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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,409
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Try Lemi-Shine for dishwashers. I use it once a month and no problem with odors.I also leave it open a crack between loads so it has a chance to dry out.

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Frequent Contributor
Posts: 84
Registered: ‎03-01-2015

There are extensive threads on the Houzz message boards about this problem. No lasting solution but lots of theories. I have this problem periodically  too. My dishwasher is a few years old and one theory is the formulation of dishwasher soap changed several years back. Another is the water saving designs of many new machines.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,415
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

@zitawins 

I use this product, Finish dishwasher cleaner, every couple of months. I buy it from amazon in a four-pack.

 

Finish Dishwasher Cleaner Hygienic Clean

[was Homegirl] Love to be home . . . thus the screen name. Joined 2003.
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,753
Registered: ‎06-07-2010

@zitawins   Do you regularly clean out the filter in the bottom of the diswasher?  I had never heard of this before until I saw it somewhere. It is located on the bottom of the dishwasher, you just turn it and lift the filter out. Ours is always clean when we do dishes however I have seen photos of some really nasty dirty ones. This may be the cause of your smell. You can go to Youtube.com and search for How to Clean Diswasher Filter. It shows you where it is located. 

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,603
Registered: ‎06-10-2010

When I first purchased my dishwasher it to had a smell.what I do since is rinse the dishes,then put a small dish of vinegar that helps me!

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,634
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

@LuvmyLab wrote:

@zitawins   Do you regularly clean out the filter in the bottom of the diswasher?  I had never heard of this before until I saw it somewhere. It is located on the bottom of the dishwasher, you just turn it and lift the filter out. Ours is always clean when we do dishes however I have seen photos of some really nasty dirty ones. This may be the cause of your smell. You can go to Youtube.com and search for How to Clean Diswasher Filter. It shows you where it is located. 


I agree with this. It helps to know where the smell is coming from. I’ve not have the bad odor in my dishwasher but once I was going through a time of using the liquid dishwasher detergent. I decided to pull up that filter on the bottom and it was LOADED with the dishwasher gel stuff. It was not dissolving. I’ve gone back to powder. But that could be a source of catching junk, and therefore odor. 

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,388
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@Sooner wrote:

If you don't have Mr. Scrappy you need to get one!  It is a brush that cleans the garbage disposal in a way nothing else does!  

 

Amazon used to have then and maybe still does!  But in any case everyone needs one of these and it is something I learned about on these boards! 


 

I had no idea there was such a thing.  I just ordered one.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,930
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Off topic, but Consumer Reports says do not rinse your dishes, just scrape off the big chunks. Rinsing throws off the sensing ability of the dishwasher.  Another observation:  Any smell will not stick to your dishes, there is no need to rinse them again.  I know its easy to get compulsive about this, but some people might as well chuck the dishwasher and go back to doing them by hand.  

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,653
Registered: ‎07-07-2012

@depglass AGREED! We were also told to scrape off the large pieces of food but to leave the small stuff. Don't rinse. They said the pieces of food work like sand blasting and help in the cleaning process. They said our dishwashers have built-in disposals to handle pieces of food. Not sure if that's all dishwashers or certain brands.

 

I've been doing it that way for about ten years and hardly ever need to re-wash an item. Also, I check my filter occasionally and it never contains anything. Visitors are shocked at how dirty my dishes go in and how clean they come out. We have a Bosch and hard water but we have a water softener. I think Finish tabs with the red ball work best for us ad's we also use Finish Rinse Aid. I've never done any other cleaning except to wipe off the gasket on the door occasionally. I really think the Bosch dishwashers are BEST. 😁

KJPA
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,040
Registered: ‎09-12-2010

Thanks for the recommendation on Mr Scrappy. I looked it up - looks good. Told DH to check it out and he's already got one ordered! He's laughing at the name, but loves ordering products I tell him we need! You guys are the best! I absolutely hate trying to clean the underside of the rubber skirting on my disposal, so this looks perfect.