--- title: "The dishwasher smells" description: "KitchenAid the dishwasher smells: most dishwasher smells are housekeeping rather than a breakdown — but two of them are not, and knowing which is which…" url: "https://kitchenaidmiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-smells/" date_modified: "2026-08-23" Appliance type: "Dishwashers" --- # KitchenAid the dishwasher smells ### The fastest diagnosis is the code If the smell is burning plastic or hot rubber during a cycle, stop the machine and switch it off at the breaker — that is an electrical smell and it is not a cleaning problem. Every other smell starts at the filter in the floor of the tub, which lifts out by hand and is the source far more often than the drain is. ### Warm, damp and dark A dishwasher is a sealed box that spends most of the day slightly wet and slightly warm, in a climate that is already both. That is a good environment for anything organic left behind, and the filter is where it collects. The fix is not chemical and it is not a repair — it is lifting the filter out every month or two and rinsing it, which is the same habit that keeps the machine washing properly. ### The two smells that are not housekeeping A sewer smell is usually the plumbing rather than the appliance, and is worth chasing at the disposal and the trap first. A burning smell during a cycle is electrical, and the right response is to switch the machine off at the breaker and call — not to run it again to see whether it does it twice. The filter and the sump Trapped food breaking down in a warm damp box. The cause of most stale and fishy smells, and it lifts out and rinses under a tap. Standing water in the tub A machine that is not draining fully will smell within days. If there is water in the bottom, that is the problem to solve rather than the smell. The drain hose or the disposal side A sewer or rotten-egg smell usually comes from the plumbing the machine shares rather than from inside it — the disposal, the trap, or a hose without its high loop. The door seal and its folds Residue sits in the bottom corners of the gasket where the water never reaches. A cloth and two minutes, and it is often the last piece of a stubborn smell. Something electrical getting hot Burning plastic or rubber during a cycle is not a cleaning issue. Switch the machine off at the breaker and have it looked at before it runs again. Take the filter out and look at it A quarter turn on the cylinder under the lower rack, then the flat screen lifts out. Rinse both under a hot tap. This is the source of most dishwasher smells. Wipe the gasket, especially the corners The bottom corners of the door seal collect residue the spray never reaches, and they hold a smell long after the tub is clean. Run a cleaner through an empty machine A dishwasher cleaner or a white vinegar rinse on the hottest cycle, with nothing else in the tub. In this water it is worth doing a few times a year anyway. Book it if the smell is burning Burning plastic or rubber during a cycle is an electrical smell. Switch off at the breaker and call rather than running it again to see whether it happens twice. And what the smell is telling you What it usually means A stale or fishy smell when the door opens A rotten-egg smell from the drain side A hot plastic or burning smell during a cycle The fastest diagnosis is the code If the smell is burning plastic or hot rubber during a cycle, stop the machine and switch it off at the breaker — that is an electrical smell and it is not a cleaning problem. Every other smell starts at the filter in the floor of the tub, which lifts out by hand and is the source far more often than the drain is. Warm, damp and dark A dishwasher is a sealed box that spends most of the day slightly wet and slightly warm, in a climate that is already both. That is a good environment for anything organic left behind, and the filter is where it collects. The fix is not chemical and it is not a repair — it is lifting the filter out every month or two and rinsing it, which is the same habit that keeps the machine washing properly. The two smells that are not housekeeping A sewer smell is usually the plumbing rather than the appliance, and is worth chasing at the disposal and the trap first. A burning smell during a cycle is electrical, and the right response is to switch the machine off at the breaker and call — not to run it again to see whether it does it twice. ### Why does it smell like fish? Almost always trapped food in the filter or sump breaking down. It is a strong smell from a small amount of residue, it is not a sign of damage, and it goes when the filter comes out and gets rinsed. ### Rotten eggs, and only sometimes. That pattern usually points outside the machine — the disposal, the trap under the sink, or a drain hose that has lost its high loop and lets water sit in it. Running the disposal with cold water and citrus peel is worth a try before anybody is called. ### It smells hot when it runs. Is that normal? A faint warm-plastic smell from a brand-new machine on its first few cycles is normal and fades. A burning smell on a machine that has been fine for years is not — switch it off at the breaker and have it looked at rather than running it again. --- **[Read full article: The dishwasher smells](https://kitchenaidmiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-smells/)**