Mystery of the chemical smell on my dishes
December 10, 2018 4:18 PM Subscribe
Despite cleaning out every part of my dishwasher, my dishes have a strange taste and smell when they come out of it.
I'm at a loss. I cleaned out the filter (which wasn't really that dirty to begin with), I checked to make sure the drain pipe was clear, I ran a sterilize mode cycle with a cup of baking soda in the top rack... Nothing has worked. The dishwasher itself doesn't smell. There is no rotten smell or food smell. Rather, the cups and dishes seem to have some kind of strange invisible film on them that you can't detect until you put liquid or food on it and you taste something funny.
I realized the problem when I drank water from a hand-washed cup and realized the water tasted great. (I had ordered a new water filter, because I thought the taste was due to needing a filter replacement, but at that point I realized the filter was fine). Now we only handwash things to avoid whatever this is.
Since cooking at home is a new thing for us, the dishwasher hasn't gotten a lot of use so I don't know if this is a new problem or if this dishwasher has always been like this. (It looked completely brand new when we moved in.) Our dishes are porcelain if that matters and we fill the rinse aid compartment with vinegar.
Any ideas of what's happening here?
I'm at a loss. I cleaned out the filter (which wasn't really that dirty to begin with), I checked to make sure the drain pipe was clear, I ran a sterilize mode cycle with a cup of baking soda in the top rack... Nothing has worked. The dishwasher itself doesn't smell. There is no rotten smell or food smell. Rather, the cups and dishes seem to have some kind of strange invisible film on them that you can't detect until you put liquid or food on it and you taste something funny.
I realized the problem when I drank water from a hand-washed cup and realized the water tasted great. (I had ordered a new water filter, because I thought the taste was due to needing a filter replacement, but at that point I realized the filter was fine). Now we only handwash things to avoid whatever this is.
Since cooking at home is a new thing for us, the dishwasher hasn't gotten a lot of use so I don't know if this is a new problem or if this dishwasher has always been like this. (It looked completely brand new when we moved in.) Our dishes are porcelain if that matters and we fill the rinse aid compartment with vinegar.
Any ideas of what's happening here?
100% change your brand of dishwasher tablets!
posted by DarlingBri at 4:30 PM on December 10, 2018
posted by DarlingBri at 4:30 PM on December 10, 2018
I would stop using vinegar as a rinse aid and switch to a store-bought rinse aid.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:35 PM on December 10, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:35 PM on December 10, 2018 [19 favorites]
Vinegar is way too strong to put into a dishwasher - it also doesn't taste good. Try using real rinse-aid, or no rinse-aid if you are concerned about using it.
posted by saeculorum at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by saeculorum at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'd try running it without detergent and see if it's imparting that smell. If not, you may just be using a gross, stinky soap. For what it's worth, I buy a lot of off-brand stuff, but after a bad experience with the smell of a dishwasher detergent, I only use the same pricier Cascade soap I've always used. I also don't use a rinse aid at all. You could also try skipping that step and see if it helps.
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Do you know if your water is hard? We moved to a new place with different water and had this problem!
posted by masquesoporfavor at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2018
posted by masquesoporfavor at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2018
You also may be using too much dish soap. And I find boxed powder soap works better- and is way cheaper- than tablets.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:51 PM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:51 PM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
The vinegar is useless as a rinse aid replacement. It only makes the rinse water slightly acidic, it is not a surfactant. It also smells funky, particularly if you do a heated dry. If your dishes have water spots without a rinse aid, get some real rinse aid.
For a sanitizing cycle, baking soda is useless too. Though if the manual for the dishwasher suggests it, go right ahead. But usually you'd use regular bleach or citric acid for that. Citric acid based cleanser is especially useful if you have hard water.
posted by monopas at 4:57 PM on December 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
For a sanitizing cycle, baking soda is useless too. Though if the manual for the dishwasher suggests it, go right ahead. But usually you'd use regular bleach or citric acid for that. Citric acid based cleanser is especially useful if you have hard water.
posted by monopas at 4:57 PM on December 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
Citric-acid-based cleaner, or Tang. Not kidding, the stuff works.
When you fill a glass that's just been washed, is the water sudsy at all? If you fill it a second time, is it less sudsy? That's the detergent. Try a different one.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:18 PM on December 10, 2018
When you fill a glass that's just been washed, is the water sudsy at all? If you fill it a second time, is it less sudsy? That's the detergent. Try a different one.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:18 PM on December 10, 2018
Another thing to check is that the dishwasher is filling with water adequately. Your float switch(if you have one) or inlet valve may need to be replaced.
posted by Dr. Twist at 6:16 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Dr. Twist at 6:16 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Stop using vinegar.
Run a cycle with no dishes, but with a citric acid based dishwasher cleaner. Then run a few more cycles with no dishes and nothing but water.
See if the problem continues after that.
posted by erst at 7:26 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Run a cycle with no dishes, but with a citric acid based dishwasher cleaner. Then run a few more cycles with no dishes and nothing but water.
See if the problem continues after that.
posted by erst at 7:26 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
The only dishwasher detergent I've found that doesn't leave an aftertaste is Costco's own brand.
posted by essexjan at 10:47 PM on December 10, 2018
posted by essexjan at 10:47 PM on December 10, 2018
We have used Cascade for years. New Whirlpool dishwasher 'prefers' the pre-measured little sacks of Cascade, so that is what we use now.
Another idea: do you close your dishwasher when it is not running? Try leaving the door slightly ajar to discourage mold. Same thing with your clothes washer. Easier to prevent mold than to get rid of it.
posted by Cranberry at 12:30 AM on December 11, 2018
Another idea: do you close your dishwasher when it is not running? Try leaving the door slightly ajar to discourage mold. Same thing with your clothes washer. Easier to prevent mold than to get rid of it.
posted by Cranberry at 12:30 AM on December 11, 2018
How many times have you run the dishwasher in total? If the dishwasher really was brand new when you moved in, and you've only run it a few times, it could be off-gassing of the internal components. I noticed an unpleasant, chemical smell the first several times my Bosch dishwasher was run (and I think there was even a note in the manual about running it empty for a couple of cycles at first). So, try running it a few times without no vinegar, no dishes and no detergent and see if the smell is reduced.
posted by Jemstar at 4:04 AM on December 11, 2018
posted by Jemstar at 4:04 AM on December 11, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pipeski at 4:24 PM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]