No but the dishwasher is BRAND NEW so it has t had enough time to have issues. It happened after the first load of dishes were washed.

As far as the brown stuff on your silverware, you might want to try removing the spray arms and following the directions for flushing them out. When I first had the stinky smell it was terrible. I dumped a couple of boxes of baking soda into a flat tray and left it in the DW before I ran it and did that for several weeks. It seemed to help, but then I started to run "sanitize' on every load. No issues since then.

I was going to buy a Bosch dishwasher today. But I'm always careful to read reviews and noticed that several people said something about a bad smell. Thank goodness I found this thread! I don't think I'm going to even consider buying one now. If there's anybody on this thread who got too sick of this problem and bought another and really liked it, I would sure like to know which brand and model it was. I just want an attractive dishwasher that washes and dries well and lets me know when the dishes are done.

I'll spare my story. It is four years and running with a brand new Bosch trying to solve the bad smell. I read all the posts here as well as other sites with no success trying all the remedies offered. I have not yet tried Jersey_Joe's fix yet, however, I am excited to tell you what finally worked for me. I am going on three weeks now and no smell. I can now run my washer just like I have in the past with all of my non-Bosch washers without jumping through hoops and wasting my time and effort trying to appease the Bosch God.

This is what I found when I took apart my Bosch. Decaying food in the assembly above.

This is how I solved the problem.

My son filled the detergent door (about 1/4 cup) with this stuff used by bottling companies to prepare bottles before filling. My son said it is great for getting smells out of old coffee mugs so he gave it a try in my Bosch by running a full cycle without dishes. I guess this made the Bosch God happy. No more smell.

I’m on my third Bosch dishwasher and I’ve never had a smell. I’ve always used white vinegar as the rinse agent.

looks like the inbound water mixer - many DW have these. Maybe the sump water got siphoned back into it and that had food particulate. Some DW have a non-return valve built in the protect agains this.

HU-562132216,

Unlikely there'd be food residue in the water inlet mixer. Fresh water from the household supply flows in through it. Dirty water after washing does not pump out via that route. Was the residue perhaps mineral deposits and/or debris from the water supply?

We bought our Bosch 300 in February this year. From day one (before using it) it had a chemical smell. I figured it was just because it was new and that it would go away after a couple of washes. Well it is now late March and the smell is still there. I have tried vinegar and baking soda but it hasn’t worked. It is very frustrating and I do worry if something is being deposited on the dishes that may be harmful to us. I called Bosch customer service and I got a lot of hums and hos and not a lot of help. I’ve had Bosch dishwashers in the past and never had a problem. Haven’t decided what to do but I don’t want this smell to go on forever.

Try the 'Sanitize' cycle on every load. That's what finally worked for us.

https://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/appliances/dishwashers

Our 5 yr old Bosch dw opening (not inside actual dishwasher) thinks like roadkill. We have pulled the dishwasher out to check for a dead mouse or the like. Nothing. The outer insulation stinks to high heaven too. Again, the smell is not coming from the interior of the dishwasher. HELP

I’m having a problem with the smell of our Bosch too. It smells like the food I cooked that day...the dishes look clean but they smell like they weren’t washed and that then permeates into the house- making our house stink too. I got a Bosch in 2017 and I had no problems with it. The current bosh was purchased around July of this year. Any input would be super appreciated. Have any of you moved onto a different brand dishwasher, and do you like it better than the Bosch? Thanks everyone!

B Smith,

I have a two month old Bosch dishwasher. I too had unpleasant odors (to put it nicely) inside the dw early on. I found that Finish Powerball detergent left the stanky odor inside the dw. I now use what makes the Bosch happy, which is Cascade Complete pods, Finish Quantum pods, Cascade Complete powder, Trader Joe's powder. I do try to use the powders most of the time as I have read on this forum that perhaps pod's casement material gunks up the works and I did have mechanical failure issues with my previous dishwasher.. I don't use detergent pods in my laundry washing machine, but I did like and use them in my previous dishwasher.

