Have you ever unloaded a glass straight from the dishwasher, only to find it smells ‘fishy’ when you drink from it? You’re not alone.
My partner says he can’t smell anything, which makes me doubt myself – but there’s a distinct aquarium-esque essence I can’t ignore. And it’s not just the glasses. The other day at dinner, I had to switch out my fork because it carried the same scent. And when I enjoyed a slice of Viennetta the other night, the smell was on the bowl itself.
What's going on here; why’s everything suddenly smelling fishy, despite being freshly washed? I spoke to three cleaning experts to explain this smelly phenomenon, and to find the best way to fix it.
Why do my glasses smell fishy?
‘Smells like this usually come from some type of organic material,’ says Ryan Knoll, founder of Tidy Casa. ‘Think food residue like old grease or bacteria. Basically, there's still something gross in there, and the dishwasher didn't clean it up. More than likely, it gave it a fresh breeding ground with more hot air and moisture.’
So, you might not see it, but there’s likely some food residue hidden away in the dishwasher that’s encouraging bacterial growth and unwanted fishy smells. And considering the heat and humidity each cycle creates, it’s only likely to get worse if not removed. But where will you find this rogue debris and how do you give your dishwasher a deep clean to remove all traces?
What can I do to stop things smelling fishy?
Ryan continues: ‘First, clean out the filter at the bottom of the dishwasher. Make sure there's no leftover debris, food, or any kind of gunk. Then clean the dishwasher itself.’
The filter is the usual suspect for lingering food residue. It’s found on the floor of your dishwasher and filters all the drained water, during which it catches residual food. Unless it’s emptied and cleaned, those food particles grow bacteria and encourage fishy smells on the next cycle.
You should be cleaning your filter between every cycle to keep your dishwasher hygienic. Simply turn the filter counterclockwise to unlock it, then lift it free to remove residue and rinse in the sink. You can use soapy water and a toothbrush if needed before refitting. This process takes less than a minute and is usually the prime cause for a fishy dishwasher.
Sara Aparacio, cleaning expert at Homeaglow, also points out the importance of cleaning the spray arms: ‘These tend to get pretty clogged with gunk and food bits, so you should really be cleaning and checking them every month or so to prevent the buildup from taking over. For the arms, I simply take them off and rinse or use an old toothbrush to loosen anything stuck in the holes with the bristles.’
If you need to clear the jet holes, you could also poke them through with a toothpick or a needle before rinsing. Most spray arms can be removed from the dishwasher by pulling them up or down (depending on positioning), but refer to your manual if you’re unsure.
Sara continues: ‘Sometimes the seals and surrounds can also get full of grime, so I always give them a regular wipe-down to pick up anything that has got stuck or might be building up – the seals around the bottom of the door are often the biggest issue.’
You can clean the seals of your dishwasher with a little soapy water and a microfibre cloth. The control panel can be wiped with a damp microfibre cloth while you’re here, and any food residue caught around the buttons can be dislodged with a toothbrush. But, after all this, the dishwasher still needs a deep clean.
‘If you can’t find a dishwasher cleaner, I sometimes use a hot cycle with a bowl of white vinegar on the top rack, which can be almost as effective,’ advises Sara. ‘The hot cycle is good for clearing grime and killing bacteria, while the vinegar is a great deodoriser. You can follow this up with a shorter, cooler cycle that has bicarb spread across the bottom for that extra-fresh, clean feel.’
You need the bowl to be sitting upright in an otherwise empty dishwasher, so the vinegar is applied gradually. We recommend using 500ml vinegar with a normal cycle, without detergent.
However, Adrienne Gibbons, cleaning expert at Jelmar points out that ‘Back in the day, vinegar was better than nothing to help clean a dishwasher, but now we have specially formulated cleaning products to gently remove calcium, lime and rust deposits from these hard-working appliances – areas where vinegar's acidic properties fall short.’
Vinegar will also gradually corrode any rubber pipes or seals that your dishwasher contains. So it’s best to use this cleaning method sparingly and stick to dishwasher cleaners where you can, such as Dr Beckmann’s Service-it Deep Clean Washing Machine Cleaner.
All of the above will promote a fresh and hygienic dishwasher. Something as simple as taking a few seconds to rinse the filter might be all you need to get rid of a fishy smell, but by deep cleaning this appliance, you’re helping it to last longer and removing any hidden sources of bacteria.
Other tips to prevent fishy dishwasher smells
- If your dishwasher has one, run its self-clean setting as often as recommended.
- Make sure the dishwasher door stays open at the end of the cycle (ideally until its next use), so any remaining moisture can ventilate and to deter bacterial growth.
- Scrape food residue away before loading plates to prevent excess food particles in the filter, but don’t bother rinsing – the dishwasher can rinse for you.
- Top up the dishwasher salt and rinse aid when the indicators show. Dishwasher salt softens the water and improves the performance of the detergent. Rinse aid helps water rinse away, and deters limescale.
- For the same reason, make sure the water hardness setting on your dishwasher is correct. This affects the softness of the water and the performance of the detergent.
Dishwasher cleaning kit
