Dishwasher smells bad: causes and safe checks

Usually simple

Quick answer

A smelly dishwasher usually has food trapped in the filter, a drain that isn’t clearing properly, or grease build-up from no maintenance. Clean the filters, sump and spray arms, check the drain hose and sink connection aren’t blocked or kinked, and run a maintenance wash with a dishwasher cleaner.

Also covers: dishwasher smells of eggs · dishwasher smells musty · dishwasher odour.

Likely causes

What you can safely check yourself

Stop and call a qualified engineer if:
  • The code or problem comes back after you’ve done the safe checks on this page.
  • The next step would mean removing a cover or panel, or working on the pump, valves, heater, motor, door lock or wiring. That is a job for a qualified engineer.

Work through these in order. Stop as soon as one of the signs above applies.

Clean the dishwasher filters

Before you start
  • Switch off and unplug the appliance at the wall socket before you touch hoses, filters or the back of the machine. Make sure your hands and the plug area are dry.
  • Wear protective gloves. Broken glass and sharp debris can collect in the filter and pump area, and it is hard to see.
Dishwasher filter assembly Twist to unlock, lift out Coarse filter Flat fine filter sits flat in the base Wear gloves: glass collects here. Refit until it locks.
Dishwasher filter assembly. Positions vary by model — check your manual.
  1. Take out the lower basket.
  2. Twist and lift the filter unit out of the base of the tub, then separate the parts as your manual shows.
  3. Rinse every part under running water. Use a soft brush for stubborn debris and nothing abrasive.
  4. Wipe food remains out of the sump area around the filter opening.
  5. Refit the filters so they lie flat and lock in position. On many models arrows line up when they are locked.

Don’t run the dishwasher without the filters fitted.

Check the spray arms turn and aren’t blocked

Before you start
  • Switch off and unplug the appliance at the wall socket before you touch hoses, filters or the back of the machine. Make sure your hands and the plug area are dry.
  1. With the dishwasher switched off, turn each spray arm by hand. It should spin freely without hitting plates, pans or utensils.
  2. Look at the nozzle holes. Clear food or limescale with a cocktail stick or tweezers.
  3. If your manual shows how to remove the spray arms, rinse them through under the tap and refit them firmly.

Check the dishwasher drain hose

Before you start
  • Switch off and unplug the appliance at the wall socket before you touch hoses, filters or the back of the machine. Make sure your hands and the plug area are dry.
  1. Where you can see it (usually under the sink), check the drain hose isn’t kinked, twisted, squashed or damaged.
  2. Check its length and the height of the drain connection against your manual. Hoses that are too long, too low or too high drain badly.

Don’t pull a built-in dishwasher out of its housing. If the hose can only be reached that way, ask an installer or engineer.

Check the sink waste connection

  1. Run the sink tap. If the sink drains slowly, the household drain is blocked, not the dishwasher.
  2. Check the spigot on the sink waste where the dishwasher hose connects isn’t clogged with food debris.
  3. If the dishwasher was just installed or moved, check the blanking plug was removed from that spigot.
  4. If the hose connects to a waste disposal unit, check the plug in the disposal unit’s dishwasher inlet has been removed.

Run a dishwasher maintenance wash

  1. Clean the filters first.
  2. Run an empty hot programme with a dishwasher cleaner, or your machine’s care programme if it has one. Follow the cleaner’s instructions.
  3. Wipe the door seal and door edge, where the wash water doesn’t reach.

For this fault: AEG suggests a dishwasher cleaner at least every two months. Bosch suggests a maintenance wash every 4 to 6 months, depending on use.

Showing an error code?

These codes are related to this problem. Codes differ by brand, so pick yours:

Step-by-step guides

Related problems

Brand guides: AEG, Bosch, Miele, Samsung. More dishwasher problems and codes, or use the fault finder.

Sources

Last checked against these sources: .

We write every page in our own words from manufacturer guidance and check it against the sources above. If your manual says something different, follow your manual. How we check.