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    Home » Kitchen

    Why does my dishwasher smell like wet dog?

    BY: 730 Sage Street PUBLISHED: 1 Oct, '11 UPDATED: 31 May, '21 24 Comments

    Note: you can buy citric acid by itself and avoid the Kool-Aid altogether here: where to buy citric acid. You can also use lemon essential oil which seems to work as well.

    Dog standing on dishwasher door, dishwasher full of dishes
    Contents
    • The why
    • The solution?
    • 💬 Comments

    We have a constant battle with our dishwasher.

    There is rarely a time where everything is clean 100%

    Sometimes all the cups are dirty inside.

    Sometimes it doesn't rinse fully.

    Sometimes nothing on the bottom rack got clean.

    Sometimes nothing on the top got clean.

    Dishwasher

    Sometimes the silverware is still dirty.

    I never, ever get to put ALL the dishes away.  There are always at least a few that go back to be re-cleaned.

    One of the worst problems we have is that every once in awhile our dishwasher and all the GLASS items washed in it smells like wet dog.  How the heck does that happen?  Why does my dishwasher smell like wet dog? I'm CLEANING my dishes.  With soap.  Yet they smell worse than they did before I washed them.

    Well, it's really a simple answer.

    The why

    If you have any egg residue on any of your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher, there is a good chance when you open your dishwasher after the cleaning cycle that it will smell like this:

    Simon

    The solution?

    First, remove all the dirty dishes and run a clean cycle with Lemonade flavored Kool-Aid or a teaspoon of citric acid instead of your regular detergent.  Simply pour the contents of the packet into the detergent dispenser.  The citric acid does an amazing job cleaning your dishwasher and making it smell fresh.  Plus, it's safe.

    Kool aid to clean dishwasher

    Then, from now on, clean egg residue off your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

    No more wet dog smell.

    No more asking why does my dishwasher smell like wet dog?

    Eggs & others foods can cause strange things to happen when they get wet. And if you wonder why does my dishwasher smell like wet dog? You may need this easy trick!
    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    730 sage street
    730 Sage Street
    We try to make preparing and cooking meals enjoyable every day. We talk about everything from purchasing ingredients, preparing and cooking meals, right down to the smallest details.
    730 sage street
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Gary

      June 13, 2021 at 4:41 am

      Yes to citric acid. It smells like dog food to me more than wet dogs, but whatever. What has worked for me after trying several other methods, is to rinse anything with eggs or dog/catfood before loading. I run a 9 minute rinse cycle with citric acid any day that I'm not doing a load, with or without dishes in it. Then for a load, I use Lemi-shine, which is a regular dw detergent with citric acid as one of it's effective components.. This has ended the problem for me and I'm satisfied.

      Reply
    2. Susan Lang

      April 12, 2020 at 6:34 pm

      Can you use Crystal light in place of the lemonade Kool aid ?

      Reply
      • 730 Sage Street

        April 19, 2020 at 9:12 am

        Susan, if it has citric acid, likely it will work. If this is an ongoing issue I'd recommend just ordering some on Amazon.

        Reply
    3. Ann

      February 23, 2018 at 7:43 pm

      I have tried to find an answer for years. I always worry company will get a glass with that smell. It is disgusting. I can't drink out of a glass that smells so bad. Tonight my whole kitchen smells from the plates and silverware. I will try the Kool_Aid. It truly is a wet dog smell so I know it's not food stuck in the drain. However..I have noticed that the vent on my cooktop located close to the dishwasher produces the same smell and it permeates the kitchen. Cold air comes through that vent so it vents to the outside. What would be the connection between the stove vent and the dishwasher, I wonder.

      Reply
    4. ERIC GROOTVELD

      May 31, 2015 at 3:31 pm

      I have wet dog smell on our dishes, it is not eggs, or hotwater tank, or dishwasher. I have ruled out everything,the conclusion I have come to is that there is a dead animal in the water supply or dead rats in the pipes.

      Reply
      • Debbie

        April 15, 2018 at 8:29 pm

        I recently had all my pipes replaced and a filter placed where the water comes into my house. I have a 3 month old dishwasher and JUST got this problem again!

        Reply
        • Brooke

          January 29, 2020 at 5:45 pm

          Same here. It’s so frustrating. Someone has to have an answer as to what causes this! Like a scientist, or something. I have been searching for 3 years! I can’t believe I can’t find an answer! If anyone knows, please Please let the rest of us know.

