Your dishes are coming out of the dish washing machine squeaky clean, but there's still a bad smell inside the machine? Does your dishwasher smell funny before or after cleaning? From dish washing machine cleaner to dishwasher deodorant, we explain what to do to make your dishes smell as clean as they look.
If the dishwasher itself smells bad, it may be time to give it a thorough clean. Luckily, this is a simple task and one that is best performed regularly to prevent smells and avoid costly repairs. Just follow the step-by-step instructions below:
1. The most likely culprit is organic waste accumulating at the bottom of your dishwasher. Clean the filters that prevent food scraps, grease and other debris from clogging your dish washing machine directly after a completed wash cycle. Most machines are built in a similar way, but keep the manual handy to check the specifics of your model.
2. Remove the bottom rack to access the filter. You may have to remove a large metal covering, which could also have grime buildup or food scraps stuck to it (if so, give it a clean). There will be a plastic filter in the middle of the metal base, which should unscrew easily. You may want to wear gloves, as this is where things get dirty.
3. Run the filter under a hot tap, then clean it with warm soapy water. Use an old brush, if possible – after all, this is a month’s (or even several months’) worth of food waste buildup. If you are having trouble removing all the grime, soak the filter in warm water for a while ad then wipe it down with machine cleaner.
4. Replace the filter and wipe down the inside of the dishwasher with machine cleaner, especially around the door. You may need to use a limescale cleaner. If you notice a lot of limescale buildup, you should also make sure you are using dishwasher salt, which balances out hard water levels.
5. Use a dish washing machine cleaner to remove any remaining grease and limescale from the pipes, valves and tubes you can’t clean manually.
Somat Machine Cleaner tabs are milder, so they can be used while you are running a normal load.
The above mechanical and chemical cleaning steps should be performed about once a month. You can minimise the food scraps in the filter by always scraping your dishes before loading the dishwasher. However, don’t rinse your plates, as this can adversely affect the performance of your cleaning product. Finally, to avoid a musty smell from stale water, keep the door of the machine open after a completed cycle to air it out for a while.