I also use a rag to keep the door to the dw slightly open to air it out in-between wash cycles as I haven't found a way to leave the door cracked open just a little bit to let air in so things don't go rotten inside. The door wants to slam shut and be air-tight. That's a set up for stinks and perhaps even mold to brew in my experience.

I haven't read the numerous posts ahead of this one, so pardon if this was already mentioned.

I say 'what makes the Bosch happy' because it does seem to be finicky about what gets a complete clean with no odor left behind. Now I abide by what I call the Bosch rules and we are good over here ;-) Clean dishes, no odors on dishes or inside the dw. I was perplexed at first because this new dw says to use Finish detergent all over it, but it doesn't specify which Finish detergent. At least with our dw, it doesn't mean Finish Powerball detergent--it means Quantum.

I hope that gives you some help. Good luck!

@ B Smith,

Read through all the posts of this 14-year-old discussion, and try different detergents (including powders) to find one that eases the problem.

Wow! Thank you guys so so much for your ideas!!! I really appreciate you and your time!! I am totally going to give those powders a try!! I love the “Bosch Happy”... that’s a great goal! I can’t tell you guys thankful I am to have your comments- I’m such a newbie to the game, and you are totally making me feel better about beating this smell and making that Bosch Happy😁 take care and stay safe! Thank you again

Sure B Smith.

I read several of the posts upthread last night and someone shared the idea to put a clothespin on the upper rack to allow the door to stay propped open so the dishwasher can air out. Like I said above, I've been using a rag, which isn't the best plan of action to get air into the dw because I think doing so will eventually deform the gasket. I found a clothespin-like item in my house last night and attached it to my upper rack. It works great to keep the door open just enough to get some air in the dw. Remember to remove the clothespin before turning on the dw. Thanks to that poster! See photo below.

Also, make certain you are enabling the Sanitize function on your dw. Doing so increases the temperature in the dw. I have settled on using Auto and Heavy wash cycles with Sanitize enabled. Normal, in my dw spends a short amount of time washing and a very long time drying. I don't use that cycle anymore. Good luck!

This is brilliant! Thanks to both you and that poster!! I will try that out. I took the filter out, cleaned it with how water and a toothbrush with a little water bleach on the tooth brush. I also put a bowl of vinegar and baking soda on the bottom rack and ran the dishwasher on hot (I didn’t use the sanitize button tho) and it didn’t do anything to help with that smell. I will try that clothes pin idea next🤞🏻hopefully it will work. Its kinda the last straw- if this doesn’t work, we are gonna have to get another machine...its too stinky to just deal with. This mornings glass of water smelled like onions and my marinara sauce🤢🙄. Thank you all for your great ideas!! Take care and stay safe!!

Sorry you are still having issues.

What detergent are you using?

If you are not already, make sure you are running the kitchen faucet until it's steaming hot so the dw has hot water to work with from the start. It will heat the water, but I've noticed my Bosch is very concerned with staying on time. I have a feeling that if it was working with cold water out of the tap, it wouldn't extend the cycle too much to heat the water up to desired temp. And don't use the Normal cycle. Select Heavy or Auto (or whatever it might called on your model) with Sanitize enabled. I'm glad you scrubbed out your filter. They can get dirty sooner than you might think.

I have also been using a rinse aid for the first time ever. A friend from this forum sent me a box of Lemishine rinse aid as Bosch dishwashers like to have rinse aid. Perhaps this is why I am having better luck than you? I don't know.

Having said all that, I wish you the best and I certainly understand you have to do what is best for you. I was able to sort out my difficulties with the Bosch with help from friends on this forum, but sometimes you can do everything correct and you still have an appliance that isn't giving you satisfactory results. I've been there with two washing machines and I should have cut my losses years ahead of when I did.

I am also using this dishwasher cleaning agent once a month. It seems to make the Bosch very happy. Small investment.

I thought of you today when I emptied my dw and everything was clean and smelled like nothing. I was hoping you had the same experience. Take care.

