{"title":"How to Clean an Air Fryer (Step by Step)","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/home-survival/how-to-clean-an-air-fryer","category":{"slug":"home-survival","name":"Home Survival"},"creator":{"name":"Clean That Up","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GLDECMH83KqDn6hypodYw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHzrYfPlNx8"},"tldr":"Remove baked-on grease from your air fryer in under 30 minutes. Covers basket, interior, and heating element - without damaging the coating.","totalDurationSeconds":270,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["vacuum with brush attachment","soft brush","microfiber towels"],"materials":["Dawn Power Wash","non-scratch sponge","paper towels","pipe cleaners or straw cleaners","0000 steel wool (for stubborn spots)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Unplug and Disassemble","text":"Unplug the air fryer before you do anything else. Pull out the basket, tray, rack - anything that comes out. Both basket-style and toaster-oven-style air fryers come apart the same way. You'll probably find grease and crumbs all over the bottom once the parts are out. That's normal. The point is getting full access to every surface before you start cleaning."},{"number":2,"title":"Wipe Out Dry Crumbs","text":"Before any cleaner goes on, wipe out the loose crumbs with a dry paper towel. A vacuum with a brush attachment works even better - run it along the bottom and sides to suck up the dry debris. If you skip this and go straight to spraying, you end up pushing wet greasy crumbs around instead of actually cleaning anything. Get the dry stuff out first."},{"number":3,"title":"Spray Removable Parts and Let Them Soak","text":"Take the basket, rack, and tray to the sink. Spray them down with Dawn Power Wash and let them sit for 10-20 minutes. The degreaser needs time to loosen the baked-on grease - trying to scrub without soaking first just means more work. Don't substitute oven cleaner here. It's too strong and will damage the non-stick coating on your basket and trays."},{"number":4,"title":"Clean the Interior While Parts Soak","text":"While the parts sit in the sink, work on the inside of the unit. Spray the interior walls and bottom with Dawn Power Wash. Use a damp cloth or non-scratch sponge to scrub the surfaces. For stubborn spots, let the cleaner sit a few minutes before wiping. Use a toothpick to get grime out of the edges and corners. A pipe cleaner works well for the vent slots along the bottom where a regular scrubber can't fit."},{"number":5,"title":"Scrub the Basket and Soaked Parts","text":"After the soak, most of the grease should come off without much effort. Use a non-scratch sponge on the flat surfaces and a soft brush to work through the mesh holes and basket bottom. Rinse thoroughly - run water over everything until no soap foam remains. If your basket still isn't coming clean, fill it with 2-3 cups of water and a squirt of dish soap, put it back in the air fryer, and run it for 5 minutes at 300 degrees. The steam loosens the remaining buildup."},{"number":6,"title":"Wipe Down the Heating Element","text":"Flip the unit upside down to access the heating coil. Use a damp cloth or a soft brush to gently remove any splattered grease from the element. Go easy with moisture here - you don't want water sitting on the coil. Some grease around the heating element is basically permanent after heavy use, and that's fine. Just get the loose stuff off. Let the unit sit open for a few minutes to air out before reassembling."},{"number":7,"title":"Dry Completely and Reassemble","text":"Wipe the interior dry with a clean cloth. Let the basket and removable parts air dry for at least 30 minutes, or towel dry them. Everything needs to be dry before you put it back together - running a damp air fryer causes smoking and can damage the unit. Once everything is dry, reassemble, run the air fryer empty for 5-10 minutes to burn off any remaining residue, and you're done."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-06-12T17:33:28.683Z","published":"2026-06-12T17:31:45.455Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}