Why does my dishwasher leave dishes smelling funky?
Dishes coming out with a foul, mildewy odor force people to run loads twice just to get them clean. Even after cleaning filters, checking drain hoses, and running hot cycles, the persistent smell remains because trapped residue and buildup continue to contaminate the wash.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Running the dishwasher twice for each load
- 2cleaned the food trap
- 3refilled the rinse agent
- 4ran an empty load with vinegar
- 5leaving the dishes in the dishwasher overnight
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“It always leaves the dishes smelling funky, so we have to run it twice each load.”source ↗
Jacksonvoice · r/HomeImprovement · 5 upvotes
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Why is my dishwasher getting filthy right after deep cleaning?
- 3Why does a spoiled food smell linger even after cleaning?
- 2Why do dirty dishes pile up in the sink?
- 11Why is there a mystery wet dog or sour smell in the house?
- 3Why do my towels still smell musty right after washing?
- 3Why does my house smell bad after taking a shower?