If you own a dishwasher that you are using to wash your dishes and you recently discovered that it makes everything to smell like cigarette smoke after washing in the dishwasher, and you are wondering where the smell is coming from, and can it be fixed?
In this article we shall talk about why your dishwasher smells like cigarette and how you can take care of this problem and also possible ways to prevent any form of smell from coming out from your dishwasher ever again so that your dishwasher smells fresh always.
Table of Contents
Why is my dishwasher smelling like cigarettes smoke:
One of the common and obvious reason why your dishwasher is smelling like cigarette smoke is because there might be something that is trapped against the heating element inside the dishwasher which burns when the dishwasher is running its drying cycle.
This can be a small piece of plastic item or utensil that’s made of plastic and once the heat of the heating element burns this small plastic item it gives out this smoke smell that is like that of a cigarette.
Another possible cause that makes your dishwasher to smoke and give out a burning smell is when the dishwasher spray arm at the bottom of the dishwasher fall out and drops on top of the heating element of the dishwasher and you are unaware of it.
The dishwasher spray arm is mostly made of plastic material and when it gets in contact with the heating element it starts to burn and smoke at the same time giving out the burning smell.
How do you get cigarette smell out of a dishwasher?
If you have a burning smell coming out from your dishwasher when it is in operation, it can usually be resolved without the need of a service technician.
The best way to take care of this burning smoke and cigarette like smell in your dishwasher is to simply remove all the internal components of the dishwasher that is the dishwasher racks, cutlery trays and utensils baskets.
You must remember to totally unplug the dishwasher from its power source before you commence. After removing all the internal components and accessories of the dishwasher then you should allow the unit to completely cool off.
After the dishwasher cools off then you should carefully examine the heating element of your dishwasher and if there is any plastic items stuck on it you should remove and properly clean the heating element.
However, if it is the dishwasher spray arm that fell off and it dropped on the heating element then you will need to get a new replacement part for the spray arm.
This is why it is very important that you load your dishes properly into the dishwasher and to make sure that all your dishes, cutleries, utensils, and glasses or plastic items are properly secured in place inside the machine while the dishwasher is washing.
Is it normal for new dishwasher to smell like burning rubber?
Yes, it is normal for new dishwashers to emit some form of odour when it is being used for the first few times in the house. The odours is usually because of the new motor coils and the insulation materials that is around the heating element of the dishwasher heating up.
You will experience this odour from your new dishwasher, and it should typically stop when you have run the dishwasher for about 15-20 full wash cycles.
Now after this time if you are still perceiving any odour from your new dishwasher you will have to visually inspect the heating element and to make sure that there is no food particles or any small plastic utensils that has fallen on it or become trapped at the bottom then you should remove this items.
Now should always remember to follow the best and proper loading arrangements for all your dishes, cutleries, glasses, and all items made of plastics like toys into the dishwashing machine.
As far as dishes and plastic items that you load into the dishwasher are properly secured and no small item or pieces made of plastic drops on the heating element then you will in no way have any burning smell from your dishwasher.
When to call for a repair technician:
If your dishwasher is a new one and if after using it to wash dirty dishes for up to 20 full wash cycles, you still have the burning smell coming out from the dishwasher then we recommend that you get a qualified technician to take a look at the dishwasher.
This also applies to dishwashers that are not new and that is also having this same problem of burning smell like cigarette in the dishwasher. You will need to invite the repair man over especially after trying out all the tips that we mentioned in this article.
How to prevent bad odours from coming out from your dishwasher:
Even though the dishwasher is a cleaning machine that helps to wash all your dirty dishes it to also needs to be cleaned and maintained from time to time so as to prevent any unpleasant smell from coming out from the dishwasher and even smelling on dishes after washing.
And so, to keep your dishwasher smelling fresh always you need to clean some of the major components of the dishwasher which includes the dishwasher filter, the dishwasher spray arms, and the compartments where the filter sits in.
You should regularly remove the dishwasher filter at least one in two weeks and use hot water with toothbrush and detergent to scrub and clean it properly as you will often notice that some grease and food particles often get trapped in the filter.
And if it is not washed off quickly it will cause the dishwasher to begin to emit some foul odour.
After cleaning the dishwasher filter you should also check the compartment where the filter sits in as there will be remnants of dirty and sometimes oily water inside it which will also cause the dishwasher to smell badly.
Make sure to drain out all the dirty water from inside the compartment before you put the dishwasher filter back in its place.
And for the dishwasher spray arms you should physically examine the spray holes on the spay arms to make sure that there is nothing blocking it. You can remove it also to wash in hot soapy water to get rid of all the debris and grease.
Finally, after doing all these routine cleaning, you should use a dishwasher cleaner to clean the inside of your dishwasher once a week to keep your dishwasher and dishes odour free.
You dont want to wash your dishes in the dishwasher and have them taste like soap after washing. You can learn more on what to do if your dishes are coming out of the dishwasher tasting like soap in our other article on this topic.
A good and highly recommended dishwasher cleaner that is very effective is the cascade dishwasher cleaner.
It is easy to use as you just simply place the cascade dishwasher cleaner pod at the bottom of the dishwasher and then you run the dishwasher on its hottest cycle.
Sources:
