Dirty air fryers can be a fire risk. Here’s how to keep yours clean and safe

Air fryers are quick to use, cheap to run and almost as importantly, easy to clean. That’s as long as you know how to take care of them.

To give your air fryer the longest life possible, you’ll need to to protect the non-stick surface that coats the inside of the cooking basket.

Many air fryers have dishwasher-safe baskets and inserts, but that doesn’t mean you should stick them in the dishwasher every time you use them. Doing that will cause more wear and tear on the non-stick and will affect the appliance’s longevity. Use the dishwasher sparingly, and ideally not at all.

Instead, here are some tips for cleaning your air fryer easily – without damaging its components.

If you’d like to see some buying options, check out our round-up of the best air fryers we’ve reviewed. For more targeted recommendations, you can browse our round-up of the best Ninja air fryers and countertop cookers, and to get more cooking space, see our picks for the best dual-drawer air fryers and the best air fryer ovens.

Give it a quick clean after each use

The biggest issue with keeping an air fryer clean is dealing with patches of baked-on oil, which are nightmarish to remove without scrubbing. And, if you scrub too hard, you risk damaging the non-stick coating.

The best way to avoid this – and obviously, this is not what you want to hear if you’ve already left it too long – is to wash the air fryer basket regularly. Ideally, you should give it a quick clean after every use.

This means wiping up any oil in the base of the cooking drawer with a paper towel and rushing any debris from the heating coil. You’ll then only need to give the crisper tray and drawer a quick wash with a soft sponge and some washing-up liquid to return it to a pristine condition.

At the very least, make sure you wipe up any pooled oil after each use, or your air fryer will begin to smoke.

But what if you have left it too long?

Don’t use abrasive cleaning products

If you’re facing an oil-spattered cooking basket, the temptation is to try abrasive cleaning products or scourers to remove dried-on gunk, but this is the biggest no-no of air fryer maintenance.

Instead, try these tips to remove baked-on oil.

Use the air fryer’s heat

The air fryer will likely be too hot to clean right away, but you can use this to your advantage. Unplug your air fryer, then pour some warm water into the drawer, add a couple of drops of washing-up liquid and let it to soak the interior and start to lift the grease. Then you can enjoy a guilt-free dinner.

Once the water inside has cooled, take the basket to the sink, empty it and wipe it down.

If you use this cleaning method, be safe: don’t use boiling water and make sure not to overfill the cooking drawer.

Use a dishwasher tablet

If you’ve left the air fryer for too long between cleans, you can also try this method. Put the air fryer drawer or basket and any inserts into the sink, add plenty of hot water and drop in a dishwasher tablet, which will help to lift the grease.

When the cooker parts have soaked for a while, clean the greasy residue away with a soft sponge and rinse them well.

Use baking soda – not a scourer

If there are hard-to-remove grease patches, make a paste of baking soda and water and gently rub at the patches until they lift.

Don’t forget the heating coil

Once the drawer and inserts are clean, you may think your work is finished. But, sadly, there’s another job to do. Inside your air fryer, at the top, you’ll see a heating coil. When this has completely cooled, rub it gently with a washing-up brush or sponge to remove any clinging bits of food residue.

When you’ve finished cleaning, make sure the air fryer is completely dry, inside and out, before you use it again. As you’re wiping it down, promise yourself that you’ll clean it right away after you use it next time.

If it’s time to replace your air fryer, have a look at our top recommendations in our round-up of the best air fryers we’ve tested.