Is this with every model does anyone know?

I am not sure. I've read so many threads now that it does seem to be many different models.

I bought a Bosch dishwasher model #SHX3AR75UC in July 2020. It was a recommended dishwasher on Consumer Reports. From almost the first week, it had a bad smell when I opened it. I called Bosch at 800-944-2904 however, they were no help with this issue. I had to find the answer on my own. Bosch had suggested everything from running it with only a cup of vinegar in it, cleaning the filter at the bottom (I did that several times), making sure the rinse agent was full (it was), to just running it every day (it's only my husband and myself and we just don't have a full load every day so why waste the water and use more cleaning pods?). Finally, I discovered that the reason for the smell is the water that sits in it after the wash cycle is finished. The thing is air-tight and has no heating element in it. My previous dishwasher (an old Kenmore) never had the smell and it was because it had a heat dry cycle after it finished washing, and the dishes were actually too hot to touch right away. Not with this one. This model has no heat cycle. When you open the door, there is water on the inside of the door and on the back wall. My solution was to wipe dry the door as soon as I took the clean dishes out and also dry the back wall of it. Then I put a clean dishtowel over the door, then closed it, so it was actually open a crack. Now, I'm not hit with that hideous smell when I open the door. I'm sorry I bought this model. It wasn't cheap either. I don't know if they have another model that has the heat cycle in it, but that's what I would buy if I had it to do over again.

Does your model have a "sanitize" setting? I use the sanitize setting and make sure (when not running) I don't hear the click of the door, so it is not air tight.

Loretta Guyett,

Your Bosch has a water heating element. It's a flow-through design that's part of the pump, not exposed/visible inside the tub. Drying is a condensation process. The dishware is heated by the final rinse water. The tub surface cools faster than the dishware, which entices residual moisture on the dishes to evaporate off of them and condense onto the tub. You weren't aware of this when you chose the machine? Rinse aid is required for the process to work effectively. Are you using rinse aid? Condensation drying has become common on several brands/models. Some do still have drying heaters.

I went from a Kitchenaid to a Bosch and have regretted it ever since. I bought a new kitchenaid for another house and absolutely love it. So, no more Bosch for me. I’ve tried vinegar, bleach, baking soda and the smell still returns. I too believe it’s from the standing water left behind after a wash because when I remove the filter to clean it the smell is so bad it makes me nauseous. I can’t believe Bosch treats this as a “new” problem. I’m sure they have heard this from a high percentage of Bosch users. Again, I’ll never buy Bosch again.

Yes they came out and looked at mine and said nothing is wrong with the dishwasher and they never get complaints like that. (Ya right!!!) Luckily mine was very new and the retailer took it back. It smelled like a sewer. Yuck!

Dadoes- yes I was using rinse aid. Yes I was aware of thre different drying process but did not expect it to smell like a sewer because of it. They told me to put a towel or something in the door to prevent it from being closed all the way to air out after every wash. Like wth should have to do that? They also said I need to do a “rinse” every other day to freshen it up. when your dishwasher because a chore it’s a sign to get a different brand.

I just bought a new Bosch DW, Series 4, about a week ago. It stank the first time I opened the door. I've never experienced this with any other DW I've had. Also there was water inside, not much but wet. My first thoughts were that the smell is just the plastic, and will go away. It has reduced some but is still there, after a week of daily use. I've tried a full cycle with only bicarb in it, no joy. Fortunately the dishes don't take on the smell. It can't be the food residue rotting, as the stink was there before the machine was ever used, plus I've never experienced this with any other DW I've had, rotting food or otherwise.

I'll give it another week before jumping up and down, I don't particularly wish to go through the installation process again.

By the way I chose Bosch because it was given 5 star ratings an all categories by consumer reviews. If I had known about this stink problem I would have chosen differently.

Don’t give it another week. It won’t change and might even get worse. Take it back and get a Kitchenaid

I seemed to be able to rectify the smell issue. We adjusted the pitch of the machine so that it drained better and we don’t close it all the way when not in use. We take a kitchen towel and wad it into a ball and put between door and inside of machine to keep door open a little bit. Its much better now.

