Identifying And Solving Smelly Dishwasher Sewage Problems

Smell is undoubtedly one of the most sensitive senses that the majority of us posses. That sensitivity is no more evident when our nose gets whiff of a foul stench – and there aren’t many fouler stenches than the absolutely divinely terrible scent of sewage. Far from an ‘eau de toilette‘ (more like, ‘eww the toilet‘), sewage smells in public can be bad enough to deal with; but sewage smells in your home can make living there a profoundly miserable experience. While these smells can come from multiple sources, one prime culprit is often the dishwasher.

Thankfully, we’re here to advise that there are just a few simple steps that you can take to prevent your dishwasher from stinking up the house.

Identifying Dishwasher Smells

There are a few different dodgy smells that can emanate from your dishwasher. If you’re smelling something that is similar to rotten eggs, then this is likely to do with food waste building up within the dishwasher.

If your dishwasher is fairly new, and the smell is more as if you’ve had the painter and decorator into your kitchen, then this could be due to the materials and components used in the manufacture of your unit. If you’re smelling varnish, petroleum or a plastic-y smell, then don’t worry – the smells should disappear within a couple of months.

If you’re getting a burning smell coming from the unit, it could be worth checking to see if you are putting in plastics that aren’t dishwasher-friendly. If the smell continues, even after you’ve removed the offending items, it may be worth calling a repair company – such as Repair Aid – to check and make sure there isn’t an internal issue with your dishwasher.

Causes Of Dishwasher Sewage Smells

Generally speaking, there are two primary causes of sewage-esque smells in dishwashers: food residue and standing water.

The most common cause of such smells is to do with leftover food. A build-up of grease and food residue can occur inside a dishwasher after a number of cycles without proper cleaning.

However, your dishwasher may have a problem with standing water. This can occur if drainage problems are present. If this is the case, you’ll likely notice that the smell is also coming from your kitchen sink drain. This is because dishwashers are often connected to the same drain as kitchen sinks.

Cleaning Your Dishwasher

To sort out odour problems that are occurring due to leftover food or grease, give the inside of your dishwasher a thorough scrub using a soapy sponge (or toothbrush for those hard-to-reach areas). Add a pinch of baking powder to your scrubber to increase its effectiveness.

Once you’ve scrubbed it, put about 2 cups worth of white vinegar in a dishwasher-friendly dish – such as a bowl – on the bottom rack of your dishwasher. Put the machine through a complete wash cycle (sans detergent), and then run another cycle with detergent.

Now that your dishwasher is clean, simply maintain it with regular, monthly usage of shop-bought cleaning tablets – just make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging.

Cleaning Your Drains

If cleaning your dishwasher didn’t help, or you think the smell is coming from the drains, it’s time to look at cleaning in and around the drains.

Firstly, start by looking at the drainage area within your dishwasher. Take a paper towel, soak it in vinegar and use it to wipe away any visible bits of food or grease stains. Consult your dishwasher’s manual to see if your model has any sort of food disposal function to assist in cleaning and unclogging the drain.

Additionally, it may be the case that a drainage hose has been damaged – in which case, this may need to be replaced from preventing further problems.

To clean out the drainage connecting to your kitchen sink, simply use a plunger, a drain snake or a liquid drain de-blocker.

If none of the above remedies the problem, it’s worth getting in touch with a specialist to diagnose and solve the problem. At Repair Aid, we specialise in fixing various brands of dishwasher. We are 99% confident that we’ll be able to solve the problem in just one visit. Call us today and we’ll be around to help as soon as possible.