How to Clean Your Air Fryer (Step-by-Step Guide)
The most common reason air fryers start smoking is a dirty machine. The second most common reason is a dirty machine. Clean it regularly and most of the issues people complain about online just don't happen.
Here's how.
After Every Cook: 5-Minute Routine
Let the air fryer cool for 10–15 minutes, then:
- Remove the basket and drawer. Pull the drawer out, then lift out the basket if they're separate components on your model.
- Wash with hot soapy water. A non-abrasive sponge or soft brush. Dish soap is fine. Avoid steel wool, scouring pads, or anything abrasive — they scratch the non-stick coating.
- Rinse and dry. Water left on the basket can cause rust on any metal components over time. Pat dry with a towel or let air dry fully before reassembling.
- Wipe the interior. Use a damp cloth or kitchen paper to wipe the inside of the unit — the walls and the base. Fresh grease comes off easily. Old, baked-on grease doesn't.
- Check the drawer. The drip drawer beneath the basket catches rendered fat and crumbs. Empty and rinse it after every cook, especially after cooking fatty foods like bacon or sausages.
That's it. Five minutes. The reason to do it immediately rather than leaving it until later is that fresh grease is soft and comes off easily. Baked-on grease from the next cooking cycle is a different situation entirely.
Can You Put an Air Fryer Basket in the Dishwasher?
Many air fryer baskets are labelled dishwasher-safe. Check your model's manual — if it says top rack dishwasher-safe, it's fine occasionally. But repeated dishwasher cycles degrade non-stick coatings faster than handwashing. If you want your basket to last longer, wash by hand.
Never put the main unit — the base with the electronics and motor — in the dishwasher. Wipe it with a damp cloth only.
Monthly Deep Clean
Even with a regular routine, grease builds up in corners and on the heating element over time. Do a proper deep clean once a month, or whenever you notice the machine smoking more than usual during cooking.
What you need:
- Hot water and dish soap
- Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- A soft brush or old toothbrush
- Non-abrasive sponge
- Damp cloth
- Kitchen paper
Step 1: Soak the basket and drawer
Fill a sink or bowl with hot water and a generous squeeze of dish soap. Submerge the basket and drawer and leave for 15–20 minutes. This softens any baked-on grease and makes scrubbing much easier.
Step 2: Scrub with baking soda for stubborn spots
Mix a small amount of bicarbonate of soda with water to form a paste. Apply to any stubborn spots on the basket — the corners, the underside of the mesh base. Leave for 5 minutes, then scrub with the soft brush. Don't use abrasive scrubbing pads — they'll scratch the coating.
Step 3: Clean the interior walls
With the unit unplugged and cool, use a damp cloth or damp kitchen paper to wipe down the interior walls. If there's grease on the walls, a small amount of dish soap on the cloth helps. Wipe with a clean damp cloth afterwards to remove soap residue.
Step 4: Clean the heating element
The heating element is the coil or bar at the top of the interior. It's the component most people never touch and the main cause of smoke when grease builds up on it.
Make sure the unit is fully cool and unplugged before touching the heating element.
Use a soft brush or damp cloth to gently wipe the surface. For any food residue stuck to it, a damp cloth with a tiny amount of dish soap — then a clean damp cloth to remove residue. Don't use excessive water near the element, and don't scrub with anything abrasive.
If there's burnt food baked onto the element, a soft toothbrush is useful here. Work gently.
Step 5: Dry completely before reassembling
Leave all components to air dry completely — or dry with a towel. Reassembling wet components can lead to steam during the next cook and, over time, can promote rust on any metal parts.
Getting Rid of Smells
Air fryers can develop a smell — usually a combination of old grease and whatever you last cooked at high heat. A few things help:
Baking soda soak: Mix 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda with warm water in the basket and drawer, let soak for 15–20 minutes, then rinse. Good for general neutralising.
Lemon and water: Add lemon juice or a few slices of lemon to a small oven-safe bowl with water, run at 350°F for 3 minutes. The steam helps lift odours from the interior.
Vinegar wipe: Wipe the interior with a cloth barely dampened with white vinegar, then wipe with a clean damp cloth. Vinegar is a decent degreaser and neutralises food smells.
If there's a persistent plastic or burning smell, check whether there's grease on the heating element that needs cleaning. A burning smell during cooking is almost always the heating element.
What Not to Do
- Don't use metal utensils to scrape the basket. You'll ruin the non-stick coating.
- Don't submerge the main unit in water. The basket and drawer, yes. The base unit with the electronics, never.
- Don't use harsh chemical cleaners. Oven cleaner, bleach — these can damage non-stick surfaces and leave residues you don't want near food.
- Don't cook before it's fully dry. Water in the basket creates steam that affects cooking results and, over time, can cause issues.