The short answer
A countertop dishwasher is usually run less often than a built-in one, and that is where the smell comes from. Between loads it stands with a damp tub, a wet gasket and water left in the sump or the fill tank, in a warm kitchen, with the door shut. Emptying it and leaving it open does more than any cleaning product.
What you are seeing
- A stale, musty smell whenever the door is opened — Note: The tub and its seals have been standing damp between loads with the door closed.
- A sour smell that clings to a clean load — Note: Soil is being held in the sump screen and recirculated.
- A stagnant smell from the fill tank — Note: Water left standing in the tank between uses, which happens on tank mode and on nothing else.
- Black or pink growth in the folds of the door gasket — Note: Standing moisture on a surface that never dries, which is the direct consequence of condensing drying plus a closed door.
- A drain smell that comes and goes — Note: The drain hose end is sitting in the sink where household waste smells travel back up.
- A burnt or hot plastic smell — Note: Not an odour problem. Stop the machine and read the electrical safety page.
Ranked causes on this brand
- The machine standing damp and shut between infrequent loads — Why this rank: First because a countertop machine is typically run every few days rather than daily, condensing drying leaves it wet at the end of every cycle, and a closed door keeps it that way in a warm kitchen.
- Water left in the fill tank, on tank mode — Why this rank: Second because it is unique to this machine class: a tank left part full after a cycle is a closed reservoir of warm still water, and nothing empties it automatically.
- Sump screen not cleaned — Why this rank: Third because the screen is small and fills faster than a full-size filter, and the grease film it accumulates is what a stale smell actually is.
- Drain hose end sitting in the sink — Why this rank: Fourth because it gives household waste smells a direct route back into the tub, and it produces a smell that comes and goes with what has been down the sink.
- Door gasket and sill not cleaned — Why this rank: Fifth: the folds of the gasket and the sill they close on are where growth actually lives, and neither is reached by any cycle the machine runs.
- Habitually short or low-temperature programs — Why this rank: Last of the ranked causes because it is a contributing condition rather than a fault: a machine that never runs hot never clears the fat that collects in its sump and hose.
What to check, in order
- Open the door on a machine that has stood a day or two and smell it before running anything — Why: A musty smell at that moment points at the machine standing wet, which is the top cause.
- On tank mode, look into the fill tank — Why: Water left standing there is a cause that exists on no other kind of dishwasher.
- Take out the sump screen and smell underneath it — Why: This is where a sour, greasy smell lives and it is a ten-minute job to deal with.
- Run a finger into the folds of the door gasket and along the sill — Why: Growth here is a consequence of the drying design rather than a fault, and it needs cleaning rather than parts.
- Look at where the drain hose end sits and what the sink smells like on its own — Why: A smell that comes and goes with the household waste is not coming from the machine.
Checks you can do safely
- Unplug the machine, lift out the sump screen, wash it under a hot tap with a soft brush and a little detergent until it has no smell of its own, and refit it fully. — Tools: soft brush, detergent — Time: a quarter of an hour
- On tank mode, empty the fill tank completely after every cycle rather than leaving water in it. — Tools: a jug — Time: five minutes
- Wipe the door gasket and the sill with hot water and detergent, working an old toothbrush into every fold, then dry them. — Tools: cloth, old toothbrush — Time: twenty minutes
- Run the hottest and longest program available on an empty machine with detergent in the dispenser and genuinely hot water going in. — Tools: dishwasher detergent — Time: one long cycle
- Hook the drain hose so its end sits well above any standing water in the sink and cannot slip in. — Tools: none — Time: five minutes
- Leave the door propped ajar between loads so the tub and the gasket dry instead of standing wet. — Tools: none — Time: ongoing
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine before reaching into the sump and assume there may be broken glass under the screen. Never mix cleaning products in the machine, and in particular never put bleach into a machine that has had a descaler or any acidic cleaner in it. Let the machine cool before opening at the end of a cycle. Never move it with water in the tub or the tank. Keep the cord and outlet clear of any path water can take from the sink. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. — Id: unplug-before-service
Where the service line falls
The screen is clean, the tank is emptied, the gasket and sill are clean and a hot empty cycle has been run, and the smell returns within days. The smell is of hot plastic or burning rather than of drains or mustiness, in which case stop the machine and treat it as an electrical fault. Growth returns immediately after cleaning to a gasket that is cracked or perished rather than merely dirty. Dirty water is visibly returning into the tub between cycles even with the hose end clear of standing water. The smell is coming from the sink itself rather than the machine, which is a plumbing matter and not an appliance one.
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
This page is generalized across every countertop dishwasher sold under this badge and assumes condensing drying, a sump screen and tank-or-faucet supply. It does not cover a specific model family, and it does not cover machines with a heated drying element and a fan, which finish considerably drier and suffer far less gasket growth. The rating plate on the back of the machine, not the badge on the front, names the actual manufacturer and importer; that plate is what a seller support desk will ask for, and under a licensed name it is the only reliable way to tell one production run from another.
Links down: - [Farberware Dishwasher: Will Not Drain](/blog/farberware-dishwasher-drainage-failure) - [Farberware Dishwasher: Does Not Clean or Dry](/blog/farberware-dishwasher-cleaning-performance)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
