Homemade lasagna. Lemon sole. Mom’s meatloaf. Sure, they all smell great and wonderful while they’re cooking, but when they’re sitting inside your dishwasher, well, not so much. Food particles, grease, and grime not only slow your dishwasher’s performance but can also leave you with a funky smelling dishwasher.
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to linger. Here are a couple of tips to take your dishwasher odor from smelling foul to fresh. However, before we get started, please review your owner’s manual. These tips you’re about to read will work for almost all dishwashers, but in the rare case that you should happen to find a discrepancy, follow your owner’s manual.
1. Check For Food.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Believe us when we tell you that the biggest culprit when it comes to generating bad dishwasher odors is old food. By far. Check for any food or grime that may have fallen to the bottom of the machine and remove it. Remove the old food and you’ll remove the stench. Sometimes, it really is that simple. Hopefully that’s the case for you.
2. Clean The Filter.
Here’s another simple, yet often overlooked trick. Clean the filter. Not all dishwashers have them, but if your dishwasher has a filter, remove it and throw away anything trapped inside. Lots of old gross food likes to hide in there. It can also become a veritable breeding ground for old food residue, grease and all other matter of disgusting stuff. So if your dishwasher has a filter, do yourself a favor and clean it out. If your dishwasher does in fact have a filter, please consult your owner’s manual for help before attempting to remove the filter on your own.
3. Add Cascade Dishwasher Cleaner.
Does your dishwasher still stink after you’ve removed old food items and cleaned the filter? Fear not, there’s still something you can try to remove the unpleasant odor. For best results, use a premium dishwasher cleaner and run your empty dishwasher on its longest cycle.
4. Air Dry.
Here’s the thing, your dishwasher has a great seal. If it didn’t you’d end up with water all over the place whenever you ran it. Unfortunately, the very same seal that keeps the dishwasher’s water off your floor, can also keep those pungent odors trapped within its metal confines. Even worse, residual water that’s been left over after the wash cycle has been completed can sometimes cause your dishwasher to smell. Your best defense? Open the dishwasher door and let the dishwasher air out. Think of it as letting your dishwasher breathe, so you can breathe better the next time you have to use your dishwasher.
And there you have it – clean dishes and a clean dishwasher. Breathe it all in. Ahhh, much better.