Quick Answer: Disassemble the air fryer completely and remove the loose crumbs with a paper towel or a vacuum before adding any cleaner. Spray the removable parts and the interior with Dawn PowerWash (never harsh oven cleaner, which strips the non-stick coating) and let it sit 10 to 20 minutes. Scrub with a Scrub Daddy, using #0000 steel wool on stubborn baked-on grease and a toothpick or pipe cleaner for tight spots. Rinse away all soap with a damp towel, being careful around the heating element, then reassemble and run the machine 5 to 10 minutes to burn off any residue.
There are a ton of different shapes, sizes, and kinds of air fryers on the market. Some are the basket style, while others look more like a toaster oven with shelves. No matter which you have, the process is largely the same. Let me show you the best way to get your air fryer nice and clean.
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Start by Taking Everything Apart
The first step is always the same: completely disassemble the air fryer and take out all the removable parts. Once everything is out, you’ll usually notice a ton of crumbs all over the place. Before you spray any cleaners, remove as many of those crumbs as you can while they’re dry. You can use a dry paper towel, but a vacuum with a brush attachment is my preferred method, since it sucks up all those greasy crumbs quickly and gets you ready to start degreasing.
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Use the Right Cleaner (Not Oven Cleaner)
The cleaner I like to use is Dawn PowerWash, because it’s strong enough to cut through grease and grime but not so strong that it could cause damage. You might be tempted to grab the oven cleaner from under your sink, and while it’s a great degreaser, it’s so powerful that it will completely remove the non-stick coating on your air fryer, so avoid it.
Start by bringing the removed components over to the sink, spraying them down with Dawn PowerWash, and letting them sit for about 10 to 20 minutes while you clean the inside of the machine.
Clean the Inside
Before cleaning the interior, always make sure the machine is completely unplugged. You never want to spray cleaners on it while it’s still plugged into the wall. For the inside, follow the same process: spray down the Dawn PowerWash, let it sit for a little while, then give everything a good scrub. One nice thing about air fryers is that they’re usually small enough to move around and even tilt upside down to reach every spot.
Be careful around the heating element. I don’t like to spray cleaner directly on it, since that can cause damage, but I will gently scrub around it, and it’s especially important to make sure no soap is left behind there. For really bad baked-on grime, use #0000 steel wool, making sure the surface is well lubricated with cleaner first, then scrub to pull off anything stuck that the Scrub Daddy couldn’t get.
For the fine details, a couple of simple tools help a lot. A toothpick works great for working grime out of the edges, and a pipe cleaner is perfect for getting into the vent and tight corners a normal scrubber can’t reach.
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Rinse Carefully
Once everything is scrubbed, come through with a damp towel and rinse the entire machine, wiping away all the grease along with any leftover cleaner, since you don’t want to leave either behind. Take extra care around the heating element, as mentioned.
I’ll be honest here: even after cleaning a lot of air fryers, the heating element area usually won’t come 100% clean, and that’s about as good as it gets. While you can sometimes unscrew and remove more parts, once you start taking things apart you run the risk of not being able to reassemble it correctly, which can leave your machine never working the same again. Often it’s best to leave those pieces in place.
Clean the Exterior
With the inside done, take a moment to get the outside looking just as good. Spray it down with Dawn PowerWash, scrub it in, and give it a quick rinse. Finish by buffing it with a dry microfiber towel, and it’ll be nice and shiny. This quick step makes the whole machine look brand new.
A Steam Hack for Basket-Style Air Fryers
If you have the basket version and it’s just not coming clean with the Dawn PowerWash, all those nooks and crannies can be really hard to scrub. Here’s a hack that works great: add about two to three cups of water and a squirt of Dawn dish soap to the basket, put it back in the machine, and run it for 5 minutes at 300 degrees.
The steam loosens all that baked-on grease and grime, making it much easier to release from the surface so you can rinse it away. Just make sure to rinse every surface afterward so no soap is left behind.
Reassemble and Run
Once everything is clean and put back together, run the machine for about 5 to 10 minutes. This burns off anything left behind inside and gives you a fresh, clean start. And there you have it, everything cleaned up great, and now you know the best way to clean your air fryer. Make it a regular habit and it’ll keep cooking your food safely and efficiently for years.
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