Why Your Dishwasher Smells Like Poop (Solved)

There is nothing worse than walking into a kitchen and getting a strong whiff of poop.

You might look around wondering whether or not the dog might have pooped in the kitchen or something got dragged in with your clothes.

Unfortunately, it might be something worse. You might have a situation where the dishwasher smells like poop at home.

A dishwasher that smells like poop is likely dealing with a dirty filter, blocked drain, and/or a clogged vent. To fix the issue, turn off the water supply, replace the dishwasher’s filter, and inspect the drain to see if it’s clogged.

It is also recommended to use a high-quality dishwasher cleaner to cleanse the appliance once the root cause is taken care of.

This will ensure you bring the dishwasher back to how it was before the problem arose.

It is never a nice time dealing with a dishwasher that smells like poop. However, you can take care of it by following the steps listed above.

This article will go through what you have to do as you try to get rid of the poop smell in a dishwasher.

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Steps On How To Fix A Dishwasher That Smells Like Poop

1. Close The Water Supply To Dishwasher

When a dishwasher smells like sewage, you will know there is something dramatically wrong with the appliance.

This is a smell that should not be emitted from the dishwasher at any time of the year.

So, what can you do to remove bad odors from a dishwasher?

You will want to cut the water supply to the appliance before working on a solution. This will allow you to get into the drain and look around without having to worry about water damage.

dishwasher smells like poop

2. Replace The Filter In The Dishwasher

When learning how to get rid of the egg smell in a dishwasher, you have to start with the basics.

This includes inspecting the dishwasher filter.

If it is an older dishwasher or one that gets used every day, it is likely the filter has become dirty. When this occurs, the dishwasher starts to break down and you deal with all sorts of bad odors.

Your goal should be to take a step back and look at replacing the filter.

The filter is located right along the bottom of the appliance. Take it out, look at the filter, and then change it with a replacement part.

3. Inspect The Drain By Removing Bottom Rack

Let’s assume you also want to take a look at the drain.

The drain is responsible for funneling the water out of the appliance once the rinsing is done.

Unfortunately, if there is enough debris, it can become difficult for the dishwasher to do its job. This is when the drain and/or vent become clogged.

Your goal here is to take a look at the drain and see what’s going on.

Is it clogged?

If there is debris that is reachable, get rid of it with your hand. You might need something sharp to pull out deeper debris.

Make sure to get all of the debris out before running the dishwasher. This might be the root cause of the smell in the dishwasher.

dishwasher smells like poop

4. Run an Empty Cycle With Dishwasher Cleaner

The last step is to clean the dishwasher.

To do this, you are going to want to run the dishwasher on empty using a dishwasher cleaner. This will ensure it is back to how it was when you first started using it.

Remember, this is only useful when you have fixed the root cause.

When learning how to get rid of the poop smell in your dishwasher, this is one step that will help bring things back to normal.

You should make it a scheduled habit. This will always keep the dishwasher as clean as you need it to be.

Why Does My Dishwasher Smell Like Sewage?

A dishwasher can smell like sewage when the drain is clogged or the filter has gotten dirty. To fix the issue, turn off the water supply, remove the bottom rack, replace the filter, and inspect the drain to see if it’s clogged.

Final Thoughts

These are the reasons your dishwasher smells like poop all the time.

A dishwasher can smell like poop when its filter is dirty or the drain is clogged. This is a common issue with aging or overused dishwashers. To fix the problem, shut off the water supply, take out the bottom rack, replace the filter, and look at the drain to start removing excess debris.

This will ensure the dishwasher does not smell like poop moving forward.

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