stinky dishwasher

[alicia622]

BLECH!!!

Last year we bought a new dishwasher- it's very nice and fancy however, it STINKS after a day or so of not running a cycle. We usually wash dishes every couple of days. I don't want to run it more than we need to but I do want to have it not stink up the house when you open the door. Our old dishwasher never did this. I poured a bunch of baking soda into the bottom of it after I enptied the last batch but I don't know if it will really work or not. It still has an odor.

Any ideas on how to fix this? The interior is stainless.

[texaspeach]

have you cleaned out the trap? food and grease get stuck down in the bottom

[nathansmum]

Definitely check the trap and also the arm that spins around for any build up.

Have you changed dishwash powders recently?

I had a stink issue when I was trialling more eco-friendly methods (ie homemade versions) and had to go back to commercial eco-friendly powders.

[Sprungthe2.50]

Dishwasher tip

I learned this trick from my mother in law, use tang in it through a cycle (no dishes) and apparently it clears out the grime.

But!!!! Call the manufacturer before you do this, you might ruin your dishwasher otherwise.

[texaspeach]

Originally Posted by SachaMacina

I learned this trick from my mother in law, use tang in it through a cycle (no dishes) and apparently it clears out the grime.

But!!!! Call the manufacturer before you do this, you might ruin your dishwasher otherwise.

it's the citric acid. you can use a packet of lemonaid koolaid instead. if you have orange stains in it, this will remove them.

[sunnysandiegan]

I run a cup or two of white vinegar through a cycle once a month (with the dishes). Works great!

Also, there is a lemon product out there that works well, too. I found it in the dishwasher powder detergents area. It was specifically recommended by our service technician. We generally refuse all extended warranties. Our dishwasher is the ONLY extended warranty we have every purchased and it was worth it's weight in gold. Someone came out every year to do regular maintenance for five years and they fixed several things at no charge (some small, like the gasket, and some large, like the motor). The best part was the tech would give me all the best tips for keeping the machine running in top-notch condition!

[alicia622]

Where is the trap??? I never knew there was a trap I was supposed to clean :

[alicia622]

Okay- I just read the manual. They make no mention of cleaning a trap- so that's good because I was rather grossed out thinking there was year old rotted food sitting in there. It suggested checking the sprayer arms and all are in fine shape so I will try the vinegar suggestion next.

Thanks for the replies

[texaspeach]

well, by trap I mean the bottom of the dishwasher where the water drains out. if you aren't careful to clean your plates food particles can build up down there.. in my dish washer at least. And there's also a little float thing in the lower corner, it is what tells the dw to drain or not, grease will build up under that too.