How to Remove Dishwasher Smells

There are times that the dishwasher may emit a really nasty odor and the dishwasher smells bad. It really should not be surprising as the dishes and utensils come in contact with hundreds if not thousands of food particles on a monthly basis.

Bad dishwasher smells can make a person's stomach churn and the thought of the bad odor filling the kitchen is enough to make a person sick. At one point the dishwasher in my kitchen began to emit a horrible odor and when it happened, I let it go for a week or two thinking the bad dishwasher smell would go away on its own but the odor did not go away.

Finally, I got to the point where I knew the dishwasher smell needed to be taken care of but the problem was that I was completely unprepared and had no idea what to do. I did some research on removing smells from the dishwasher and also did some experimenting with trying different methods to see what worked best.

The first step to take when there is a noticeable dishwasher odor is to look at the bottom of the dishwasher and make sure there are not any food pieces or particles. If any food items or foreign particles are noticed, make sure to carefully remove the items so that the dishwasher is totally clear and clean.

Here are some of the best methods that I have found to remove bad dishwasher smells:

Run Vinegar Through a Cycle

Measure out approximately 1 cup to 2 cups of vinegar and make sure the dishwasher is empty. Run the dishwasher cycle with the vinegar, once the cycle is done then run the dishwasher rinse cycle only. Check the dishwasher to see if the dishwasher smell is removed, if a bad smell is still noticed then run through the vinegar and water rinse cycle once again.

Run Baking Soda Through a Cycle

The process for using baking soda is the same process as the vinegar method. Measure out approximately 1 cup to 2 cups of baking soda and make sure the dishwasher is empty. Run the dishwasher cycle with the baking soda, after the cycled is completed then run the dishwasher rinse cycle only. If the dishwasher smell continues, try the baking soda method a second time.

Add Lemon Slices Through the Cycle

Run lemon slices through the dishwasher when it is empty and then for the following cycles just run lemon peels through the cycle until the dishwasher odor subsides. Whenever I use lemons, I will place the lemon peels in the dishwasher to just freshen it up a bit plus I absolutely love the lemon scent.

Bad smells in a dishwasher can be taken care of quickly effectively and efficiently with items that are probably already in your kitchen. Try one method at a time and see which one works the best in your dishwasher and you will be on your way to a dishwasher that smells wonderful and a pleasure to open!

Sources:

Self-experiences