          Reply
          • 730 Sage Street

            January 31, 2020 at 7:28 pm

            Brooke, the most likely cause is eggs. The hack for fixing this is to run a clean cycle with Lemonade flavored Kool-Aid or a teaspoon of citric acid. Either way, no more dog smell 😉

            Reply
    5. Dee

      October 01, 2014 at 11:57 am

      I think you gave the answer as to why it's only the lemonade that works....citric acid. I know that when you heat a small dish of lemon juice in a microwave it loosens the dried up food and makes it easier to clean with a damp cloth. Also helps the microwave smell cleaner.

      Reply
    6. Jon

      September 21, 2014 at 11:41 am

      Have had the same problem. I mainly use the "Eco" setting on mine. It's a full size machine and doesn't get turned on too often so I think the combination of not running while food scraps are in the machine for a few days, and having the door closed with no air circulation whilst dirty, is probably the reason it has that "old milk / wet dog smell".

      I've just tried:
      Filling the tablet drawer with squeezed lemon juice and vinegar, and sprinkling baking soda over the parts of the machine that possibly don't get washed so easily, like the door hinge etc.
      And then I've run a full hottest cycle with it empty.

      Just finished the cycle, I've opened the door and let the steam out and left the door open for a whole and... So far it smells fresh and clean!!

      Reply
    7. John

      December 23, 2013 at 6:57 am

      For years I put up with the wet dog smell until a service engineer suggested using LESS powder. As I use a tablet, I cut it in half and hey presto....no more wet dog! Also no more of that occasional slightly sticky feel after a wash. Been this way for a couple of years now.

      Reply
    8. anne

      March 25, 2013 at 8:54 am

      My problem of "wet dog smell" in a very new dishwasher ended up being the brand of dishwasher soap !!! I started to use the "individual chunk , rock like things : (not mention the brand) ... but they are White and blue specks with a red ball center, very expensive..... As soon as I switched BACK to liquid Soap with lemon I had no problem..... good luck I might even use dishwasher soap on the dog it works.....

      Reply
    9. Rebel Chick Jenn

      October 12, 2011 at 7:52 am

      Huh, I would have never thought to put kool-aid in my dishwasher, but that's an awesome idea! thank you!

      Reply
    10. Queen of the Click

      October 07, 2011 at 4:03 pm

      Kim I got the gift card - thank you soooooooooooo much.

      During the summer my beautiful dachshund, Reggie died and I am going to use the gc to get a new dog (when one becomes available) 🙂
      Thank youuuuuu so much!!

      Reply
    11. Dealectable Mom

      October 07, 2011 at 1:08 pm

      Who would have thought? Sharing this on twitter - everyone should know this!

      Reply
    12. Nichol

      October 05, 2011 at 6:16 pm

      Hmm interesting. We rinse everything like crazy because our dishwasher is about to die but I'll keep this in mind!

      Reply
    13. Joanie

      October 05, 2011 at 7:39 am

      This is so helpful! I've been trying to find a solution for this for the longest time. Thank you!!! You're a lifesaver.

      Reply
    14. courtney

      October 03, 2011 at 5:44 pm

      my dishwasher always smells like something died! and i think its cheese.. i wonder if this will work for that thanks for the tip!

      Reply
    15. Janet W.

      October 03, 2011 at 6:30 am

      I know exactly what you mean about the egg smell!! I've tried using detergent that has lemon in it to help with the odor, but it doesn't help. Thanks for the suggestion! Plus I learned that lemon in the detergent actually dulls your silerware, too, so that's not good.

      Reply
    16. paula @frosted fingers

      October 02, 2011 at 7:30 am

      Interesting. I basically have to wash all my dishes before I put them in or they don't get clean.

      Reply
    17. vwbug

      October 02, 2011 at 5:35 am

      Makes it smell better than vinegar which is what I have used. In a shallow bowl, on top, with some vinegar in it.

      Reply
      • Kim

        October 02, 2011 at 9:00 am

        We tried everything, honestly the Kool-Aid did a better job smell and even visually it was shinier than CLR or vinegar.

        Reply
    18. Alison

      October 01, 2011 at 12:35 pm

      That is soooo interesting! Who would have thought!

      Reply
      • Kim

        October 02, 2011 at 9:01 am

        I know! I have scoured the web for ways to clean my dishwasher and prevent that smell. Finally I found the culprit and how to clean it.

        Reply

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