Dishwasher Smells Like Eggs
Owning a dishwasher helps make your life so much easier. You don’t have to spend hours every week washing dishes in boredom.
However, just like most kitchen appliances, dishwashers can experience some problems that you have to fix. One of the most common issues is your dishwasher smelling like eggs.
This is not ideal, but read on to find out the why your dishwasher could smell like rotten eggs, even after a deep cleaning cycle, and how to fix this! After reading this article, you won’t need to worry about your dishwasher smells like eggs problem.
Why does my Dishwasher smell like eggs?
So you want to find out why your dishwasher smells like eggs. The answer could be simpler than you think! Some people have experienced smelly dishwashers because they’ve inserted plates into modern dishwashers that have residue from cooked eggs.
This makes your dishes and the inside of your dishwasher smell. To help prevent this, make sure to manually rinse your plates with cooked egg to the point where you can’t see any residue, before inserting the plate into the dishwasher. You could also just hand-wash these egg specific dishes.
Note that this only applies to cooked eggs. If you use raw eggs for baking, the mixing bowl is fine to put in your dishwasher, as raw eggs won’t affect the smell.
If you do not regularly eat cooked eggs, below are the best solutions to eliminate the rotten egg smell in your dishwasher.
How to fix your dishwasher smelling like rotten eggs – Solution 1
The first thing you want to do is pull out the bottom dish-rack, which then allows you to access the bottom of your dishwasher. In here, there will be a dishwasher cleaner with a filter you can pull out and wash to make sure there’s no food stuck in it. Underneath the filter there will be a hole where the dirty water drains out, and make sure to carefully clean this out, ensuring there’s no built up food particles stuck in there.
You should clean out your dishwasher filter at least once per week. If after doing this a few times you’re not finding any large food particles, then try checking and cleaning the basket filter underneath once per month.
This will help prevent the bad smell, but typically is not the main culprit.
The reason your dishwasher smells bad like eggs is likely to do with your dishwasher air gap. This is commonly found at your sink next to your tap. Once you open up your air gap, use your tap to put some water into it for at least 10 seconds.
By doing this, you’ll be washing out the connection between your main sink and your garbage disposal. This will get rid of any particles that are stinking up your sink, which in turn is making your dishwasher smell like rotten eggs. Make sure when you’ve finished cleaning to put the top back on your aerator.
If you still have issues, check the hose leaving your garbage disposal doesn’t have any sag in it, as this can collect gunk in the hose and rot. Also make sure after each wash there’s no leftover water in your dishwasher. This can build up and cause a bad eggy smell, so leave your dishwasher open after a wash to allow the inside to air dry, and to help remove odor.
Solution 2 – Baking Soda
Although it’s a dishwasher’s job to clean dishes, sometimes they need a clean too! As mentioned previously, food particles can build up in your dishwasher, and using baking soda is one solution to get rid of this.
First, take one cup of baking soda and disperse this across the bottom of the dishwasher and leave to sit overnight. Then in the morning, set the empty dishwasher for a clean cycle. The baking soda should disinfect the dishwasher and clear any rotten egg smells. This is because baking soda can be used as an odor neutralizer, giving you a smell free dishwasher!
Solution 3 – Bleach
Please note that this should only be used as a last resort. Bleach is a potent cleaning product, and cannot be used if there is stainless steel on the inside of the dishwasher. To use this, pour a cup of bleach into a bowl, and insert this into the dishwasher. Then set your dishwasher to run a long cycle, removing the unpleasant odor. However, ensure the bleach has completely left your dishwasher before using it again.
My Dishes Smell of Fish when they come out the Dishwasher
If your dishes smell of fish after putting them in your dishwasher, fully empty the appliance, and make sure you’ve taken out and rinsed the dishwasher’s filter to remove any food build up. Ensure the filter opening is also clean by taking out any food particles or debris that can be found deep at the bottom of your dishwasher.
Then fill a dishwasher safe cup with white or distilled vinegar, and insert this into the top tier dish-rack. Close the dishwasher door, turn the power on, and select the clean setting or power scrub.
Let the machine run through a full wash cycle. The vinegar will dispense slowly while water slowly over fills the cup.
Now that the dishwasher is clean you can add back in your fishy smelling dishes! This white vinegar technique should stop you from having a dishwasher that smells like rotten eggs or fish.
How to Keep your Dishwasher Smelling Fresh
Below are some top tips to prevent your dishwasher from getting dirty:
- Do not over-stack your dishwasher! Doing this sometimes means your dishwasher struggles to completely wash every dish, which means you have to put some dishes in the next wash.
- Regularly clean the spray arms using a sponge and soapy, warm water. This limits food debris, grease or grime from building up inside your dishwasher. It might be tempting to use a toothpick to get into the small holes, but doing this can end up damaging your dishwasher, so just stick to using a sponge.
- Do not fully wash dishes before loading them in your dishwasher. Your dishwasher needs some food residue and grease to effectively wash your dishes.
- That being said, make sure to get rid of large pieces of food from your dishes before stacking them into your dishwasher. These food particles could end up getting stuck in your filter and causing a blockage, therefore resulting in your dishwasher starting to smell.
- Regularly check your dishwasher’s thermostat is working and in good condition. This means you’ll know if your dishwasher hot water is at a high enough temperature to melt grease.
Final Thoughts
Having a dishwasher that smells like eggs can cause you a lot of problems, but as you can see there are lots of solutions to solve this foul odor. The main takeaway should be to consistently clean your dishwasher at least once a month to prevent you from experiencing smelly dishwasher issues.
There’s not much worse than opening your dishwasher after a full cycle and getting an eggy smell. So if you’ve been wondering “why does my dishwasher smell like rotten eggs?” hopefully now you know!
If your dishwasher is still smelling like eggs after trying all of the solutions above, call a dishwasher or appliance repair service to take a professional look at your appliance.
