How To Clean A Toaster

Thorough cleaning of the toaster is not just good for your health but also a very ideal step in the maintenance of your machine. The good thing about toaster is that they do not need to be cleaned every after use but after a while they will definitely build up with bread crumbs and carbon over time. toasting bread in dirty toaster will give your bread some dirty brown and make taste funny on that note let us go straight into the steps that will help you keep your toaster in the best of shape.

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• Have the materials ready: in order to make the cleanup really fast, ensure that you have all the necessary cleaning materials ready so that you do not have to get to that when you need something and have to look for it from some other place. So if you do not know which materials you will need, they involve a dry dish towel and a damp dish towel, warm soapy water, trash bin, and if you have a stainless steel toaster you will need vinegar as well.
• Unplug the machine: if your machine was already unplugged then well and good but if you left it plugged into power first of endeavor to unplug it and leave for some minutes so that it can cool. Your machine must be very cool by the time you start cleaning to avoid any accidents or damages to the machine. Set a clear table or work on your sink since the toaster can be full crumbs that will make your working area dirty that is why it is better to work in a place that is not hard for you to tidy up after.
• Start with the crumb tray: the crumb tray is usually found at the toaster’s bottom for many of the toasters while some few new toasters have been advances with a crumb door that you just open when you are cleaning the machine. During the toasting cycle all bread crumbs are disposed into the crumb tray, for those that have toaster with a crumb door or removable crumb tray just open or remove the crumb to remove all the bread crumbs. However if you have one of the older models of toasters that have in-built crumb trays then you will have to turn the machine and shake out bread crumbs manually.
• Remove any hard to reach dirt: after removing all the bread crumbs, dampen a sponge in a warm soapy water or vinegar and wipe the crumb tray for thorough cleanliness. Scrub hard on those hard to reach areas and if the sponge cannot get tough dirt off then use a brush to scrub that particular area.
• Ensure to dry the crumb tray until it if free of any liquid: this is a heating machine and if it is not dried thoroughly then the toaster will get damaged. When you are sure that the crumb tray is dry, you can go ahead and reassemble it properly the way it was.
• Remove any other shelves and clean them too: use warm soapy water to wash the shelves if your toaster has any. Scrub well until the shelves are sparkling clean the same way you did with the crumb tray.
• Try using salt crystals: this method is not so common but it is also very effective and easy for cleaning the interior of your toaster. Pour some salt crystals into the toaster slots, use tape to cover the toaster and shake it to evenly scatter salt crystals into the toaster. The salt will help to get rid of all carbonized residue in the toaster, you however have to be very keen to ensure that you remove all salt crystals when are through with cleaning the interior.
• Clean the toaster exterior: after cleaning the interior of the toaster you can now move onto the outside, just because where the toasting takes place is through does not mean the cleanup is done. You must make the entire toaster clean for hygienic purposes and keep your machine look new every other time. Deep the dish towel in warm soap water leaving it just damp and wipe the machines exterior. Start with the sides then move to the upper part and finally the bottom, for those of you that have stainless steel toaster a little vinegar will help to make your toaster super clean. Just pour a few drops of vinegar on clean cotton cloth or towel and wipe the exterior for that sparkling and shiny finish.
• Evaluate you work: stand a few inches away from the toaster, keenly look at it from all sides to see if you have left any spots that are dirty or to see whether all the toaster’s parts have been placed back perfectly. After this you will surely be through with cleaning up the toaster.

Some tips that will help you clean the toaster safely:

• Do not at any one point think about soaking the whole machine in water, this is an electric appliance the moment you soak it some parts will remain with liquid in them and the moment you plug it in, electric shock will definitely be unavoidable.
• Use an old tooth brush to brush all the bread crumbs that get stuck in the toaster slots. You may ignore this part but the next time you want to use the toaster you will definitely not want to use it with its slots all full bread crumbs from the previous toasting cycle.
• Do not wait for the crumb tray to fully build up before you clean it, but rather empty it regularly. It is also advised that you should clean the toaster’s exterior every after use after all it only takes a minute or two of your time. Make sure the cloth you are using to wipe the machine is just damp and wet.
• Spare that one day every once a month just to get down and clean the interior of your toaster. Much as the toaster does not quickly built on the inside after a while it will therefore you have to clean the interior monthly.

In conclusion, cleaning your toaster is one of the easiest things you will ever have to do considering the fact that the whole process takes just a few minutes. Just have the right materials and you will be good to toast bread in really clean toaster every other time.