I just make sure the door doesn't click when closed so it's not air tight. I don't need to prop it open.

usually these problems are with poor install of just letting the dishes sit inside for a few days. Good install is making sure it is level and that the drain hose has only one high loop. Additionally, you will have to run it every day or so. Without that it is literally a garbage can of rotting food with no air circulation - it is going to smell

Please read my original post.

The smell was in a brand new, never been used machine. It is operated every day, so dishes don't hang around. The smell has decreased some. The installation is as close to level as can be achieved with an under bench top with cabinets either side. Drain hose has just the one loop.

With as much as we pay for these Bosch dishwashers, we shouldn’t have to take these extra measures. I can’t believe that they say that they don’t have a problem with these machines. When I look back through the comments people have been complaining for years. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you have a high end or a low end machine. As I stated in an earlier comment I will never buy another Bosch

many mfgs wet test the unit before it leaves the factory. It fills with water and make sure it actually fills and drains does what it is supposed to do in a very short cycle. The residual water stays in the machine

there will always be some smell in the beginning from machine oil, plastic getting heated. That may take a while to dissipate. That smell is certainly different from rotting food. Most mfgs reccomend these days to minimize rinsing and just scape. Years ago, you virtually had to wash the dishes by hand to make sure they got clean. Now you just scrape

Bosch, KA, Miele - they will almost all be the same

I posted a comment a while back, as we resolved our smelly dishwasher by switching from Finish to Cascade. Not sure why that would help, but it made a big difference. I have no issues now, and do not run it every day, and do not have to leave it open to dry.

Problem Solved...

We received a BOSCH 500 Series from my brother after he was having problems with it.

We noticed a BAD smell after a couple days left unattended and noticed water was at the upper level of the filter screens in the base. We tried vinegar and baking soda but no permanent solution.

I pulled out all the screens and found the stainless steel micro-screen cylinder shaped filter had a whitish coating on the inside (not seen earlier). It created a surface tension which held up to a couple cups of water that turned putrid from that whitish residue. We brushed that all clean, put it back together and now the pump clears all the water from the bottom of the dishwasher.

Also, I've read higher end BOSCH dishwashers now have a feature that pops the door open to allow drying out of the inside to reduce moisture in the warm insides which can promote bacterial growth.

So now we also flip down the filler door for Rinse Aid and that holds the door open just enough to allow for the drying out of the inside after a wash.

We've never have a problem since. Hope this helps...

Thanks. I'll try this.

I had my previous BOSCH for 19 years and never had one problem and never had any smells. In my old dw, I never used rinse aid and only used regular wash setting once a week. It was a fantastic dw. I tried to get it repaired but they only make replacement parts for 5-7 years so I had to buy a new one. This new one STINKS. It’s only two months old and it has a sour milk or sewer smell. It gets worse with every passing day after each week that I run the dw. I rinse all dishes before putting them in the dw (always have). I hate this smell. It’s a rancid Oder hanging over my kitchen. I’ve read so many of the posts here and will try changing detergents and use a cloths pin to keep door open. My rinse aid compartment was empty so I purchased the finish rinse aid and added that to my dw before I ran the dw tonight. As soon as the dw beeped, I opened the door with dishes still inside and will see if that helps. All of the posts here have been very helpful.

How is your dishwasher vented? When I installed our Bosch a couple of years ago the instructions offered a few different option including an air gap or a high loop. I looked these up and read that some people had problems with smells with just the high loop. If your dishwasher smells like sewer then it seems likely that you are indeed getting sewer smell backing into it. I’d consider changing to an air gap venting option.

Rada Morgan, I'm curious what model Kitchenaid dishwasher you ended up getting, and are you pleased with it?

I was going to get this kitchen aide. My friends just got it and love it! I also was able to tilt the Bosch dishwasher the tiniest bit forward to help the dirty water drain. It is working really well- no more smell. The drying is a bit spotty, but I was told to add Finish liquid. I havent done it yet because I am in the middle of a rehab and my dishwasher is in the garage. Good Luck!!

