How to clean your toaster?

How to clean the inside of your toaster?

Toasters are essential appliances in our homes today, especially for making breakfast. Since we use them on a daily basis, it is important to keep them clean to make sure they work properly and to increase their useful life. Firstly, we recommend reading the instruction manual, which will usually provide recommendations and instructions for looking after your toaster. Don’t forget that you should always make sure your toaster has cooled down and is unplugged from the power before your clean it.

It is a very simple process if you observe the following steps: 

• Place a piece of newspaper or an old towel on the surface to gather the crumbs and other residue that will fall out during cleaning. This will make tidying and cleaning up easier afterwards.
• Remove the crumb tray and shake out any other crumbs that are lodged inside the toaster. Then clean the crumb tray with warm water and neutral soap. Make sure it is completely dry before replacing it in the toaster.
• Clean the inside walls of the toaster using a dry, old toothbrush to scrub the walls and get rid of any crumbs or waste that has stuck to them. 
• Use coarse salt to help clean any difficult to remove waste. If there are any stubborn crumbs, sprinkle some coarse salt inside the toaster and scrub using the brush. Then shake the toaster out again to get rid of the salt and waste.
• Use a cloth that will not leave any fluff behind to clean the outside walls, moistening it in water and neutral soap. If your toaster is made from stainless steel, you can use a mixture of water and vinegar to avoid scratching it and to keep it shiny.
• Finally, make sure all the different parts are completely dry before reassembling your toaster and plugging it in again. 

How to clean a flat toaster?

With flat toasters, the bread does not go inside the appliance, but rather we place it on the rack, and therefore crumbs can easily drop inside the toaster. In this case, we should clean the rack well in a water and washing-up liquid solution to get rid of any food that has stuck to it. We should wring out the cloth or scouring pad well to avoid too much water dripping inside.

We recommend wiping it down with a cloth moistened in cleaning vinegar (or soapy water) to clean the outside. The tray can be washed in the sink using washing-up liquid and water. 

To clean the heating elements we will need to access the inside. This will require disassembling the toaster, and therefore we recommend reading the manufacturer’s instructions beforehand.

How to clean a vertical toaster?

Vertical rack toasters are the classical toasters that we find in almost every household today. To clean them, we recommend using a stiff-handled paintbrush that is clean and dry. The paintbrush will help loosen and remove crumbs from inside the toaster (i.e. where the heating elements that toast the bread are located. If you see any crumbs that have stuck on hard, try to remove them using the paintbrush handle or a wooden toothpick, but never use a metal implement as you will most likely damage the elements.

To clean the heating elements of a toaster, we should brush them gently with the paintbrush, taking great care not to damage them. It is important to clean the walls properly, as fat or grease from the food usually sticks to the sides. When you have brushed out any crumbs, shake the toaster gently again to remove any loose crumbs from inside the toaster.

To clean any fat or grease off the outside of the toaster, apply a little soap paste with the help of a microfibre cleaning cloth and rub gently until you remove the stains. If you have a stainless steel toaster, you can clean it and bring it to a shine with a little glass cleaner, cleaning alcohol or apple vinegar. If your toaster is plastic coated though, you can use a cloth moistened in a soapy solution and then wipe off any soap remains using a moist cloth, making sure you allow it all to dry off properly.