How to clean a blender: the 30-second clean and a deep clean

Step by step: how to clean a blender

Safety first. Unplug the blender before you touch the blades or wipe the base. Blades are sharp, so clean them with a brush, not your fingers. If you sanitize with bleach, rinse out any vinegar first; never mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia.

1. 1

   Rinse right after blending

   Empty the jar and rinse out most of what is left before it dries. Dried smoothie, nut butter or hummus is what turns a 30-second job into a soak. Do this even if you will wash it properly later.

2. 2

   Add warm water and a drop of soap

   Fill the jar about halfway with warm water, not boiling, and add one or two drops of dish soap. More soap just foams out of the lid. Breville notes that boiling water can warp plastic jars and weaken seals.

3. 3

   Blend for 30 to 60 seconds

   Put the lid on firmly, set the jar on the base and run it on low to medium for 30 to 60 seconds, or use the clean program if your blender has one. The water washes under the blades where a sponge cannot reach.

4. 4

   Rinse and check under the blades

   Pour out the soapy water and rinse the jar and lid well. Look under the blades with the jar tipped toward a light. If you still see residue, scrub around the blade base with a bottle brush, keeping your fingers away from the edges.

5. 5

   Take the blade assembly apart if it is removable

   On blenders where the blade unscrews from the bottom of the jar, take it off, remove the rubber gasket and wash both in warm soapy water. Food trapped under the gasket is the usual source of a sour smell. Reassemble only when dry, with the gasket seated flat.

6. 6

   Wipe the base and controls

   Unplug the blender. Wipe the motor base with a damp cloth and a little dish soap, then a clean damp cloth, and dry it. Use a soft brush or cotton swab around buttons and the jar pad. Never pour water over the base.

7. 7

   Dry and store with the lid off

   Let the jar, lid and blade air dry upside down on a rack. Store the jar with the lid off so air can circulate; the Breville manual recommends this to keep smells from building up.

How do you deep clean a cloudy or smelly blender?

Use an acid for cloudiness and a long soak for smells. Cloudiness is usually mineral film from hard water or residue from dishwasher detergent, which vinegar dissolves.

• Vinegar blend: KitchenAid suggests running the blender on high with 1/4 cup of warm water and 3/4 cup of white vinegar, or with 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of warm water. Rinse well afterward.
• Overnight soak: for stubborn stains, Breville suggests soaking the jar in a diluted vinegar solution overnight, then rinsing.
• Strong odors: the Breville Fresh & Furious manual says garlic, fish and carrots can leave odors or stains, and to soak the jar and lid in warm soapy water for 5 minutes, wash with mild detergent, rinse and dry.
• Lemon: a splash of vinegar and a few lemon slices in warm water, blended for 30 seconds, freshens the jar between uses.

Clean the jar right after blending citrus peel. The same Breville manual warns that oils in citrus rind can damage the jar material if left on it for a long time.

How do you sanitize a blender?

Most home blenders only need soap and water, but you can sanitize with a weak bleach solution after making raw egg drinks or if someone in the house is sick. Wash and rinse the jar first, because bleach does not work well on dirty surfaces.

KitchenAid’s method for its high-performance blenders uses a 200 ppm solution: 6.67 mL (about 1 1/3 teaspoons) of household bleach with 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite in 1.75 liters (59 oz) of hot water. Blend on high for 35 seconds, let it sit 2 minutes, pour it out without rinsing, run the empty blender for 10 seconds and let the jar air dry. If your bleach is a stronger concentration, use proportionally less. Check your own manual before you use bleach on any jar.

Can you put a blender in the dishwasher?

Many jars and lids can go in the dishwasher, but check your manual first, and never the motor base. KitchenAid says its jars and lids, including the blade, are dishwasher safe.

Breville’s manual for its Fresh & Furious blender allows the jug on the bottom rack and the lid and measuring cap on the top rack only, and warns that frequent dishwasher cycles can shorten the life of the parts because of harsh detergent, heat and pressure. For a jar you use every day, the 30-second soap blend is gentler and just as clean. If your jar has turned cloudy from the dishwasher, the vinegar blend above clears it. For other small appliances on the same counter, see how to clean a coffee grinder.

Mistakes to avoid

• Letting smoothie dry in the jar overnight, which glues fiber under the blades.
• Filling the jar with boiling water, which can warp plastic and weaken seals.
• Reaching into the jar to wipe the blades with your fingers.
• Putting the motor base in water or rinsing it under the tap.
• Never removing the gasket on a blender with a removable blade, so it starts to smell.
• Mixing bleach into a jar that still has vinegar in it.