Smelly Dishwashers: Stop the Stink!

Smelly Dishwashers: Stop the Stink!

I spent a lot of my youth washing dishes by hand, so I am a big fan of my dishwasher.

But earlier this summer I had a major problem: it smelled like something was dead in there everytime I opened the door. Since I am a home inspector, my wife expected me to know what the problem was, fix it, and get the silly thing odor-free ASAP. Or else I'd be reliving my youth and washing everything by hand once again.

I tried all the usual tricks. First I checked to make sure there was no blockage and then I double-checked the water around the house. Since the water in other parts of the house didn't smell, I moved on to the filter.

(If the water smells funny in other areas of your house, there may be a bacteria or pH imbalance that is causing the odor. In a case like this, call your local water department and ask for their help.)

I checked out the filter. Sometimes food particles get stuck there and decay over time -- causing odors. But not this time.

So I moved on to the baking soda bath. Simply put baking soda in that little pocket where the detergent usually goes. Run a cycle and the baking soda will cleanse the dishwasher -- and get rid of the odors.

That seemed to work, until the next load of dishes smelled bad. Feeling really useless (aren't guys supposed to know how to fix everything?), I tried a cycle with white vinegar -- which is my favorite cleaner for just about everything. Then I had to run another cycle to get rid of the vinegar smell.

Ah, the stink disappeared... until I ran the next set of dishes.

I was so desperate, I was actually ready to humble myself and ask around for help.

But the strangest thing happened... on a grocery store excursion, my wife picked up the powdery-type Cascade dishwasher detergent. I'd always used the Cascade's liquid dishwasher detergent, but once I started using powder instead, the smell disappeared. And it never came back, so I made the switch to powder.

So if you are in a similar stinky situation someday (how's that for alliteration?) and you go through the usual checklist to no avail, try changing the type (and maybe even the brand) of detergent.

Side Note: I have no idea why the liquid detergent caused the smell (I'd used the same brand for years with no problem). I've asked the opinions of a lot of people much smarter than me, and they didn't know either.

So if anyone out there has any ideas, I'd be interested to hear them. Thanks.