A No-Stress Guide To Cleaning Your Toaster And Toaster Oven

If you enjoy eating bagels, waffles, or toast for breakfast, it’s likely you’ve noticed a buildup of crumbs and grease inside your toaster. This buildup happens fast, especially if you use your toaster on a daily basis. 

To help make your food taste better and lessen the risk of fire and smoke, it’s a good idea to clean your toaster regularly. Furthermore, other small appliances like the toaster oven should be cleaned regularly, too. Below, we give you step-by-step instructions on how to clean these two appliances quickly and easily. 

6 Steps To A Clean Toaster

We recommend giving your toaster a once-over at least once a week. This will keep it clean inside and out so your food tastes great.
Here’s what you’ll need.

  • All-purpose cleaner
  • Sponge/cleaning cloth
  • Small pastry brush or spatula
  • Stainless steel cleaner

Step 1: Unplug the toaster and hold it over a trashcan or the sink. 

Step 2: Slide the crumb tray out and empty it into the garbage. 

Step 3: Shake the toaster to remove crumbs. Tip the appliance upside down and shake again to dislodge crumbs from the slots. Use a pastry brush or spatula to remove any stubborn bits. 

Step 4: Spray the crumb tray with cleaner and wipe it with a damp sponge. If the tray is removable, wash it in warm soapy water before reinserting. 

Step 5: Wipe down the exterior of the appliance. 

Step 6: Polish stainless steel. If our toaster is stainless steel, use a stainless-steel cleaner to buff it to a brilliant shine. 

Toaster Oven Cleaning Guide

There’s no doubt that toaster oven comes in handy for cooking and reheating all kinds of foods. As such, it requires a little extra TLC to keep it in great working order. Follow this guide to get the job done. 

Here’s what you’ll need. 

  • Sponge
  • All-purpose cleaner
  • Glass cleaner
  • Stainless steel cleaner

Step 1: Unplug the appliance.

Step 2: Open the toaster oven and shake out any food particles into the garbage. 

Step 3: In warm, soapy water, wash any removable parts well using a non-abrasive sponge. Rinse well and air dry. 

Step 4: Use an all-purpose cleaner and a damp sponge to clean the interior. Avoid spraying cleaner on the heating elements inside the appliance. 

Step 5: Clean the exterior. For glass surfaces use the glass cleaner. If your oven is stainless steel, use the stainless-steel cleaner. 

Step 6: Reassemble all the pieces and allow the appliance to air dry completely before plugging back in. 

Your toaster and toaster oven get used a lot, so it’s important to clean them on a regular basis to keep them in good working order. Follow the steps outlined above to make cleaning these appliances quick and easy.