The Quickest Way To Clean Your Toaster, According To TikTok

Appliances tend to be the last thing we think about when we’re cleaning our home, but that also means they end up collecting the most dirt, dust, and grime—all as we continue to cook with them.

When you think about cleaning your toaster, you probably imagine wiping it down with some disinfectant until the stainless steel shines and then going your own way. Maybe, if you’re feeling particularly invested in a clean toaster, you even clean out the tray underneath that holds all those crumbs. But, undoubtedly, pesky crumbs still stay within your toaster, and as soon as you scoot it back to its place on the counter, more have found their way out.

That’s where a new TikTok toaster cleaning trend comes in. In a now-viral video by content creator @anna_louisa_at_home, she shows viewers and her followers three ideas to make cleaning a bit more efficient and easier. 

“Because sometimes 5 minutes is all we have, here’s [three] ideas for those tasks that might need ticking off next time you have some spare time,” Anna said in the caption of her TikTok video, adding that she doesn’t spend “any longer [than] 5 minutes of my time doing these chores.”

The first is a total toaster saver, and all you need is your dirty toaster and a hair dryer. Like with cleaning all appliances, start by unplugging your toaster. Use your hair dryer to blow air directly into the toaster. This will dislodge any crumbs that might be trapped in the toaster, and will push them to the bottom of the toaster, where the trays will catch them.

Now, when you empty your trays and throw away the crumbs, you can be confident that all of your crumbs have been caught.

But before you slide the toaster tray back into the appliance, scrub it with a scrubbing wand filled with washing liquid and rinse it. Make sure the trays are fully dried before you place them back in the appliance, and then wipe down the outside of the toaster to get that good, clean shine.

In the video, Anna also shows viewers how to clean a hob, which is a cooktop or hotplate in British slang. She does this by wiping it down with washing liquid and a scrubbing wand but also recommends using a microfiber cloth or a power scrubber.

The real hack here lies in how she dries it with no streaks: She uses a window vac. She also soaks the metal extractor fan filters in her kitchen in warm, soapy water to break down the grease before scrubbing them, making the scrubbing portion of cleaning much easier and less time-consuming. Just like with the toaster trays, you’ll want to let the extractor fan filters fully dry before you replace them.

If you have more time on your hands and you’d like to give your toaster a more thorough clean, there are ways to do that, too. You’ll need a pastry brush, a sponge or dishcloth, a microfiber cloth, some warm water, dish soap with a degreaser, a melamine sponge, and some dedication.

But even a deep clean will be way easier if you clean it regularly—like with this hairdryer hack.