How to Keep Your Dishwasher From Smelling

You haven’t cleaned your dishwasher filter. If your dishwasher smells less than rosy, the first thing you should check is the filter. Chances are, the filter—located at the bottom of your dishwasher and designed to trap any pieces of food removed from your dirty dishes—is the source of the stench. 

If you have a manual filter and don’t know that you have to clean it, the food particles trapped in the filter could cause a foul smell, says Larry Ciufo, who oversees dishwasher testing at Consumer Reports. A manual filter, which is common in modern dishwashers, requires regular cleaning, unlike a self-cleaning filter.

A dirty filter can do more harm than just producing foul odors. Without regular cleaning, it can also hinder your dishwasher’s performance, says Lindsay Jones, the integrated brand manager at Maytag. 

The dishwasher drain is clogged. Food debris from your dishwasher or your dishes could be clogging your drain and producing odors, Jones says. Scraping large pieces of food off your dishes before you load them can prevent this.

Your dishwasher interior has collected food remnants. Over time, sticky soap scum can build up on your dishwasher’s walls and trap food particles, Jones says. Instead of rinsing away down the drain, these food particles can cling together over time and produce an odor.

Your dishwasher door is dirty. Bits of food might have gotten trapped against the edge of your dishwasher where the door opens, Ciufo says. People can also easily miss any buildup around the dishwasher’s doorframe.

There could also be mold around the door seal. “With the amount of moisture and heat a dishwasher produces, mold and mildew can accumulate in the door gasket seal and produce a foul-smelling odor without regular cleaning,” Jones says.

If you want your dishwasher to be stink-free, you can’t skimp on regular cleaning and maintenance.

Jones says you should clean your dishwasher’s filter once a month. First, empty the filter of any debris and rinse it with hot water. If food particles or soil are still stuck to the filter, try soaking it in warm, soapy water. Afterward, you can use a toothbrush to remove stubborn remnants or residue.

If you’re unsure whether your dishwasher’s filter is manual or self-cleaning, read our detailed guidelines on how to identify your filter and clean it.

Periodically cleaning your dishwasher’s interior with a soft, damp cloth or sponge can help remove food and dirt particles, says Marty Olson, an engineer at LG Home Solutions Quality.

If your machine has a self-cleaning cycle, run the cycle with an empty tub once a month. Olson says adding 3 teaspoons of citric acid or a dishwasher cleaning agent recommended by the manufacturer to the detergent dispenser can help eliminate any residual soil, odor, white spots, and dirt.

If your machine doesn’t have a self-cleaning cycle, Bovard says you can give it a quick clean by placing a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe container on the top rack and running it on its hottest cycle.

If you spot any mold or mildew inside the dishwasher, Bovard suggests wiping the interior clean with a solution of 1/8 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water. Then, run a normal cycle on your empty dishwasher without detergent. If your dishwasher’s interior is made of stainless steel, however, you should avoid using bleach because it might damage its finish.

To clean your dishwasher without bleach, run a sanitize cycle with an empty dishwasher. Or consider using a dishwasher cleaner with citric acid, Bovard says. If your dishwasher has a regular mold problem that won’t go away, it could be a sign that the unit isn’t getting to a high enough temperature. If that’s the case, you should schedule a service call to get your dishwasher checked out.

Mold and mildew might also occur on the lips of the gasket seal, so it’s important to periodically inspect the seals of the dishwasher door for any buildup. If you spot any residue on the gasket, clean it with a fresh sponge and warm, soapy water. When you’re done, wipe the gasket seal dry with a clean rag to ensure no moisture is left behind, Jones says.

If you follow all the above steps—regularly cleaning your filter, dishwasher interior, and gasket—you’ll reduce the likelihood that you’ll be greeted with an unpleasant odor the next time you open your dishwasher door.