How to Clean a Countertop Oven

Countertop ovens are a great thing that many people have recently started integrating into their modern lifestyle.

I’m a big fan of countertop ovens. But can you guess what’s the thing that I’m not a big fan of? Cleaning!

Now, it doesn’t bother me that much because I’ve learned that the key is the consistency and routine, along with a few tips and tricks.

And also, it’s always better to clean a countertop toaster oven which is smaller and easier to access than a standard oven, right?

That’s why, in this post, you will be able to find how to clean a toaster oven, keep it clean on a regular basis, and a few other tips and tricks that will help you along the way. There will also be a few things that are a real no-no, just for your own safety.

Things You Will Need

The first thing you should do is get the right tools that will help you during the cleaning process. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to efficiently clean your top rated toaster oven!

But even before that, I’d recommend you to have a look at the manual and find the instructions for cleaning your countertop toaster oven model. There are usually do’s and don’ts listed according to the manufacturer’s advice.

When you’ve done that, here are a few things you should get, and it’s most likely that you already have them around your home somewhere.

In case you don’t, don’t sweat it. These things are very cheap and can be bought in almost any store. They will last you for a long time, and it’s not a big investment either.

Alright, here’s the stuff you should get

Basically, you can use anything as long as it’s not going to scratch the interior surface of your toaster oven or isn’t abrasive.

In case you haven’t cleaned your toaster oven (no judgment!) in a while, you might need to do some scrubbing.

In that case, you still shouldn’t use anything that might scratch its surface. Instead, the best thing you could get is the soft plastic scouring pad, damp sponge, or nylon scouring pad, it’s up to you.

It won’t scratch the surface but it will do a great job.

Also, one more thing. What might work for a standard oven, might not work for the toaster oven. Therefore, make sure you stick with the safest solutions you can get your hands on, and always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

You can’t ever go wrong mixing warm water with a little bit of dish soap in order to get a soapy water solution.

How to Best Clean Your Countertop Toaster Oven

In order to keep your toaster oven clean, I’d recommend you to give it a clean wipe after every use and dump out the crumbs on the crumb tray. If you have no time for that, at least try to clean it once a week.

First things first

When you have the cleaning things that will help you during the process, it’s time to unplug the toaster oven and let it cool down in case it’s been used prior to the cleaning.

After that, simply take out the racks and anything that’s removable such as a pan. That will give you a lot more space inside the toaster oven. Use it to your advantage by wiping the crumbs from the interior.

Also, make sure to clean the interior walls and a door. It’s most likely that you will get some crumbs stick in the corner and that might be tricky. However, get any type of a soft brush and do your best to brush them away. Even a toothbrush you no longer use can be used for this process.

Cleaning the Interior

Now when you’ve done a few quick things, it’s time to detail clean the interior of your toaster oven.

For this, you will need to get a bowl of warm water, a tablespoon or two of white vinegar. Instead of vinegar, you can use a mild cleaner such as dish soap.

Now get the sponge you’ve prepared and dip it in the water. But don’t even think about starting to clean the interior straight away. You must squeeze the sponge first and make sure there’s no excess water. Remember, you’re looking to use a damp sponge, not a wet one!

Also, I’d recommend you to use the spongy side instead of the harsh green/black side of the sponge.

When wiping up and down the interior walls of your toaster oven, make sure that you avoid the heating elements. It should be a simple process if the interior walls aren’t very greasy.

Cleaning the Heating Element

Heating elements should be cleaned as well. But since they’re fairly fragile, they should be cleaned gently. Also, I wouldn’t recommend you to clean the heating elements very often. Once every other week is fine.

To clean your heating elements, you’d want to use a water-dampened cloth. But keep in mind that you should allow it to dry completely before its use. However, don’t use soap or any other cleanser or you might damage the heating elements.

To recap, use a moist sponge and allow the heating elements to air dry completely before using them!

Cleaning the Ceiling

The ceiling should be cleaned thoroughly, and there’s one reason for that. Ceiling usually doesn’t come with a non-stick coating like other interior parts do.

It might be also the hardest thing to clean because it’s hard to remove any grease or crumbs that might have gotten stuck. Do your best and use the things you have prepared that will help you out.

Cleaning the Exterior

In case you need to clean its exterior, simply use a sponge or cloth that is moistened with water. You can also use any glass cleaner as well.

Make sure that you clean and wipe the control panels as well once you’re wiping down the outside of your toaster oven.

How to Clean Removable Parts

These include racks, pans, or anything that you had inside the toaster oven and was removable.

Letting these parts soak before cleaning does help the process, but doesn’t necessarily has to be done. No matter how hard it is to clean the grease off of these parts, it’s important to stick to the spongy side instead of the green/black harsh side, no matter how tempting it is.

Things You Shouldn’t Do When Cleaning Your Toaster Oven

Here are just a few quick things that you shouldn’t do when cleaning the toaster oven for your safety, but also for the safety of the device.

I’m also sure that most of these things are already mentioned in the manual that came with your toaster oven, but you can never be too safe, right?

So I’m sure you now know how to clean your toaster oven properly, so happy cleaning!