How to Clean Your Toaster

The toaster oven is a key component of any busy kitchen. This lovely appliance is responsible for roasting meat, toasting bread, cooking pizza, and many other essential dinner functions. It seems there’s nothing that they can’t do! That’s why, as with any significant item in your life, it’s important to take proper care of your toaster oven. Cleaning a toaster is easy and only takes about ten minutes out of your day, so why not? Let’s get started!

Step 1: Take care of those pesky crumbs!

A large majority of the clutter that accumulates in your toaster is just crumbs! Although crumbs are easily removable, we tend to overlook them until the toaster’s hygiene becomes a real problem, but why wait? The first step to cleaning your toaster is just shaking it out over a bag or garbage can. Once all of the loose debris is removed, it is time to move on to step two.

Step 2: Clean the removable parts.

After you’ve shaken out all of the crumbs from the toaster’s interior, you should remove the pan as well as all of the racks, enabling you to clean each piece more efficiently. You should spray each item with all-purpose cleaner and use a non-abrasive scrubbing sponge to get off the accumulated gunk. Finally, rinse each component thoroughly and let them air dry when they appear to be clean.

Step 3: Wipe away the grease from the interior.

While the transferable pieces are drying, it’s time to tackle the inside of the oven itself. First, spray the abrasive side of a scrubber sponge with more of your choice cleaning product. "Never spray appliances directly," says Good Housekeeping, “and steer clear of the heating elements inside." Scrub away all of the grease and other build-up until the inside of your toaster until it looks like new (you’d be amazed how much of a difference this will make).

Step 4: Cleaning the exterior

While this part is mainly cosmetic, who doesn’t love a nice shiny appliance? To clean the outside of your toaster oven, just repeat the process from step 3, only this time, use something a little less rough. The softer side of your sponge is a good choice, or simply a piece of paper towel. Make sure to be very thorough, and pay special attention to the handle and the dials. For the glass, some home improvement experts recommend a water and vinegar solution.

Step 5: Allow your toaster to dry.

Now that your toaster oven looks nice and clean, just let it finish drying before plugging it back in. After a few hours, it should look just like new!