Air fryers are so convenient for cooking, they cut down cooking time, make meals healthier, and they are so versatile. However, they can be a bit of a nightmare to clean. Well, not anymore if you follow my simple cleaning hacks on air fryer how to clean your air fryer, you too will have beautifully clean basket and oven with no stress.

Pin with 2 images of air fryer. Image top left, the air fryer drawer is closed and set to 400°F. The image in the bottom right overlaps the previous image and shows the drawer open with freshly cooked potato fries inside. The text reads 'How to Clean Your Air Fryer'.
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Air Fryer Cleaning Hacks

In our air frying group, we all talk about how to best care for our air fryers.

I always recommend that you season it. From the hundreds that I heard from, you all really appreciated that advice, and all the seasoned air fryers, look almost brand new. Before I was an air fryer user, I was an avid cast iron fan. So, all I did was take the cast iron sealing from there and applied it to my new toy, the air fryer. When I started air frying, there were no groups and no advice, so I had to learn as I went along. Probably one of the best ways to learn.

Steps On How To Deep Clean Air Fryer

So, if you bought an air fryer, I consider it a huge financial investment, and I wanted to give you all some pointers on how to deep clean it and remove stubborn grease from the basket.

  1. First, before you do anything, read the manual. There are hundreds of air fryers, and you should always read your manual first.
  2. Season your air fryer. This will work in about 90% of the air fryers; I have not done a Big Boss air fryer yet. So, I’m not sure about this model.
  3.  After you use your air fryer, you should let it cool down.
  4. Unplug your air fryer.
  5. Then remove the basket from the air fryer, and place it into your sink.
  6. Fill it out with hot water and spray some Dawn detergent in it. ( I love Dawn, it removes grease from the basket, like a champ)
  7. Then let sit for about one hour.
  8. Then use a scrub brush (plastic scrub brush, never a metal one, it will ruin your air fryer basket)
  9. Scrub the air fryer basket, and get all of the greases out.
  10. After it’s clean, I usually place it in my dishwasher and run it. But that will depend on your particular model, as not all of them are dishwasher safe. So, check your instruction manual.

To Clean the Inside Of the Air Fryer Model:

  1. Do a check for any stray food, and if there is, remove it carefully.
  2. Do not wipe the inside with any wet cloth, as you might destroy the motor.
  3. This might also void your warranty.

To Clean the Outside of the Air Fryer:

  1. Get a wet paper towel and get a dab of Dawn detergent and wipe down the outside of the air fryer.

Let everything dry, and then reassemble the basket, and you are all set to go.

General Tips for Keeping Your Air Fryer Lasting As Long as You Can

  • Never Use any hard spatula to get food off the basket. If you use metal tools on metal, they will scratch.
  • Use an air fryer-safe pan if you are making something messy. I do this most of the time, as it is easier to clean a pan than the entire basket. (I get this question a lot)–just make sure it’s an air fryer-safe pan.
  • Use foil or parchment paper in the air fryer to eliminate mess. Although members have mentioned that parchment flies around, and it can catch on fire, so I go with an air fryer-safe pan.

Cleaning FAQS

I received a few more questions regarding the deep cleaning of the air fryer and removing stubborn grease from the basket so I have answered them here, I hope this helps.

How often should I clean my air fryer?

Honestly, after each use. It might sound like a pain but if you follow my advice to season it then cleaning it won’t be a problem.

How do I store my air fryer?

You can store it in a cupboard or back of the counter, just make sure its unplugged when not in use and give it a few inches of breathing space around it. When you are using it, make sure you place it on a heatproof mat.

What should I not do?

Do not use hard or metal utensils on your air fryer, do not scrub you basket with a metal brush and ALWAYS read you instruction manual!

Were these cleaning tips helpful? If you want to see more time saving cleaning hacks then check out my other post, and leave a comment below if this helped!

Pin For Reference Later:

Pin for reference later shows a red box with an image of a closed air fryer oven set to 400°F. Underneath it reads: 'Air fryer how to clean your air fryer'.