If you own a dishwasher, there may come a time when it starts to smell. What exactly causes a smell dishwasher and how do you clean a smelly dishwasher? What happens if you can’t get fully clean and eliminate the smell? To give you a better idea of what to do, continue to read the rest of this article.
What Causes A Dishwasher To Smell
One of the main causes for foul odours in the dishwasher is food that has accumulated inside of it. What might start off as a small amount can quickly become large amounts of food, which leads to bad smells. Often, people don’t even notice the food accumulating until the smell becomes overpowering.
Sometimes it can be the actual water. Hard water can cause a dishwasher to smell, but this will usually happen over a period of time. There may also be a plumbing issue. The truth is there are quite a few reasons why a dishwasher can smell.
How To Clean A Smelly Dishwasher
There are a few things you can do. You should try all of them. That being said, you can:
1. Load The Dishes Properly – A lot of people load their dishwashers with dishes that still have food on them. As previously mentioned, food accumulates in the dishwasher, so make sure you rinse each and every single dish that goes into it. If there’s extra food on your plates, scrape it into the bin and then rinse the plate, even if there’s only a small amount of food left on the plates. Eventually, you’ll get into the habit of doing this, and the smells may finally go away.
2. Use A Citrus Cleansing Method – There’s a chance that you just don’t clean your dishwasher regularly and now it has gotten to the point where odours are present. If that’s the case, then you can use a citrus cleansing method, which is extremely effective. One way you can do this is cut up two lemons and place them inside a bowl. Add a bit of water to the bottom rack of the machine and then run it.
What this does is heats the lemons up. It will emit a nice scent, and it will deodorise the machine. If you don’t have lemons, then use any other kind of citrus fruit.
3. Clean with Vinegar – Vinegar is potent, and it has a strong smell to it, but it is effective at eliminating odours of all kind. If your dishwasher smells, then use a vinegar cleaning solution. Mix vinegar and a little bit of water in a spray bottle, and then spray it all inside your dishwasher. Scrub the insides with a sponge or a cleaning cloth before running the dishwasher with no dishes in it.
It might not work the first time around. If that’s the case, then do it again. Alternative, you can clean the inside of the machine with vinegar daily until the smells are completely gone.
4. Clean The Filter – Most dishwashers have a filter, and the chances are you haven’t cleaned it for a long time. If so, then remove the filter and scrub it with a small brush. Make sure to look at your owner’s manual because you want to remove and install the filter when you clean it properly. Generally speaking, removing a filter, cleaning it and putting it back in place is easy to do.
When Cleaning Your Dishwasher Doesn’t Work
If you have tried all of the above methods and the smell doesn’t reside, or it comes back, then it’s time to hire a plumber. They’ll inspect your dishwasher, and they will figure out what the issue is. When they finally figure it out, they will tell you how to fix it.
If you don’t want to hire a plumber, then consider buying a new dishwasher. This may or may not fix the problem. Nonetheless, it still may be an option.
That is how to clean a smelly dishwasher. Remember, if you’re unable to eliminate the problem completely or the smells keep coming back regardless of how frequently you clean it, then you should hire a plumber. A professional will get to the bottom of the issue, and then they will take care of it.
If you are living in St. Albans, Harpenden or Stevenage and you have any issue with your dishwasher and need professional help then don’t hesitate to contact us.