This is a thing with every dishwasher I’ve had, some models seem better than other. You wash the dishes and when they dry, they have a musty odor I can only describe as “wet dog”. Other people often don’t seem to notice this, so maybe I am just sensitive to it. Though if I point it out, then they smell it.
I have tried:
- Cleaning every nook and cranny of the dishwasher and filter
- Running with orange kool-aid/citric acid/lemishine in dispenser after each wash (works decently well)
- Running a rinse w white vinegar after each cycle (this works the best so far)
- Making sure dishes air dry instead of dry inside the dishwasher (always do this, helps a bit)
In all instances where this happens, the dishes are clean and don’t have food stuck to them or floating around in the water.
Has anybody else fought this problem? What worked for you?
To help with smell in the washer we keep the liquid soap tray open after we finish using it. And leave the lid open most of the time. It seems to keep humidity down and the smell went away almost instantly.
Yes, open the dishwasher when it’s finished (like max 1h after)!
Works for me, and if I don’t well I get the smell.
I think this is a great preventative step. I have a side load washer and dryer and I have to keep the washer door open between loads. Other people I know got a similar machine and never did. Those machines smell like mold and they wash their clothes in it still. Eww.
Meanwhile I’ve had mine for 10 years and it is still working great. We run the clean cycle when it tells us, but the preventative step of “letting the water evaporate so mold doesn’t grow” is a great one.