This is a thing with every dishwasher I’ve had, some models seem better than other. You wash the dishes and when they dry, they have a musty odor I can only describe as “wet dog”. Other people often don’t seem to notice this, so maybe I am just sensitive to it. Though if I point it out, then they smell it.
I have tried:
- Cleaning every nook and cranny of the dishwasher and filter
- Running with orange kool-aid/citric acid/lemishine in dispenser after each wash (works decently well)
- Running a rinse w white vinegar after each cycle (this works the best so far)
- Making sure dishes air dry instead of dry inside the dishwasher (always do this, helps a bit)
In all instances where this happens, the dishes are clean and don’t have food stuck to them or floating around in the water.
Has anybody else fought this problem? What worked for you?
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Have you tried not using it to wash your dog?
Well it’s not like I’m going to just throw the dog in the washing machine, that’d just be cruel
Have you checked to make sure the dog isn’t sneaking in?
Mm, yes, but have you considered that their natural habitat may be cold, dark, wet, and rotating? And in depriving them of that, are you not the true monster?
If your dishwasher has a musty odor it is harboring bacteria that will fuck up your mental health. I forget the name of the bacteria but it starts with an A and its airborne products can give you chronic inflammation.
That problem goes so much deeper than funky smelling dishes. It’s a threat to your health.
Same for any part of your home that produces this smell. It’s not to be taken lightly.
So what, nuke it and start over? How do we destroy the bacteria and still have the majority of our walls standing?!
Run an empty cycle with a bunch of bleach.
I don’t put certain things like dishes that contacted raw eggs in the dishwasher so that won’t happen. I’m still learning what the optimal way to use a dishwasher is though. This smell has a name in Arabic, زنخة (zanakha).
“I don’t put certain things like” . . . I expect you to say “dogs”.
Well you wouldn’t put a wet dog in the dishwasher, it’s already wet. I only put dry dogs in mine.
Wet dogs go in the dryer, hot dogs in the fridge
Wet dogs go in the dryer, and hot dogs in the fridge
Not a dishwasher, but may be related. I air dry my clothes indoors, sometimes overnight, and used to get that damp rag smell on my clothes as a result. Solution: toss in a tbs of baking soda - no more smell.
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Make sure the heating element is working. If you open the dishwasher immediately after the cycle ends, some steam should come up in your face and the dishes should almost be too hot to hold.
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It’s not enough to just pick food out of the filter. It might still be slimy. You have to remove the filter and scrub its parts with a stiff soapy brush. Especially the screen type parts.
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When the filter is out, check the hole where it goes to see if there is food or slime in there.
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Don’t use liquid detergent, pods, or any detergent with fragrance. You don’t want dishes that smell like fragrance. If they do, then they’re not rinsed. Instead, use fragrance-free tablets. Fragrance interferes with the cleaning because the fragrance itself needs to be cleaned.
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Put the detergent tablet in the bottom of the dishwasher, never in the door compartment.
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Take both the top and bottom spinning spray-arms out of the washer and examine every squirt hole in each one to see if any are blocked. Bits of eggshell and vegetable are common culprits. Make sure each hole is completely clear by putting the spray arms inlet agains the kitchen sink faucet.
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Last and most important, and probably your issue: the last thing you need to do before EVERY wash is to push both baskets into the washer, then reach in and give each spinning spray arm a spin to see if they spin freely or blocked by a dish. Listen when you spin it, if it is blocked you’ll hear it banging on a plate as it goes around. They are powered by the water, and even a slight catch on a plate or dish will stop it from spinning. This is what usually causes “wet dog ass” plates.
Put the detergent tablet in the bottom of the dishwasher, never in the door compartment.
What’s your motivation for this?
Wouldn’t this just make the detergent get used up in the first cycle, which is usually the shorter one iirc?
Also, why the recommendation for using a tablet over powder? You get finer control over the dosage with powder, it’s a lot cheaper, and you can actually fill both the compartments of the detergent compartment, meaning that you get detergent in both the rinse cycle and the wash cycle, for maximum washing efficiency.
Most of these are done except the tablet location.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions on this. Usually put them in the door so they are used during the longer wash cycle and not the shorter rinse cycle.
Also, if your dishwasher is older, it might not be designed for modern detergents. Older detergents had some ingredients that modern ones do not.
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Mine doesn’t smell, unless I’ve put an omelet pan in there. Egg just does not go away.
