Your sandwich toaster can turn into an overnight nightmare, but it all depends on your availability to clean and maintain your toaster.
You can also have a sandwich toaster that is heavily infested with yeast and other bacteria causing you infection if you aren’t ready to properly maintain this appliance.
Your sandwich toaster should be the easiest appliance that you can easily clean in the house, but what happens when you haven’t cleaned it since you bought the toaster?
It is completely unhealthy to keep using the toaster every time you need it without getting to clean it thoroughly.
Some of the food particles that end up getting stuck in intricate places end up inviting insects like cockroaches. And they end up destroying the toaster itself.
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Rules For Cleaning Your Sandwich Toaster
If you want to clean your toaster, never use hard cleaning agents like knives, forks, or hard brushes/sponges.
This is because your toaster may be non-stick, and as such, you will not want to destroy the non-stick coating that comes with the toaster otherwise; you will not like the outcome of the sandwich when the non-stick coating is destroyed.
Knives, forks, hard brushes/sponges, and anything metallic can destroy the toaster when used to clean or eradicate debris from the toaster.
Get an alternative cleaning tool instead and avoid the harsh ones.
Also, do not forget not to make use of harsh cleaning agents like ammonia, bleach, and some other strong cleaning products. These products all have an effect on a sandwich toaster.
Chemicals like these are not supposed to come in contact with non-stick surfaces. Otherwise, they end up peeling the surfaces and causing drastic damage.
Use milder cleaning products instead to get your work done.
Whenever you want to begin your cleaning activity, never leave your taster plugged into the socket. It is very unsafe to leave the power cable still attached to the main socket.
The toaster may react to the water or whatever it is you may be using to clean the toaster. Ensure that you are careful when it comes to removing the power cable from the socket.
Read: Best Way To Clean Toaster Oven Glass
What do you need to clean a sandwich toaster?
To clean your sandwich toaster with effective materials, you need good products to get things done and give you a necessary look that you want for your toaster. One such product is white vinegar.
This is the normal vinegar used in baking and other things around the house. The vinegar is quite active in dealing with dirt and giving your appliance a sparkling look.
Vinegar is also very harmless when it comes to cleaning non-stick materials.
Another cleaning product you should consider is baking soda. This product is highly effective in giving you what you want and taking care of the dirt.
Other products are lemon, degreasers, etc.
Then for the cleaning tools, you can use; a soft micro-fiber towel, soft cloth, an old toothbrush, or a soft sponge/foam.
These cleaning tools are highly efficient and effective in cleaning your appliances, and they don’t end up giving your product a scratch or a peel.
Best Way To Clean Your Sandwich Toaster?
To wash your sandwich toaster, you have several methods.
Method 1
Check your toaster and unplug it from the main source. Next, scrape off the debris using a plastic spoon or a soft foam.
When the debris is all out, get a cup of water and mix it with some vinegar. Put it in a spray can and spray the toaster with it.
Spray generously and then leave it to sit for a few minutes.
After that, get a clean cloth or soft foam, and dip it into the vinegar and water mixture but this time, add a mild liquid washing soap into the mixture.
Now use it to clean the toaster thoroughly until the debris is no longer present. Now get a clean bowl of water, soak a clean cloth in it and clean the toaster thoroughly to get rid of soapiness.
Now to reach the intricate areas and areas where the foam cannot reach, use your old toothbrush.
Dip it into the soapy mixture and scrub gradually until all the dirt is out.
Method 2
For the second method, after dusting the toaster and getting rid of debris, get a cup of water, pour in baking soda, and make it into a pasty consistency.
Don’t let it be runny. Now apply the pasty mixture to the toaster. Spray again with vinegar and water mixture. Then allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
After that, use foam to wipe clean with warm water. Don’t forget to use the old toothbrush to clean the intricate areas too. After that, wipe clean with a dry microfiber cloth.
Method 3
You can make use of lemon just in case you don’t have lemon at home and just so that you can have a unique fragrance in your toaster.
So cut your lemon into half, put the other half in a pot of boiling water, pour the water into a bowl and remove the lemon. Allow the lemon water to cool briefly.
After that, add some squirt of liquid washing soap, dip a soft microfiber cloth inside the bowl and wipe the toaster gently after you must have unplugged it from the socket.
Wipe thoroughly until the debris is all out. Then get another soft cloth, dip it into a bowl of clean water and wipe the toaster clean.
You will observe that the toaster will emit a different fragrance when you are done with the cleaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often can you clean your sandwich toaster?
The easiest way to maintain your toaster is by getting it cleaned daily.
Otherwise, if you leave it all stuck up, with the dirt building up and the greasy mess piling up in the toaster, you may not like the aftermath of your appliance after some time.
So clean your sandwich toaster every time you make use of it. If you use it every day, make sure you get it cleaned every day.
But just in case you do not have the time to get it cleaned immediately after use, get a paper towel so that when you are done using the toaster, you can use the paper towel to wipe the surface.
And afterward, get it cleaned weekly. Once every week is fine if you can carve out the time to get it done.
What happens when you have stuck up dirt in your sandwich toaster?
When your toaster has buildups like dried food particles or a greasy mess, then you can clean using this method. Plug the toaster and leave it for 20 seconds.
After that, unplug it from the socket and then leave pour some vinegar and water mixture in it. There will be a reaction from the toaster now because it is hot.
But don’t worry, the reaction isn’t harmful. After pouring in the water, close the toaster for a few minutes.
Afterward, dip a soft cloth into the water, vinegar, and liquid soap mixture, then use the soft cloth to wipe the surface of the toaster gently.
You will see that the stuck-up dirt and greasy mess will begin to break out.
Otherwise, if you aren’t comfortable using the method above, you can try getting degreasers. Spray the degreaser spray on the toaster, and leave it to sit for 10 minutes.
Afterward, grab your soft foam, dip it into a soapy vinegar mixture, and clean your sandwich toaster! You will see that the dirt will come off loosely.
Is the sandwich toaster dishwasher safe?
First, check the manual that came with your toaster when you bought it. A manual is that small booklet that comes with the package.
Read through it; the manufacturer should have it stated in there.
However, just in case you do not have a manual, then you can only take the decision from this article.
Your sandwich toaster is not dishwasher safe. This is because the sandwich toaster comes with a power cable, and the brain of the toaster is also attached to the bottom, which houses the plate.
It cannot be detached. This means that throwing it into the dishwasher isn’t an option to start with. But washing manually with your hands is very much a considered option.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you can see that cleaning a sandwich toaster isn’t as difficult as you thought. You should be careful when you want to wash the power cable of your toaster.
Do not sip it into a bowl of water, but you can use a damp towel/cloth to clean the power cable. Likewise, the exterior or the outer part of the toaster.
Soak a soft cloth in soap water and use it to wipe the top or exterior part of the toaster until it is sparkling clean, leaving no trace of dirt or any other form of debris.
When your toaster is well maintained, there is every guarantee that it will have a long lifespan.