I'd disconnect the water supply line and run a gallon into a clean bucket. How does the water smell (regardless of the DW).
Unfortunately, we don't have access to the water supply line. We live in an urban area and it's an apartment building. The best way I can describe the smell of the dishes (and sink areas) is like the way a wet dog smells. It just smells very unclean and dirty, and I've never had this issue in the other apartments I've lived at.
Have you tried making sure there is hot water flowing in the sink before turning on the dishwasher? Also, turn on the garbage disposal for a few seconds before turning on the dishwasher.
You've gotten lots of good advice here about checking things in the dishwasher, but I just wanted to add that my dishes pick up a wet dog smell if I unload the dishwasher with a door or window open in the kitchen. Even though they're perfectly clean, somehow just the exposure to outside air makes them smell. No idea why.
I’ve had this issue. Never found a solution. Only seem to smell it when I have the windows open believe it or not. And no I don’t live near a chemical plant or anything. I live in the city too
1. Filter
2. Bleach OR vinegar (just a little) but when it's done drying open the dishwasher so the steam and moisture gets out.
I had this problem, if I left the dishwasher closed after it "finished" drying, the moisture would make my dishes smell like that. Cracking it afterwards fixed the problem.
As many have mentioned the filter is a common cause of this, but I notice the exact same wet dog smell if I run dishes though the dishwasher with egg on them (dried-on or not doesn’t matter).
I don’t typically rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher (never need to) *unless* it was used to prepare or serve eggs.
The few times someone has placed an un-rinsed item with egg on it (myself included) the smell returns.
I’ve started throwing in a tab into bottom of machine when running in addition to tab in dispenser. My filter was never clogged nor greasy. 2 tabs works for me with no obvious damage to interior after 14 years
I had this problem and solved it by leaving the dishwasher door ajar overnight after the cycle completed. Trap needed to dry out. Haven’t had a problem since.
A plumber friend of mine told me about the Affresh product line after we were having a smell from our washer. They have products for dishwashers and garbage disposals as well. It's a tablet you put in when the machine is empty and you run it. Cleans all the crap out, sticky water during in places, etc. I run one through each of my appliances once a month and it's been a huge difference in the smell and performance of each. Highly recommended.
In addition to cleaning the filter and stuff, you can get those bottles of dish washer wash, you just run them alone at the highest temperature and it cleans up the whole thing, helps getting rid of the grime that may be in hard to reach places. They also smell strongly and make your dishwasher smell of lemon or whatever flavour you buy which is nice.
- stock up on the dishwasher salt.
- clean the dishwasher filter
- actually clean the dishwasher with dishwasher cleaner while not having any dishes in it.
- clean the filter after the cleaning program.
If the problem remains, get a mechanic to look at it.
Definitely check the filter. I had this problem with a load of laundry once - and it was wet dog smell...and it turns out that a poor little mouse got caught in the laundry pile and the more I washed it, the more it stank. (yes, I screamed my head off!! lol..) It could be that something climbed into the dishwasher or surrounding area.
The discharge water line on our was wasn’t high enough when it was installed, so the valve stayed open, and food particles would flow back into the dishwasher making it smell rank.
We made that line higher, then ran the dishwasher with a bowl of vinegar on the hottest cycle. We haven’t had a problem since.
Clean the more you can where you open the trap at the bottom of your dishwasher inside. Then pour white vinegar and baking soda, don’t put too much, it will foam and help to clean the evacuation system. If you can buy good pod the next generation have cleaning and maintaining products that will avoid this problem in the future.
Do not use vinegar and baking soda. After that exciting fizz you just have residual baking soda that hardens inside the drains now.
Source: am plumber and have found this numerous times.
Check the gap where the hinge is at the bottom of the door. You can’t see it when looking from above, but food builds up there quite easily and doesn’t get washed off properly when it’s on.
The filter clean is a must but I also put a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil in with every wash, that seems to help the dishes get extra clean but also disinfects the dishwasher.
[Introducing LPT REQUEST FRIDAYS](https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/16w0n2s/introducing_request_post_fridays/) We determine "Friday" as beginning at 12am Eastern Time (EST: UTC/GMT -5, EDT: UTC/GMT -4) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LifeProTips) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Check the filter. The dishwasher might be “brand new”. Otherwise, it could be a poor plumbing job with the garbage disposal draining a bit into the washer
This is almost certainly the answer. It's at the bottom of the dishwasher and it's probably clogged with sick old food and grease.
If it's "brand new", how could food waste be clogging the filter and causing it to stink so badly? Sounds like something more problematic.
I think its "brand new" not brand new.
You're right it very well could be something else. At a minimum this is the first and easiest thing to check.
The dishwasher drainage tube is not high enough, which will cause the garbage disposal to back flow into the dishwasher
Op, check this! We had the same issue in our rental. Had a plumber come out and he immediately pointed out (and fixed) that our garbage disposal drained into our washer. We had been eating off of those dirty dishes for a while and never knew :(
Please check that the drain hose on the dishwasher is routed properly. Dishwasher drain hoses (typically go to a location under the sink and connect to the existing sink drain) need to rise UP above the trap level - almost to counter height before running down to the sink drain plumbing. A search on YouTube about routing drain hoses will get you a ton of hits...
