What Different Smells Coming From Your Dishwasher Mean (And What To Do About Them)

It's early in the morning and you head into the kitchen, hoping to unload the dishwasher before your coffee finishes brewing. You open the dishwasher door and get hit in the face with a strong odor (and it's not the clean dish smell you expected).

While dishwashers are powerful kitchen cleaning appliances that can tackle everything from last night's dishes to household items, it can come as a bit of a shock when your dishwasher starts to smell. Typically, the smell is due to a buildup of food or debris, causing bacteria to grow. But the good news is that the smell can usually tell you what's going on with your appliance and, even better, how to fix it.

First things first, identify the type of smell. Common ones are rotten eggs or an earthy smell. Once you've figured out the source of the smell and resolved it, usually with a solid deep cleaning cycle, you're on your way to a clean-smelling kitchen once again.

Take a deep breath and dive into the smell to nail down the odor. If there's a sulfur-like stench, it may be mineral buildup from calcium- or magnesium-rich water. Or if it's more of an earthy or moldy smell, there's likely mildew somewhere in your appliance's nooks and crannies. Rancid smells may be from grease buildup inside your dishwasher while sewage odor may come from decomposing food particles. Does it smell more like rotten eggs? Food may be stuck in your dishwasher's filter and spray arm. Or, if there's standing water lingering after the cycle is done or the water looks dirty, you may have a mechanical issue, potentially requiring a plumber's help.

The best way to cure a smelly dishwasher is a proper clean! Clean out the filter and inspect the inside of the dishwasher, including the spray arm, racks, rack wheels, and inside seals. Wipe them down. Then, put a cup of vinegar in a dishwasher-safe cup on the bottom rack and run a hot cycle. Next, sprinkle about a cup of baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and run another cycle. Once done, prop open the dishwasher and let it air dry.