Peas On Earth?

I am used to the idea of being given an Inventory when you move into a new rented property. But this is a new one on me... The documents for Steph's latest place included notes of the condition of the apartment when she moved in, and a note saying "There was food left in the dishwasher" - and a photograph of said d/w filter, with a sad green[ish] pea lying on it!
Sure enough, when we arrived and opened the d/w door, there it was, forlorn and shrivelled. And- because the door had been firmly sealed for a little while, there was rather a lot of nasty black mould too.

I took all the loose parts out and gave them a good scrubbing in the sink [photo shows nasty scumminess floating around] and ran the empty dishwasher through one cycle to get it cleaner.
We are all wondering why the person who checked the d/w for the agents didn't at least remove the offending pea after they took the photo, and why they closed the door, sealing in the damp vegetable so it could sit there in the dark and multiply the bacteria? Even if the photographer was grossed out by someone else's leftover legume, at least they could have let the air and light in?
We have a dishwasher, washing machine and fridge at Cornerstones, which are often switched off and left unused for a few weeks at a time. Unfortunately these have sometimes been left in less than ideal conditions, which has meant they needed immediate cleaning on arrival. 
So here are my Top Tips for Neglected White Boxes.

1. Switch off the electric sockets
2. Turn off the water supply to Washing Machines and Dishwashers, in case of unexpected drips.
3. Ensure these boxes are emptied, cleaned and dried before you depart. The odd sock in the washer, pea in the d/w filter, or bit of cheese in the fridge door will breed smelly bacteria. The next user will have to sort that out before they can use anything. 
4. Leave the doors open.  Not wide, just ajar, so there is clearly an airspace for ventilation. Drape a folded towel or teatowel over the top of the door, so they cannot get accidentally pushed shut. 
5. Don't forget that if the fridge has an ice-box, that needs to be dried and left propped open a little too.

I used to subscribe to the 'keep a dish of bicarb in the fridge to absorb bad odours' theory. Then I decided it wasn't a good idea. If there is something 'going off' in there, then the bad smell is the way that I am alerted to its presence. 

Surely it is far better to keep the fridge clean and checked regularly, than to mask the smell until the mouldy carrot is just about ready to crawl out of the veg drawer by itself?

I note that they are still called 'white boxes' or 'white goods' even though many of them are different colours, or hidden behind fascia panels. 

I am glad to have left Steph with a pristine d/w, anyway - and fortunately her fridge and washer-dryer were OK. We have quite hard water here, and in Norfolk, so I use a descaling tablet in my washing machine very occasionally, and run a cleaner/descaler through the w/m and d/w about once a year. [useful article here]