The dryer is considered one of the most essential household appliances that are used to dry things.
In most cases, people use a clothes dryer to dry washed clothes quickly. In today’s article, we will discuss the reasons for the dryer smelling like fish and how to fix this issue.
Why does my tumble dryer smell like fish?
Generally, the dryer is used to dry washed clothes quickly. The reason behind your dryer smelling like fish is due to formaldehyde. It is a chemical present in some clothes that gives a fishy smell. The smelling issue can also be caused by a gas leak or more likely event or filter issue.
Generally, the drier is considered a commonly popular type of household appliance that is used to dry washed clothes quickly.
When you dry your clothes in the dryer, you expect to meet with a clean and pleasant smell along with dry clothes when you open the lid of your dryer. But sometimes things may not go as expected.
In some cases, your dryer miss smell like fish. In most cases, if your dryer smells like fish, it may be due to the presence of formaldehyde resin inside the dryer.
The formaldehyde resin is a chemical that is present in most of the clothes that are newly bought, which can give you a fishy smell when you put them inside the dryer after washing.
The resin chemical compound is used to increase the fabric’s resistance to wrinkles and help dice penetrate deeper. Having a smelly dryer can be very disturbing for you as it can also spread smell from the clothes.
Some other reasons can cause the dryer to spread a bad fishy smell. Below is a brief discussion on why the dryer smells like fish, and how to fix the issue:
Formaldehyde resin:
When you put your newly bought clothes inside the dryer, it can cause to spread a bad smell like fish due to the presence of formaldehyde. Generally, the chemical is used in some clothes to increase the resistance to wrinkles.
The best way to get rid of the fishy smell from the clothes inside the dryer is to wash them until they no longer smell.
Vent or filter issue:
Another thing that can cause the dryer to spread a fishy smell is the vent or filter issue of the dryer. Generally, if the vent or filter has any leakage, it will spread a bad fishing smell.
The best way to get rid of this issue is to check the vent or filter of your dryer for any leakage or damage and fix the issue immediately.
In some cases, it may require changing the filter or the end of your dryer to fix the issue. You need to call the technicians when you smell smoke or gas coming from an appliance.
Improperly connected drain hose:
You always need to remember that your dryers need to be kept very clean. The water tank of your dryer must be emptied after each use to avoid overflowing.
In addition to that, you need to make sure that the dryer is not blocked or improperly connected to the drain hose because that can cause an unpleasant odor.
Tips to get rid of the fishy smell from the dryer:
Bad smell like fish from the dryer can be very terrible and disturbing for you as it can also spread smell from the clothes. That is why you need to clean the dryer regularly to prevent any type of smelling issue on the clothes.
Before you work on getting rid of the fishy smell from the dryer, you need to observe what is causing the driver to have smelled like fish.
In most cases, the dryer will smell like fish only if your dryer has damp clothes left in there for too long before drying them in it.
In addition to that, having a damaged or improperly connected drain hose can cause unpleasant odors coming from the dryer.
However, you can also notice that the dryer might have a filter or vent issue that is causing a fishy smell to come out of the dryer. You can simply follow the tips to get rid of the fishy smell from the dryer:
Wash the clothes frequently:
If the dryer frequently starts to smell like fish, it may be due to the presence of formaldehyde in the clothes.
When you buy new clothes and put them inside the dryer after washing, it can spread a bad smell.
Generally, formaldehyde is used in clothes to have better resistance against wrinkles, so you need to watch the clothes frequently until they no longer smell like fish.
Check the drain House of the dryer:
The next thing you need to make sure to get rid of the fishy smell from the dryer is to check the drain hose of the dryer which can have damage or leakage.
In addition to that, if the drain hose is not connected properly, it can have a bad smell to come from inside the dryer.
If you see any abnormalities or improper connection in the drain hose, you need to go to a technician and fix the issue immediately.
Clean the vent and filters:
You need to clean the vents and filters of the dryer to get rid of the bad fishy smells. Sometimes, due to prolonged use, the filters and vents may accumulate debris and have a bad smell.
Clean the dryer:
Sometimes you may need to clean the dryer frequently as part of the maintenance and to sustain the dryer’s performance. If you clean the dryer regularly it will not smell like fish.
The cleaning procedure for the dryer is very simple. You need to take clean clothes and dip them in some distilled white vinegar.
Now clean the inside of your dryer with these clothes and make sure that a wipe every part of the dryer properly.
Why does my new dryer smell like fish?
If your newly bought dryer smells like fish, it may not be a good sign for the dryer. To figure out the issue, you need to observe the dryer and the clothes you put inside of it.
There could be many reasons that can cause the dryer to have a bad smell like fish.
In most cases, your dryer may start to smell like fish when it’s new due to some electrical disconnection.
If the electrical insulator of the dryer is overheating, it can start to spread a bad smell.
Sometimes if you have a gas or electric dryer, you can notice that your dryer may spread oily and burn.
This issue may be caused by the assembly or dust that is accumulated on various mechanical parts burning off during the initial operation of the dryer.
If you notice any smell like fish inside the new dryer, you immediately need to check it and call the technicians to fix the issue for you.
Tips to prevent the dryer to build up a fishy smell:
The dryer is considered one of the most essential House appliances that are used to dry washed clothes quickly. Generally, it is important to maintain the dryer properly for sustaining its performance and durability.
But sometimes you may smell something inside the dryer. In most cases, the dryer may start to smell like fish inside of it.
The smelling issue may be caused due to the clothes that have been left inside the dryer for a long time.
That is why it can also affect the clothes that you were drying inside the dryer. However, there are some steps that you can follow to prevent the dryer to build up a fishy smell.
Below is a brief discussion on a few tips to prevent the dryer from building up a fishy smell inside of it:
Air your dryer:
The first thing you need to do to prevent the air dryer from smelling like fish is to air your dryer properly regularly. This will prevent the dryer from accumulating a bad smell inside it.
Clean with vinegar:
The best way to prevent your dryer from accumulating a bad smell is to clean it with vinegar. You simply need to take a clean cloth and dip it in some distilled vinegar. After that, you need to wipe inside the dryer properly.
Do not put on damp clothes:
You always need to remember that it is highly prohibited to put dem clothes inside the dryer to prevent the dryer from spreading a bad smell inside it.
Final thoughts
Generally, the dryer may start to spread a bad smell like fish inside of it when it has issues in the filter or the vent of the dryer. In that case, you need to soak a cloth in distilled white vinegar and wipe it inside the dryer to prevent the dryer from accumulating a bad smell inside it.