we cook a lot of different kinds of meals in our homes that contains different kinds of food ingredients ranging from oil, vegetables, cheese, meat, fish, and many other food items and after we are done eating all the dirty dishes with food remains get loaded into the dishwasher for washing.
Now this food remnants over time can get trapped in hidden corners inside the dishwasher especially the dishwasher filter which will cause the dishwasher to begin to smell.
The dishwasher can give out just about any bad odour and can in some cases smell like a dead mouse.
In the article we shall talk about what to do when your dishwasher smells like an animal died in it and how to best prevent your dishwasher from smelling bad.
Why dishwasher smells like a dead mouse?
If your dishwasher smells like a dead mouse or any dead animal, it is possibly due to these two reasons.
One is the fact that there may be food remains, mineral deposits and undissolved detergents trapped at the bottom of your drain which is giving out these dead animal like smell.
Another possible reason why your dishwasher smells like a dead mouse is maybe there is a dead mouse carcass that is trapped inside or underneath your dishwasher.
If you have mice in your house, they can be very snicky and can easily get through any small openings even if it is an electric appliance like the dishwasher.
However, the most common cause of a smelly dishwasher is a stagnant water inside the dishwasher drain compartment or the drain filter.
Also, a clogged dishwasher drain hose can make the dishwasher not to drain out dirty water out from the dishwasher completely which overtime can really begin to give out a very foul odour.
What to do if your dishwasher smell like dead mouse?
Now if you have a dishwasher that smells like the carcass of a dead animal it is likely that a mouse has died under your dishwasher, and it is somewhere hidden from your eyes.
If you have a mice problem in your house, you can call in the pest control to help take care of this problem however you should move your dishwasher to check all the hidden compartments especially through the vent of the dishwasher.
The vent of the dishwasher is meant to allow air flow into the dishwasher during the heat/dry cycle.
In many modern dishwashers the vent is usually located right under the door of the dishwasher or by the door latch and this is a possible place where a mouse can easily creep through.
You may need to call in a dishwasher technician to help take apart your dishwasher so as to locate where the dead mouse carcass is hidden in the dishwasher.
Nonetheless this should be done after you have properly cleaned your dishwasher including all its components like the dishwasher spray arms, the filter, the drain hose, and the door gasket.
Click this link to check out our other article on how to properly clean your dishwasher to prevent it from smelling bad.
If after carrying out this routine cleaning of your dishwasher and you are still perceiving the odour of a dead animal coming from inside your dishwasher, then it means you have a dead mouse that should be removed from your dishwasher.
At this point it is advisable to invite an expert to help solve the smell issue in your dishwasher.
How often should you clean a dishwasher to avoid bad smells?
Cleaning your dishwasher is one sure way of ensuring that your dishwasher doesn’t give out any bad smell or odour.
And so, it is important that you clean your dishwasher and all its other components inside it especially the dishwasher filter and drain at least once every two weeks.
You should also use a dishwasher cleaner to clean your dishwasher every week. This dishwasher cleaners are very easy to use, you simply place it at the bottom of the dishwasher and then you run your dishwasher on its hottest wash cycle.
This helps prevent and any bad smell from your dishwasher making your dishes come out sparkling clean and without any spots on them.
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