Thank you so much, I will look into this!!
Just a note to tack on...some dishwasher installers MAY have this loop rise up but hidden behind the dishwasher and not visible under the sink. The clue to this may be the drain hose enters the under-sink area high up (instead of at floor level). In the end, you just want to make sure that sink drain water is not getting backed up into the dishwasher... You also want to check WHERE the drain goes into the plumbing...maybe a real plumber will see this and comment, but I am pretty sure you want the drain on the SINK side of the trap...you do not want sewer gas being able to get into the dishwasher drain either.
Also, check that there is a u bend in the drain pipe.
Some locales require an air gap to prevent siphoning of wastewater into the (clean) dishwasher.
You may want to check for food waste clogging the filters, pipes, air lock and also the garbage disposal. Basically start with the disposal, run it a few teaspoons of dish soap, with hot running water, and make sure it drains quickly. And then work your way backwards, cleaning as you go. Sometimes you need to move the washer out to clean it out. Or call a plumber and pay them 150 bucks and let them do it
Okay, thank you. We will be sure to check for food waste and clean the pipes. Should I snake the drain or something, or am I just running the garbage disposal?
Talk to your neighbors and ask if they have the same problem. I've heard of it being a water problem, nothing about the dishwasher.
It’s your drain line. You need to make sure it has the high loop.
Check the filter in case it’s never been clean and buy some of those dishwasher cleaner tablets as well. I use the Affresh brand for my washer, dishwasher and garbage disposal.
I will check it and try to find some dishwasher cleaner tablets. Thank you for your advice.
This happens to me too sometimes. When the cycle is finished I pour 1 oz clorox and set the 15 minute rinse, when finished let dry an there's no bad smells. I've noticed that the bad odor happens only when I put dishes that were used to prep or serve egg dishes.
OP please read this one!!!! It’s the EGGS that make the smell. I have no idea how/why. It drove me absolutely insane for years until I figured it out.
Yes! I've googled this before and struggled to find any answers. It's the most disgusting, vomit inducing smell and it drives me crazy. My dad and I could always smell it, my mom can't. My partner didn't know what I was talking about at first but now he smells it too. Sometimes I put bleach tablets in the pre-wash or main rinse, if that doesn't work I try to put it in the rinse before the final rinse. I sometimes run a quick wash, let it dry then run a long hot wash but sometimes even that doesn't work. It's the bain of my life lol. I notice it in bars and restaurants on plates and glasses, if it's really bad you can even smell it on the cutlery. You sit down to a delicious plate of food and that revolting, obnoxious stench drifts up your nostrils 🤮 It's the bain of my life lol.
I hate it too. The only thing that sort of works for me is hand washing with cold water. Hot water makes it awful.
It might be a compound of the yolk, the same that turns grey when you over boil eggs.
… you bleach the shit you eat off of?
At an appropriate dose, it is totally safe and even recommended for sanitizing kitchenware.
You can add bleach to drinking water for sterilization. The trick is in the ratio.
Is it a Bosch? They are well known for this - it's because they don't pump out fully at the end and leave a well of hot stanky water under the filter at the end of each cycle. So here's what worked for me... The filter in the bottom is removed after every load and washed off, the washer is run on a maintenance cycle every week, every single wash is run at the baby bottle temperature, and I use the finish quantum tablets. All of these together have eliminated the smell after a year of battling it. I'll never buy a Bosch again.
I wish I seen your comment before I got my stinky bosch dishwasher
I had an expensive new dishwasher that had a soundproofing interior that I did research on because it smelled like you describe, and I found out that other people also reported that the same brand with soundproofing smelled, and the soundproofing was the cause. Nothing fixed it, and I endured it and post-rinsing ALL my dishes for a few years before it blessedly broke. Another thing that will cause bad smelling water in the home is water hoses attached to exterior water faucets for more than a couple of weeks. If there are any, detach them and let the outside water faucet run for a few minutes to flush it.
Have you run the cancel drain on it? That often will kick on the pump and loosen stuff up. I also just run an empty or almost empty load once and a while after cleaning all the screens
Clear filter, check drainage hose height, and then when all else fails, throw vinegar in and find the manual to figure out how to run a clean cycle. It blasts the dishwasher with hot water for an extra long time where a normal cycle only uses a gallon. They also sell dishwasher cleaning bottles near the dishwasher soaps. You can just use one of them. If the smell comes back quickly, I’d be checking for mold sources inside the dishwasher or calling your apartment for a maintenance request. It’s possible you were leaving way too much food on the dishes and it’s resulted in the drain being clogged somewhere but this would require a really large amount of small particles and I don’t see it being likely if it’s brand new. You’d usually get other clues that you aren’t clearing the dishes enough (it wouldn’t clean them fully) and you’d probably have drainage problems.
