Why Are Foul Smells Coming Up From Your Dishwasher?
Dishwashers are there to get dishes clean and sanitized, so it can be quite repulsive to notice a bad smell coming from one. If you've recently noticed that you have this problem and running the dishwasher doesn't seem to clear it, there are a few potential causes for this problem. Read this guide to find out what they are and how you can get help with them.
Food Debris
One of the most common problems that can trigger this issue is that food debris has gotten caught in your dishwasher and hasn't washed away down the drain. This is more common than you might think, as many homeowners don't realize that their dishwashers come equipped with something called a food trap.
A food trap, as the name implies, is there to capture debris and small bits of food that come off of your dishes and glasses. When the trap is full, it needs to be emptied, but since many homeowners don't even know it exists, the food that's in there often starts to rot. This can produce a very foul smell in your dishwasher, so you should empty the food trap. If you don't know how, consult your owner's manual or contact a plumber for assistance.
Oil and Grease in Plumbing
If your food trap is empty and the smell is still there, it's likely a problem with your plumbing. The food waste that washes down a dishwasher every day can cause oil and grease to start accumulating on the inside of your pipes. When it does this, the grease can start to become rancid and smell badly just like the food in a food trap does.
What to Do
Unfortunately, clearing away grease in a dishwasher's plumbing is a little difficult. You can't simply pour drain cleaner down the dishwasher. If you're in this situation, call a plumber for assistance with drain cleaning.
Your plumber will be able to clean the drain in an eco-friendly way that won't harm your dishwasher. They may do this by using an eco-friendly drain cleaner, or they could use a method like hydro-jetting which blasts away debris and grease with an extremely high-powered stream of water.
Dishwashers shouldn't smell bad, no matter what. If yours does, that foul odor isn't going to go away on its own. If the food trap wasn't the culprit, get in touch with a plumber and plan on having them visit occasionally to prevent this problem from happening again.