A dirty air fryer isn’t the end of the world! While air fryers can seem difficult to cleanse thoroughly, these handy air fryer cleaning hacks have got you covered.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s go over some helpful tools. A number of these air fryer cleaning hacks require the same supplies.
A scrub brush will only help you. You can also use a sponge, though scrub brushes are gentle in their scrubbing, ensuring that you don’t damage the basket.
You’ll also want to have a big bottle of antibacterial dish soap on hand, for obvious reasons. Baking soda is also super important, for reasons we’ll explain later.
We felt that this needed to be said. While there are a ton of fun TikTok foodie moments, they won’t help you clean your air fryer.
There was a TikTok trend making the rounds not too long ago. It claimed that air frying soap and water was an effective way to clean your appliance.
Not only does it not thoroughly clean your air fryer, it also just doesn’t make much sense. Letting your air fryer soak works much, much better.
When combined with water, baking soda turns into a kind of paste. It’s really good for scrubbing off dirt, grime, and other stubborn stains.
Remember that scrub brush we mentioned? Now’s the time to use it. A toothbrush will also work, provided you don’t brush your teeth with it afterwards.
Now, it might be tempting to reach for some steel wool, but resist the urge. It’s way too harsh for an air fryer’s basket.
Sometimes, the most basic cleaning methods are also the best. It’s good to clean most dishes and kitchen appliances with warm, soapy water in general.
Likewise, you should let your air fryer’s basket soak, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve last cleaned it. Simply scrubbing won’t work in those instances.
After you’ve let it soak for about half an hour, scrub with your brush. If the stains are too stubborn, break out the baking soda.
We’re going to be honest: baking soda is going to feature on a lot of these air fryer cleaning hacks. That’s because it’s a pretty reliable cleaning agent!
Seriously — even if you somehow don’t find these tips and tricks helpful, at least buy a box of baking soda. You’ll only be helping yourself.
You’ll also want to add hot water to the mix, to loosen up any dried-up sauces that are stuck in the basket. Soak for 15 minutes before scrubbing.
If you aren’t doing this already, you’ll want to start now. Once you start using air fryer liners, you’ll never want to stop. They make cleanup a breeze.
Liners are cheap, and will protect crumbs and grease from dirtying your air fryer’s basket. You can use parchment, but reusable silicone liners are great for waste reduction.
If you opt for parchment, make sure no pieces rip off and get loose in the basket. That can get dangerous and is a fire hazard.
Air fryer toaster ovens are totally different beasts than ones with baskets. Unlike the latter, it’s not as easy to soak in warm water and soap.
Luckily, “difficult” doesn’t mean “impossible.” Oven cleaner isn’t just for cleaning ovens. You can clean air fryer toaster ovens with it, too, and it’ll thoroughly clear up grime.
Let the cleaner sit for a little while. The length of time you need to let it sit for depends on how dirty your air fryer is.
When cleaning your air fryer, it’s crucial not to forget about the heating coil. This is the part of the air fryer responsible for heating up your food.
You can get away with cleaning it a little less frequently than the basket itself, though. Food doesn’t come into direct contact with it.
Before cleaning, let it cool. You can use a damp towel, though if there’s grime stuck to it, you can scrub with something more abrasive.
Okay, we admit it: this is one of those air fryer cleaning hacks from TikTok. We still stand by our earlier statement, though! This is an exception.
This cleaning method might not work if you’ve got a particularly dirty air fryer. However, it’s pretty simple, though it does require a little scrubbing.
Drop a dishwasher tablet into the basket, fill it with hot water, and let it soak for up to an hour. Afterwards, scrub all the grime away.
Okay, so you still don’t have baking soda. You should probably get some, but no matter. Baking powder will also work in a pinch.
However, this replacement only goes so far. Baking soda is great at tackling heavy duty messes, and is more ideal for deep cleaning.
If you need to do a light scrub after one or two air frying sessions, though, baking powder will do. Combine it with water to create a paste.
Obviously, you don’t want to get to cleaning immediately after cooking — you’ll burn your hands. This only applies to the basket, not the heating element.
You don’t want to wait until it completely cools down, either. Unplug your appliance and wait a bit. while it’s still warm, start to clean it.