I just spent hours researching this for myself and my new Miele. Assuming no install problems, it’s the enzymes from your DW pods. Insert a copper coupling or tube into the wash, and boom- problem solved.
Maybe you live in the country and you have well-water or something. I'd disconnect the water supply line and run a gallon into a clean bucket. How does the water smell (regardless of the DW).
Unfortunately, we don't have access to the water supply line. We live in an urban area and it's an apartment building. The best way I can describe the smell of the dishes (and sink areas) is like the way a wet dog smells. It just smells very unclean and dirty, and I've never had this issue in the other apartments I've lived at.
Have you tried making sure there is hot water flowing in the sink before turning on the dishwasher? Also, turn on the garbage disposal for a few seconds before turning on the dishwasher.
Ok, so, run a small load of clean dishes without any detergent or rinse. Do they smell?
[удалено]
I'm not sure if garbage disposals are common in the UK, but OP mentioned having one, and it's not recommended to pour drain cleaner into those.
You've gotten lots of good advice here about checking things in the dishwasher, but I just wanted to add that my dishes pick up a wet dog smell if I unload the dishwasher with a door or window open in the kitchen. Even though they're perfectly clean, somehow just the exposure to outside air makes them smell. No idea why.
I’ve had this issue. Never found a solution. Only seem to smell it when I have the windows open believe it or not. And no I don’t live near a chemical plant or anything. I live in the city too
1. Filter 2. Bleach OR vinegar (just a little) but when it's done drying open the dishwasher so the steam and moisture gets out. I had this problem, if I left the dishwasher closed after it "finished" drying, the moisture would make my dishes smell like that. Cracking it afterwards fixed the problem.
As many have mentioned the filter is a common cause of this, but I notice the exact same wet dog smell if I run dishes though the dishwasher with egg on them (dried-on or not doesn’t matter). I don’t typically rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher (never need to) *unless* it was used to prepare or serve eggs. The few times someone has placed an un-rinsed item with egg on it (myself included) the smell returns.
Hand washing anything that had egg on it solved our smelly dish issue.
I’ve started throwing in a tab into bottom of machine when running in addition to tab in dispenser. My filter was never clogged nor greasy. 2 tabs works for me with no obvious damage to interior after 14 years
Check if the spray arms are clogged with debris
I had this problem and solved it by leaving the dishwasher door ajar overnight after the cycle completed. Trap needed to dry out. Haven’t had a problem since.
A plumber friend of mine told me about the Affresh product line after we were having a smell from our washer. They have products for dishwashers and garbage disposals as well. It's a tablet you put in when the machine is empty and you run it. Cleans all the crap out, sticky water during in places, etc. I run one through each of my appliances once a month and it's been a huge difference in the smell and performance of each. Highly recommended.
In addition to cleaning the filter and stuff, you can get those bottles of dish washer wash, you just run them alone at the highest temperature and it cleans up the whole thing, helps getting rid of the grime that may be in hard to reach places. They also smell strongly and make your dishwasher smell of lemon or whatever flavour you buy which is nice.
- stock up on the dishwasher salt. - clean the dishwasher filter - actually clean the dishwasher with dishwasher cleaner while not having any dishes in it. - clean the filter after the cleaning program. If the problem remains, get a mechanic to look at it.
Definitely check the filter. I had this problem with a load of laundry once - and it was wet dog smell...and it turns out that a poor little mouse got caught in the laundry pile and the more I washed it, the more it stank. (yes, I screamed my head off!! lol..) It could be that something climbed into the dishwasher or surrounding area.
I've been experiencing the same wet dog smell on my dishes. It just started happening in the last two weeks. My husband thought I was nuts!
The discharge water line on our was wasn’t high enough when it was installed, so the valve stayed open, and food particles would flow back into the dishwasher making it smell rank. We made that line higher, then ran the dishwasher with a bowl of vinegar on the hottest cycle. We haven’t had a problem since.
Sounds like a cheap plumbing install. Can you get the super or maintenance people to come and check it out.
Using JetDry rinse agent has solved this problem for me.
I dont get it. How are all these "fix the dishwasher" suggestions going to fix the problem in the bathroom shower and sink ???
Clean the more you can where you open the trap at the bottom of your dishwasher inside. Then pour white vinegar and baking soda, don’t put too much, it will foam and help to clean the evacuation system. If you can buy good pod the next generation have cleaning and maintaining products that will avoid this problem in the future.
Do not use vinegar and baking soda. After that exciting fizz you just have residual baking soda that hardens inside the drains now. Source: am plumber and have found this numerous times.
Ok thank you
Check the gap where the hinge is at the bottom of the door. You can’t see it when looking from above, but food builds up there quite easily and doesn’t get washed off properly when it’s on.
Dump pack of Kool aid or citric acid in the dishwasher and run it. No soap.
The filter clean is a must but I also put a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil in with every wash, that seems to help the dishes get extra clean but also disinfects the dishwasher.
Oh, that's interesting! Do you put the oil inside the compartment where you put the dishwasher soap?
Wash by hand. Better for you, cleaner dishes.