How to remove odor from a dishwasher

After using the dishwasher for some time, some users complain of an unpleasant odor inside. In fact, the appearance of such a smell in most cases is associated with a lack of proper care, but there are also situations when the smell is caused by some kind of malfunction. It’s worth sorting this out, we’ll tell you how you can get rid of this problem.

Causes of odor

First, let's talk in more detail about the reasons that can cause unpleasant odors in the dishwasher. If the smell appears after several washes in a new dishwasher, then this smell most likely comes from low-quality plastic. In most cases, as users note, it goes away within a couple of weeks.

Most often, people complain about the appearance of a putrid odor, the smell of mold and sewage. This is where the question arises: why does it appear and how to get rid of it. The main reason for this smell is food residues inside the dishwasher. They can accumulate:

• in a mesh filter;
• in the drain hose;
• below under the door;
• on the rocker arms.

The cause of the unpleasant odor can be a small amount of water that remains after washing. If the dishwasher is not wiped and dried, and the door is closed tightly, an unpleasant odor will appear. Moreover, we note that moisture accumulates both at the bottom of the dishwasher and under the rubber seal.

Important! A sewer smell may occur if the drain hose is not connected correctly. The optimal connection of the dishwasher to the drain is through a siphon, which will trap odors.

Sometimes your dishwasher may smell like glue or melted plastic. The reason for this is non-compliance with the operating rules, that is, the user put a plastic product or a product with glued parts in the chamber to wash, and even chose a mode at high temperature. As a result, the plastic began to emit an odor.

If the smell of melted wires begins to appear in your machine, then you should not use the dishwasher anymore, because this is one of the signs of a breakdown. Along with the smell, the circuit breaker on the electrical panel may trip. This means that the dishwasher's electrical wiring has burned out, or the contacts of the heating element have burned out, which very often happens with Zanussi dishwashers. In this case it is only possible replacing heating element.

Ways to eliminate odors

Now it’s time to talk about how to eliminate the unpleasant smell of rot or mold that has appeared. Let's start with the fact that cannot be used to combat odors in the dishwasher, This:

• chlorine and chlorine-containing products;
• washing powder;
• cleaning products with abrasive particles.

This aggressive chemical will not help eliminate the smell in the car, but it will harm the metal parts. Over time, they can succumb to corrosion. But physical cleaning is where you should start in the fight against odor. First, rinse the mesh filter located at the bottom of the chamber, and then inspect the water sprinklers and rinse them too, paying attention to holes where food can get stuck.

Next, you should wash the walls and bottom of the washing chamber, perhaps residual fat has settled on them. To remove it, you need to take a soft cloth and water with a small amount of detergent. You also need to wash the rubber seal around the perimeter of the door.

Important! Do not use metal sponges or hard brushes to clean the dishwasher; they can damage the surface of the washing chamber.

Baking soda and vinegar remove odors well. To do this, first take one cup of white vinegar and place it in the bottom of the chamber of the empty machine. Then a long program is started at high temperature. Vinegar will perfectly absorb foreign odors, but it itself will leave a smell. Therefore, after vinegar, you can use soda. Take half a glass of baking soda and pour it into the bottom of the dishwasher, run a short program. At the initial stage of the appearance of the smell, you can get by with soda alone without vinegar.

If you don’t trust home methods, then purchase a special anti-grease and scale remover for your dishwasher. According to the instructions, wash the car with this product, and there will be no trace of the smell left. After any chemicals, the car needs to be washed several times with water, and then wiped with a dry cloth and the chamber ventilated.

For your information! Dishwasher fragrance works well against unpleasant odors, but it should be used only after eliminating the cause of the smell, otherwise there will be no effect.

If even after such cleaning the smell still appears, you will have to clean the drain hose. This is not a very convenient task, since you will have to move the car out of the niche. Then disconnect the hose, rinse it under running water and reconnect. Here we recommend checking the siphon and drain and, if necessary, rinsing them.

Prevention of occurrence

To prevent unpleasant “amber” from visiting your dishwasher in the future, you need to follow the operating rules:

• Before washing the dishes, it is necessary to thoroughly clean them of food residues;
• Wipe the car after washing with a dry cloth, inspect for the presence of grease, stuck pieces of food, let it dry thoroughly, moisture is a source of bacteria and, accordingly, unpleasant odors;
• regularly clean the machine from grease and scale using special products;
• do not forget to rinse the mesh filter, even if you clean your plates very well before eating;
• Do not keep dirty dishes in a closed machine for a long time; if you don’t have time to wash them, then at least use the rinse function and dishwasher fragrance, it will absorb odors.

So, keep your dishwasher clean so you don't have to deal with bad odors inside. After all, caring for a car is very simple and takes very little time.

3 reader comments

1. 02/03/2018 at 00:56

   Anna:

   There is a good remedy called odorgon, I used it to get rid of the unpleasant smell.

   Answer
   • 10/17/2018 at 00:50

     Valentina:

     I also use this product and it does its job well. And now they have released a new one, called OdorGone Home. It is generally universal. It is simply necessary in everyday life.

     Answer
   • 03.11.2018 at 02:19

     Valentina:

     Thanks for the advice, odorgon is truly an effective remedy. Only the seller recommended Odorgon Home to us for a dishwasher, he said that it was special, designed for such appliances. Well, what can I say – the smell disappeared almost immediately. I'm glad!

     Answer