The warm temperature will make it easier to remove stains or anything still stuck to it. This holds true, regardless of whatever particular cleaning agent you use.
In addition to just smelling nice, lemon juice also has cleaning properties. The citric acid found in lemons can get rid of pesky bacteria.
Not only that, but lemon juice has natural bleaching properties (as anyone who’s tried to use lemons to go blonde knows). Don’t use lemon juice by itself, though.
Mixing it with dish soap, baking soda, water, and/or vinegar will enhance its natural cleaning properties. It will definitely make for a powerful concoction.
Wait, no, not like that! Please don’t dump a pile of coffee grounds into your air fryer! Coffee grounds won’t actually help you with physically cleaning it.
However, there’s a lot more to cleaning kitchen appliances than just wiping them down. Sometimes, air fryers can start to smell bad, or even plasticky.
Coffee grounds are actually a great way to get rid of pesky odors. Place the grounds in a small container and put them close to the air fryer.
Got a bottle of vodka in your freezer you won’t open any time soon? Well, we’ve got the air fryer cleaning hack for you.
See, vodka, when combined with other ingredients, is really good for cleaning. You can use this to wipe down the air fryer’s surface, as well as the basket.
Combined with water, vinegar, and just a little bit of lemon, this cleaner is virtually unstoppable. This works as any other multi-purpose cleaner would.
This is another all-natural cleaning solution that works best for cleaning your air fryer’s surface. You can also use it to clean other surfaces in your kitchen.
It utilizes a basic pantry item, and only needs a little water to get kicking. You’ll need a 2:1 ratio of starch to water to make.
Use a sponge or scrubbing brush to clean afterwards. This isn’t a super strong abrasive cleaner, but will work if you’re just doing your regular cleaning.
This is another great way to have your air fryer smelling nice and fresh again. First, slice a lemon and put it in a bowl of water.
Make sure the bowl isn’t plastic. You’ll be putting this in your air fryer, and you don’t want to use anything that could melt.
Once it’s inserted, heat it up for about four minutes. This’ll create a lemony steam that not only smells nice, but will help you clean the basket.
Baby wipes are great for cleaning your air fryer’s surface in a pinch. If you don’t have all-purpose cleaner on hand, these are great.
It’s best if you use non-scented baby wipes. They won’t be too harsh on the surface, and will still be effective at cleaning any dirt or grime.
Baby wipes are best for regular cleaning purposes. If your air fryer is absolutely caked in grease, you might want to opt for another method.
This is a gentle way of cleaning and dusting. Microfiber dusting wands are actually a lot more effective than regular dusters, believe it or not.
Since they’re more gentle, they’re good for cleaning out dust from your air fryer’s vents. This is something that can often be forgotten about.
However, it’s just as important. Dust can hinder your air fryer’s capabilities, making it more likely to overheat. By dusting regularly, you ensure that your appliance remains efficient.
Salt can actually make your all-natural cleaner a bit more abrasive and better for scrubbing. The level of abrasiveness depends on the kind of salt you use.
The phrase “salt scrub” might make you think of exfoliating cleaners, skincare, and bubble baths. However, it can also help you clean your kitchen appliances and cookware.
Don’t add a ton of salt. Instead, add it gradually, clean a little, and see if it gets the job done. If it doesn’t, add a little more.
Coke Zero in fact is known to be able to clean air fryer baskets. That heavy and hardened grease is easily scrubbed off after a healthy dose of Coke Zero.
Specifically, the phosphoric acid plays a major role in Coke’s ability to help clean air fryers. It may not be a first option, but its an option nevertheless.
No matter what you decide to use, just be sure to regularly clean your air fryer. Its the best way to ensure it lasts for a long time.
Bamboo skewers are a great way to poke out crust and grease that sticks into the holes of an air fryer. It’s perfect really.
You really just take the skewers and put it in whichever affected area requires a cleaning. It is pretty straight forward.
Cleaning your air fryer will ensure maximum tastiness when air frying foods. If it isn’t clean it surely will affect the taste of the food.
Especially when mixed with a little flour, hydrogen peroxide can be made into a paste that will help clean an air fryer.