Thanks B Smith. Great tip about tipping the Bosch forward. Which Kitchenaide dishwasher are you talking about that your friends love?

I have a Bosch 800 series with Crystal Dry, same odor problem others are experiencing. This dishwasher replaced a 30+ year old Whirlpool that never smelled, ever.

I rinse dishes first because I run the dw once every 6 days or so. Did a thorough cleaning of the filter, below the filter, the walls etc. Used Cascade dw cleaner this weekend, which did a super job of cleaning, but as far as the odor issue, it's back, now with an overlay of the strongly perfumed Cascade cleaner, which makes it worse because when I open the dw door to air it out, my kitchen smells like the dw cleaner, which I don't really care for.

As far as the residual water, Bosch CS told me that it was an intentional part of the design, to prime the pump for the next use? However, I'm wondering if it's the crystals causing the issue, by absorbing odors and then releasing them after several days into the dishwasher? Thoughts?

Very frustrated, because dishwashers are nothing new - the first one was invented in 1850 according to the internet. Would much rather have one that just cleans the dishes, than one with all the bells and whistles that smells.

I also have Bosch 800 and it smell horrible even after a year of use. Some say this smell comes from tar used in sound proofing.

I have a 2003 Bosch and have never had an odor. It's also never needed a repair. When I clean the filter, I see the standing water but it's never smelled so, there's something wrong in the new Bosch DW's. There's nothing wrong with my DW, I use it every day but I thought I'd shop for a new Bosch and came across this odor problem in reviews, along with other Bosch problems owners are having. Yet Expert Reviewers keep listing Bosch as the top DWs, Even This Old House listed a 300 Bosch as their pick and that one has issues as well. Maybe these odor complaints haven't caught up with the Expert reviewers yet.

Having an odor is crazy considering how much the 800 Bosch cost, they use to be so reliable. Now I'm researching other brands but even Miele has problems in their 24" affordable DW, if you consider $1600 affordable. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's reliable these days, at least in DWs.

This may sound crazy but one day when calling Bosch customer service with questions about the smell on brand new Bosch 500; I was told it is due to coating used on the stainless steel tub that omits odor when avtivated by hot water. He said the coating is designed to prevent rust to tub but omits odor?

Thanks Suzy, Wow! sometimes the smell is horrible. i hope they plan on stopping to use that coating.

The odor is definitely from the tiny water not flushed out.

Our smells about 12-16 hours after running it.

I used to put a tiny amount of bleach in it and it solved the problem.

There there was a recall on the electric supply. Bosch sent out a repair guy.

He told me not to put any bleach in as it will ruin the rubber seals.

So I stopped... and just live with a Smelly dishwasher.

The only solution I have found is to run a 9-minute rinse cycle everytime you unload it.

I will NEVER buy a bosch dishwasher again. Thought I was splurging for myself and have been unhappy with it. The door spring devises have broken twice now. I jimmy fixed it because the plastic molding broke, not some part I could replaced. I'm done with Bosch appliances.

--Steve Jensen, SoCal

Im thiinking it has everything to do with expiser to outside air or humidity. we have no problems with the dish washer as long as the doors and windows are closed. if open, the dishes smell like a dog.

We got a Bosch dishwasher and it stunk to high heaven right away. Drove me crazy. I read on line somewhere that copper would eliminate the awful odor. I went to big box store and bought a piece of copper pipe that would fit over one of the tines on one of the racks. We run the dishwasher maybe once a week. It's been in there 2 years. Who really knows why (and I don't care how) but NO MORE ODOR.

wcjo,

Copper has antimicrobial properties. A small piece placed in the rack as you did apparently has an effect (vs. placing it in the filter where it'd be in contact with the residual water that remains in the pump sump ... and may also collect food debris and obstruct water flow).

Metallic Copper as an Antimicrobial Surface