Your dishwasher handles some of the most important work in your home, keeping your family healthy by preventing food contamination from unsanitary dishes and saving you a ton of time by doing it while you handle other aspects of life. You trust it to clean your dishes, but suddenly you are stuck trying to figure out why your dishwasher smells.

Anyone who has dealt with a smelly dishwasher knows it’s not only a gross problem; it means a loss of time on top of having to handle dishwasher maintenance tasks, once you figure out where to get started of course. And, it means that to be sure of your and your family's safety you have to handwash what was already supposed to be clean to put them away.

In this article, we will walk you through the steps you need to follow and help you get back to simply trusting your dishwasher to handle the dirty work.

Investigating why the dishwasher smells

You might ask yourself – how is this possible? How could my dishwasher smell so bad? Is there something wrong?

There could be an underlying issue with the dishwasher, but in most cases, the culprit behind gross smells is - you probably guessed it - bacteria.

There are things that make that bacteria buildup happen faster, like soap scum, food particles trapped in the dishwasher, or grease buildup, but regular dishwasher maintenance can usually help prevent it from happening if there are no physical issues with your dishwasher.


First, let’s look into some of the fixes for dishwashers that can help eliminate the odor you are experiencing if it was caused by an issue with the machine. Then, we’ll cover some maintenance steps to keep the smell away when done monthly.

Checklist of dishwasher issues that may cause bad odors

Fortunately, there are some easy fixes to getting rid of the odor problem in your dishwasher without calling in a professional to do it for you, a least in most cases. But first, you must identify the issue and work from there.

Problems like damaged or poorly placed drain hoses, clogged food traps, your garbage disposal or even too little use can make bacteria growth happen faster and cause smells you don’t want.

Here are some ways you can address the problem yourself:

  • Damaged Drain Hose

The drain hose empties dirty water and small food particles from the dishwasher into the disposal unit. If something is wrong with the hose – a crack, clog, bend, or kink – it could cause odor issues by preventing dirty water from fully draining from your dishwasher.

If the drain hose can be straightened or tightened, it should solve the problem. But if the hose is damaged, replacing it is important to keep your dishwasher functioning correctly. You can replace it yourself or contact a professional for help to ensure that it is placed properly and installed without any kinks or bends that can prevent it from working as intended.

  • Poorly Placed Drain Hose

You checked for kinks and clogs in the drain hose, and everything looks good. The next step is to check the placement of the hose. Sometimes, the problem causing the gross smell could be because of how the drain hose is placed behind the unit. If a hose is on the ground or has an upward trajectory to the drain, gravity could be causing poor drainage and leaving odors behind.

So, if you have a sagging hose that rests on or near the ground, or one that is trying to drain the water “up hill” try to position it so that it drains down to the disposal. This problem may need a professional to work on the plumbing installation, especially if you have consistent issues with dishwasher odors recurring.

  • Clogged Food Trap

Old, soggy, rotten food trapped in the dishwasher is a common cause of dishwasher funk. If your dishwasher stinks, check the food trap located at the bottom of the tub. In many units, there is a hole there that catches runoff water during the cleaning cycle - you can look up your specific dishwasher to find the manufacturers guide to cleaning out the trap.

Visually inspect when the machine is dry, by pulling out the bottom dish rack so that you can see if there is food trapped in the trap.

But be careful because sometimes a piece of broken glass or other dish could be deep inside the trap, causing the clog.

  • The Garbage Disposal

Sometimes a malodorous dishwasher could be caused by something that doesn’t have to do with the unit. Sometimes it could be a problem with the garbage disposal. If food or other waste is clogging the disposal, or trapped in it, it could stop the water from properly draining from your dishwasher.

Try running your disposal thoroughly and checking if something is stuck inside - always unplug your garbage disposal before putting a tool or your hand in it. If removing the clog doesn’t solve the issue, then you might need to contact a professional to look at the garbage disposal.

  • Too Little Use

Use it or lose it? Sometimes that adage applies to home appliances, too. In the case of a dishwasher, sometimes old food particles remain in the dishwasher between uses. If you aren’t using the dishwasher often enough, the leftover bits of food can cause a buildup of bacteria and leave a smelly dishwasher behind.

However, regular use of a well-plumbed and properly draining dishwasher eliminates those issues.

Eliminate dishwasher odors and keep them gone

If you are facing a smelly dishwasher, and you’ve followed the steps to make sure it’s draining right, you’ll notice that it doesn’t eliminate the smell. You can run the machine and run the machine, but when you open that door, you’ll probably still get a whiff of something icky.

There are dishwasher cleaning tablets available where dishwasher detergents are sold, that are formulated to be safe to use on your unit.

You can also use some regular household products to quickly kill those smells, and by adding one empty dishwasher load to your schedule a month, keep those odors controlled. That means confidence that your dishwasher isn’t harboring bacteria that could be problematic for your family.

There are two methods commonly discussed, but one is safer and superior to the other.

Two methods of controlling dishwasher odors:

1. Bleach - Caution required

This method is not for everyone, and while very common in the past, with the rise of steel dishwashers it has become less common due to it possibly damaging your dishwasher. If your dishwasher is NOT steel, and does not have steel parts, you can use bleach to control odor-causing bacteria.

If it is a steel dishwasher, do not use bleach.

Bleach is highly corrosive. It may cause pitting in your metal dishwasher or damage surfaces.

Always check your manufacturer’s information and the manual before you attempt to use bleach, and follow the instructions there.

2. Vinegar Bath

Vinegar is safe to use. The time-tested and pungent cleaner may smell stronger than your dishwasher does, at first, but after the cycle is complete, your dishwasher smell should be a thing of the past.

To use vinegar, you will need two things: distilled white vinegar (cleaning or regular) that is available at any grocery store, and a dishwasher-safe bowl or container.

  • Pour about one cup of vinegar into the dishwasher safe container, and place it on your dishwasher’s top rack.
  • Set your dishwasher to a hot cycle, and turn off your plate warmer and drying cycle if possible.
  • Run the full hot cycle, to remove soap scum, food particles, and grease build-up.
  • Don’t Forget: skip the drying cycle and let the dishwasher air dry afterward.

Please note: Do NOT mix these methods and don’t follow one with the other without running an empty load between the two. Mixing bleach and vinegar makes chlorine gas, which can harm you, your pets, and your family. Do not mix bleach and vinegar.

Port St. Lucie’s Local Plumber

If you have a physical issue with your dishwasher that needs fixing or an odor issue that doesn’t resolve with the above methods, it may be time to reach out to a professional for help. Benjamin Franklin is locally owned and operated, and we’re happy to assist.

You can also reach out if have specific plumbing needs or questions about what new technology and trends in the plumbing industry can do to ensure your plumbing is running efficiently; your local Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is here to help! Give us a call at 1-877-BEN-1776, or contact us online.