Here's my story. I was one of those people who didn't know how to use a dishwasher correctly. According to commercials, you just toss your plates in, no rinsing needed. But let me tell you something. Sure, maybe your dishes get cleaned well for the first dozen times, even up to 50 times. But soon, you'll notice a foul odor emanating from your dishwasher. This was the problem I faced over the past couple of years. The smell became unbearable, and since I relied heavily on my dishwasher, this was a significant issue.

Washing dishes by hand may be convenient since it's just my wife and me. But constant scrubbing with harsh soaps and chemicals started damaging our hands. After every breakfast, lunch, and dinner—scrubbing plates can wreak havoc on your skin. So, we leaned on our trusty dishwasher again. But then again, like clockwork, the familiar odor was back. No one wants to use a smelly dishwasher. Immediately, we called up our maintenance person, and when he arrived, he found the root of the problem. Not only was my dishwasher clogged with food, but something called a float switch was also clogged. This little-known component tells the dishwasher when the water has drained, and it's time to dry. If it's clogged, the dishwasher won't initiate the heat cycle, leading to improperly cleaned and wet dishes.

The float switch was packed with gunk, soap, food, and grime—no wonder the dishwasher wasn't working! I asked the technician why no one had told us about this, and he explained that many people don't know about the float switch. Instead, they think they need a new dishwasher and end up spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily. But all you need is a simple float switch change every few months or at least annually.

After the technician replaced the float switch, our dishwasher ran smoothly again. I was so grateful. He also mentioned that commercials often mislead us into thinking we can toss dirty dishes into the dishwasher without rinsing them. Where does all that food go? Down into the dishwasher, clogging it and the float switch. That's why it starts smelling and stops working correctly.

So, here are my two takeaways: First, always rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. You don't need to soak them; use warm water to remove the food and grease. This prevents clogs and keeps your dishwasher running longer. Second, check the float switch. It changes so much. If your dishwasher stops working, look at the float switch before you start taking pipes apart or watching endless YouTube tutorials. The float switch is typically located beneath the food trap. Remove the trap, check the float switch, and if it's clogged, get a new one.