I love my dishwasher. It does magic for me. It cleans my dishes and other utensils. Did you ever open your dishwasher and thought, “Why does my dishwasher smell like rotten eggs?”
The rotten eggs smell coming out of your dishwasher can be really awful. You might be thinking about replacing the whole thing.
You don’t need to do that. You can eliminate the awful rotten eggs smell without replacing your dishwasher. Your dishwasher can have a horrible smell due to several reasons.
Sometimes food gets stuck in your dishwasher, and you fail or forget to clean your dishwasher thoroughly.
Read the article below to understand why does my dishwasher smell like rotten eggs:
Why Does My Dishwasher Smell Like Rotten Eggs? Reasons!
Dishwashers can have an awful smell due to various reasons. Clogged food particles in your dishwasher or other related parts or components can become a nuisance. Your dishwasher can smell like a wet dog.
Your dishwasher can smell like rotten eggs, wet dogs, or smelly fish due to the following reasons:
1. Drain valve failure
Drain valve failure is the most common cause of the annoying smell coming out of a dishwasher. Drain valve malfunction occurs when the wastewater does not move out of the system or back to the dishwasher.
Drain malfunction can allow the wastewater to flow back to your dishwasher even when your dishwasher is off. The smell becomes worse when you notice a pool of dirty water inside your dishwasher.
Dirty water can form a repugnant smell inside your dishwasher. Bacteria grow in the pool of contaminated water inside the dishwasher.
2. Irregular or improper cleaning
Food particles accumulate inside different parts of your dishwasher when you fail to clean your dishwasher properly.
3. Food particles in the drain filter
Food particles can clog inside the drain filter. The drain filter inside your dishwasher removes solid substances from the wastewater before they enter your sink’s p-trap. Trapped grease inside the drain filter can be really annoying.
4. Food stuck in the door gasket
Food stuck in the door gasket of your dishwasher can develop an odor akin to smelly fish, wet dog, or rotten eggs. Do not get me wrong. The door gasket is a valuable part of your dishwasher. Food particles get stuck on the door gasket.
The warm and dark environment inside your dishwasher provides a perfect breeding ground for the bacteria to contaminate the door gasket of your dishwasher.
5. Dirty garbage disposal
If you do not clean your garbage disposal, your dishwasher may smell like sulfur. You have to properly install your dishwasher. Sometimes a foul smell generates due to improper installation of the garbage disposal.
6. Dirty drain hoses
Food gets clogged inside the drain hoses of your dishwasher. Clogged food particles inside the drain hose can limit or stop wastewater flow.
7. Clogged air gap
An air gap is vital for the smooth water flow inside your dishwasher. A clogged air gap can cause a sulfur-like smell inside the dishwasher.
8. Smelly well water
You can have a sulfur-like smell coming out of your dishwasher if you supply smelly well water to your dishwasher. Ensure your well water is not smelly before inspecting your dishwasher.
How to get rid of egg smell in dishwasher?
A sulfur-like odor comes from your dishwasher when you fail to properly clean your dishwasher. Dishwashers have many parts, and some parts need regular cleaning. At times, dishwashers smell like wet dog. It happens when you supply dirty (or smelly) water to your dishwasher.
In any case, you need to determine the exact cause of the smell first, and then you can try to get rid of it. You can take the following measures to get rid of the foul smell in your dishwasher:
- Check that you are not supplying smelly water to your dishwasher.
- Make sure that your dishwasher is installed properly.
- Make sure that your drain hose is working and clean.
- Remove grease from your drain hose.
- Check your drain valve.
- Remove any food particles stuck inside your drain filter.
- Clean the door gasket of your dishwasher.
Why does my dishwasher smell like burning plastic?
Burnt plastic materials inside the dishwasher can create a burning plastic smell. You have to check your dishwasher to know whether a plastic spoon or spatula has entered the heating element of your dishwasher.
I once made the mistake of putting a plastic container inside my dishwasher. I know that some plastic containers can be dishwasher safe, but I accidentally forgot to check the label before washing the container in my dishwasher.
The container was small, yet it resulted in a burning plastic smell. I then turned off my dishwasher, opened the windows, turned on the ceiling fan, and let the air flow eliminating the burning plastic smell.
I know that the burnt plastic smell is dangerous because I experienced shortness of breath, abrupt coughing, and discomfort when I opened the door of my dishwasher.
You do not want to have the smell of burning plastic in your dishwasher. I do not like to take health risks. The smell of burnt plastic from the dishwasher is not suitable for your health.
Short-term exposure to plastic burnt smell from your dishwasher is not likely to harm you, but you should fix it to avoid long-term exposure. You are not likely to have a burnt plastic smell inside your dishwasher if you wash dishwasher-safe plastic containers in your dishwasher.
How to get burnt plastic smell out of dishwasher?
I know that accidents do happen, and you can forget what not to put in your dishwasher. Sometimes plastic wrapping creates a burnt plastic smell inside the dishwasher. Whenever I face a burnt plastic smell coming out of my dishwasher, I always open the windows and turn on the fan.
Ventilation is essential. It is the first and foremost task you should undertake if you encounter a burnt plastic smell inside your dishwasher. The second step is to turn off your dishwasher.
Make sure that your dishwasher is unplugged and not running. Have some patience and let your dishwasher cool down. You do not want to touch hot parts of your dishwasher or the hot utensils inside your dishwasher.
I use a dry towel to remove the utensils from my dishwasher. I suggest that you should do the same.
After securing my utensils and keeping them away from my dishwasher, I use my heat-resistant gloves to remove the burnt plastic parts from the heating element of my dishwasher. You can use a wooden stick or any other such material to remove the burnt plastic from the coil of your heating element.
Melted plastic stuck over the coil may become hard, so you need a hairdryer. A hairdryer helps you get rid of melted plastic stuck over the heating element’s coil.
I use vinegar and baking powder for the final cleaning process. You can do the same. It will make your dishwasher as fresh as new from the inside. You can run an empty washing cycle to see that your dishwasher is functioning in a regular fashion.
Why does my new dishwasher smell bad?
There is a difference between a new appliance’s smell and a dishwasher’s bad smell. It is normal for new dishwashers to have a specific odor. It happens with every new dishwasher. The smell of new dishwashers fades away when they go through several wash cycles.
Dishwashers need to be correctly installed. If you have not properly installed your dishwasher, it may smell bad. A foul smell from your new dishwasher may indicate that wastewater is entering your dishwasher. Even though it does not happen often, an electric malfunction can also cause a foul smell in dishwashers.
Key Takeaways
- Provide proper ventilation.
- Unplug your dishwasher.
- Determine the root cause of the foul odor.
- Select an appropriate cleaning method.
- Clean the required areas.
- Run an empty washing cycle.
- Run an air dry cycle.
- Your dishwasher can function properly if you clean it regularly.
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