When applied to unclean areas, the hydrogen peroxide will release oxygen, which breaks down the chemical bonds that are in the stains.
No matter what you decide to use, be thorough and be consistent with your air frying cleaning so it remains high quality.
A quick wipe down after every usage certainly can’t hurt. The more regularly you clean it, the less likely you’ll need to use heavy duty cleaning methods.
You clean your dishes after every use, so you should do the same with your air fryer. If it comes into contact with food, clean it regularly.
You don’t need to clean the heating coil after every use, though, since food isn’t touching it all the time. Clean that about once a week.
It depends a lot on the type of air fryer you have. If there’s nonstick coating on parts of your air fryer, don’t put them in the dishwasher.
The manual may say that it’s okay, even with the coating, but we advise against it. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Whether or not you can put it in the dishwasher does vary from component to component, however. Your user’s manual should tell you which components have nonstick coating.
The answer to this is a little complicated. It’s not any more dangerous to use chemical cleaners on your air fryer than it is for anything else.
If you’re generally comfortable using chemical cleaners, then you can use them on an air fryer. However, chemical cleaners, especially ones with terpenes, can increase risks of asthma.
With this in mind, all-natural cleaners may be more beneficial. You might also want to use natural cleaners for the inside, since that’s where the food goes.
This can start happening if you use harsh, abrasive scrubbers to clean your air fryers. Another way this can happen is using cooking spray.
To prevent this, use more protection with your air fryer. Liners, regardless of type, can stop your air fryer’s coating from peeling or getting scratched.
Once it starts peeling, you can’t restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately, you may need to buy a new one (of better quality, too).
Take apart the whole air fryer. Crumbs can get caught anywhere — this is the best way to make sure they’re not lodged in unseen places.
Clean every part individually, in a way that suits the needs of the part. After that, there isn’t a unique cleaning method that we haven’t already touched upon.
Wiping down every part will get rid of crumbs. Baking soda and/or vinegar are also great ways to keep your air fryer squeaky clean.
Removing baked on grease can feel futile, but our air fryer cleaning hacks will work. Approach baked on grease the way you would any other stain.
First, soak the affected component in warm, soapy water. Then scrub it with a brush. In most cases, that will usually do the trick.
If not, well, we said it before and we’ll say it again: baking soda! A baking soda paste is a great way to scrub off baked on grease.
There are lots of reasons to keep your air fryer clean. The consequences of not doing so are the same as keeping any kitchen appliance clean, really.
When you don’t regularly clean your kitchen appliances and cookware, it can lead to contamination. Contaminated food leads to higher risk of food poisoning.
You don’t want to air fry your food with the crumbs from what you fried months ago. The vents can also get blocked up, leading to overheating.
Believe it or not, aluminum foil is a solid option for lining your air fryer. Just like parchment, it will make cleanup easier afterwards.
Just make sure it isn’t too close to the heating element. That’s a fire hazard (although this is also the case with parchment paper).
It all comes down to personal preference. Some say that using aluminum foil is wasteful, though a reusable silicone liner is the most sustainable of all the options.
It can be hard to remember to unplug your appliances once you’re finished using them. Still, it’s one thing that you should never forget to do.
This is especially true for air fryers. If left plugged, it can spark an electrical fire. Pretty much every manual will tell you to unplug it after use.
Also, make sure your air fryer isn’t directly in front of the outlet. The hot air that blows out of it can be dangerous if on an outlet.
Absolutely! As we touched upon earlier, white vinegar is a great natural cleaner, and works for cleaning both the air fryer’s surface and inner basket.
It’s also not abrasive. Though baking soda is definitely a great cleaning method, white vinegar can be a solid alternative for people who are apprehensive about it.
Now, we know what you’re probably thinking: what about the smell? Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about the vinegary smell lingering. It fades quickly.
From baking soda to vinegar, there are tons of creative ways to clean your air fryer. You won’t have to look any further than your own pantry.
Hopefully, these air fryer cleaning hacks cleared up any confusion you were having. Once you get started, you’ll realize that it’s not so difficult.
But seriously. Buy a big box of baking soda. We don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but you’ll thank us later.
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