How can I prevent the odor in my dishwasher? My dishwasher is emitting a strong bad odor when its door is open. It's a settled odor resulting from a mix of the accumulated dishes together with the plastic material inside. Even if the machine stays empty, the odor is always there.

What can I do to destroy this odor?
Try throwing some baking soda and lemon juice in it and run an empty load without soap. Repeat as needed. 

I'd try about half a normal sized box of baking soda and half to a whole cup of lemon juice.