Smell inside my dishwasher - HELP!
 

I don’t know what to do next. I’ve a horrible smell coming from my dishwasher, so bad it lingers for some time. Don’t suggest rinsing off the dishes before putting them in there, washing off the filter, checking the pipes etc . . . We’ve done it all.

We’ve had a plumber to install a new sink and she checked all the pipes. I asked her specifically about the problem and she just shook her shoulders.

The dishwasher was brand new in August of 2024 and it’s been smelling since then. I bought a bottle of dishwasher cleaner and that didn’t help. I mean this smell is so bad it’ll make you sick!

Today I called the company that made it and she said they would have someone contact me.

In the meantime, I thought I would put it out to all of you - do you know anything that might help?

Have you cleaned the drain filter at the bottom of the dishwasher? It catches the larger pieces of food and if not cleaned regularly that food will begin to rot.

Sounds like you had a "Plumber's Helper" install your sink and your dishwasher was not properly plumbed back into the sink drain. Common issue when your sink is replaced and Plumber is lazy.

You might check:

- Grime (of some sort) on door seals, particularly on bottom of door in a hard-to-see spot
- Clean filter as previously suggested
- Look for signs of a water leak underneath the washer
- Try cleaning with something like Finish Dishwasher Cleaner (maybe this is what you already did)

Four months seems like a short time to have a problem but maybe about right for a small leak underneath to start to smell.

Whatever it turns out to be, please post it here so we all know what to look for if it happens to us.

Im curious then where else they would drain it to? It sounds like the smoking gun but if dirty water is laying in the pipe would it not have been flushed out when she ran the cleaner through it?

A dishwasher connected to the sink should have a "high loop" or an "air gap".

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One possible cause could be a lack of "high loop" between the sink and dishwasher. That is a pure guess, but worth a check.

The drain line connecting the sink drain to the dishwasher needs to run from the sink drain first up high to above the bottom of the sink then down to the dishwasher. If this "high loop" is not present, then the stuff put down the sink drain can go into the dishwasher. where it will rot and smell, particularly if you don't run your dishwasher very often.

As I said, that is just a stab in the dark. But I did have that problem in my villages house.

OP, previous replies appear to have hit all of the probably causes for the odor. You may need to look at the instruction manual for the location and how to remove and clean the filter, ours a Whirlpool is real simple, some others not so simple. Also, look at the heater coil (if you use the heated dry option) and see if there is anything trapped to melted in this location.

Lemi Shine Natural Dishwasher Cleaner
 

I use this once a month. It works for me. Amazon.com

sounds like a vent problem , the bad smell comes from the sewer piping maybe not hooked up.

Was the smell there before the new sink installed? Also, a neighbor had new counter tops and sink installed, the air vent was in the way and had to be moved, there are specific requirements for how this device is installed, so have a qualified licensed plumber check it out.

It depends on the smell.
Tinker - plastic on heated coil - burning plastic odor
Dreamer - sewer smell - sour odor
Brian - high loop - rotting/grease odor

Would be interested to know the culprit. That sour odor from sewer line can easily rise back up through an improper plumb or a empty/dry p-trap. Especially if your HVAC system is circulating air, it will pull air through the p-trap, but it's obvious. It's a tangy sour smell almost like rotten eggs. Sulfuric nose twitcher.

You stated a new sink was recently installed...
Is the dishwasher drain connected to the sink waste piping before or after the "P" trap. If after the trap, you are getting sewage smells because there is nothing to stop gases entering the home... DEADLY !!

I would rule out the DW as being the culprit. Clean the filter at the bottom - most likely a Youtube video out there for your make/model. Then run a hot cycle with one cup of vinegar (leave it in the cup on top rack), follow with a short cycle with 1/2 cup of backing soda sprinkled on bottom. If still smelly - I think the suggestion of the plumber doing a poor job may be the issue. Good luck!

Could be your disposal because they harbor decaying food. Try using a foaming disposal cleaner. Also, run the hot water for 30 seconds in the sink with soap, then run the disposal before you start the dishwasher.