Knowing how to clean an air fryer well is the difference between a machine that lasts for years and one that smokes, smells, and cooks unevenly. The good news is that it is quick and simple once you have a routine. Most of the job is just washing the basket and wiping a few surfaces, with one part people always forget: the greasy heating element up top. Do it regularly and your air fryer stays fresh, safe, and efficient.
I run my air fryers hard, and a clean machine simply cooks better. In this guide I will walk you through the full process step by step, show you how to tackle baked-on grease, explain how often to clean, and share the one rule that protects your appliance: never submerge the base. Let us get it sparkling.
The short answer
Here is the whole routine in brief.
- Unplug and cool it first, every single time.
- Wash the basket and tray in warm soapy water, soaking 10 to 15 minutes if grease is stuck on.
- Wipe the inside and the heating element with a damp cloth.
- Never submerge the main unit or put it in the dishwasher.
- Dry everything fully before putting it back together.
Do a quick wipe after every use and a deeper clean on a schedule, and you will rarely face baked-on grime.
What you need
You almost certainly have everything already. No special products required.
- Warm water and a few drops of dish soap.
- A non-abrasive sponge or soft cloth.
- A soft-bristle brush, such as an old toothbrush, for corners and the element.
- Baking soda for stubborn grease.
- White vinegar or a lemon for odors.
- A dry towel.
Skip the steel wool and harsh scouring pads. They scratch the nonstick coating, which makes future cleaning harder and shortens the life of your basket.
How to clean an air fryer step by step
Here is the full process from start to finish. The whole thing takes only a few minutes for a routine clean.
- Unplug it and let it cool completely. Give it about 20 to 30 minutes after cooking. Never clean a hot or powered appliance.
- Remove the basket, tray, and crisper plate. Take out every removable part.
- Soak and wash those parts in warm, soapy water. For stuck-on grease, soak them 10 to 15 minutes first.
- Wipe the interior of the air fryer with a damp cloth to lift loose crumbs and grease.
- Clean the heating element at the top with a damp cloth or soft brush.
- Wipe the exterior and the control panel with a damp, well-wrung cloth.
- Dry everything fully, then reassemble. That is it.
For a daily clean you can skip the soak and just wipe the basket. The deeper steps come into play weekly and monthly, which I cover below.
Cleaning the basket and tray
The basket and tray do the dirty work, so they need the most attention. For everyday grease, warm soapy water and a soft sponge handle it.
For stubborn, baked-on residue, reach for baking soda. Mix about 2 tablespoons, roughly 30 g, of baking soda with a little water to make a paste, spread it on the grimy spots, and let it sit for about 5 minutes before gently scrubbing. Baking soda lifts grease without scratching the coating. A soak in about 240 ml of warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes loosens almost anything before you scrub.
Is it dishwasher safe? Most air fryer baskets and trays are dishwasher safe, but always check your manual to be sure, since some coatings are not. I tend to hand-wash mine, because gentle hand-washing protects the nonstick surface and keeps it working longer than repeated hot dishwasher cycles.
Do not forget the heating element
This is the step almost everyone skips, and it matters. The heating element sits at the top of the air fryer, directly above your food, so it collects splattered grease over time. Left alone, that buildup is what makes an air fryer smoke and smell.
Once the unit is unplugged and fully cool, tip it back or look up into the top and wipe the element with a damp cloth or a soft brush. Be gentle and avoid soaking it, since it is an electrical component. A good habit is to inspect the element every 3 to 4 uses and wipe it whenever you see splatter. Keep it clean and you eliminate the most common cause of that burnt smell.
Cleaning the main unit
The base, the part that holds the heating element, fan, and controls, needs the most caution. Here is the rule that protects your machine and your safety.
Never submerge the main unit in water, and never put it in the dishwasher. It contains the electrical components, and water inside it can ruin the appliance or create a shock hazard. To clean it, use only a damp, well-wrung cloth on the inside and outside, then dry it. If you keep up with the basket and element, the base rarely needs more than a quick wipe.
Keeping cooking equipment clean is not just about looks. Food-safety guidance from the FDA and FoodSafety.gov stresses that clean surfaces and equipment help prevent the spread of harmful bacteria, and the CDC makes the same point about kitchen hygiene. An air fryer caked in old grease is not only smelly, it is a place for residue to build up, so a regular clean is part of cooking safely, not just keeping things tidy.
How often should you clean it?
Matching the clean to how you cook keeps the work small. Here is the schedule I follow.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| After every use | Quick wipe or wash of the basket and tray |
| Once a week | Thorough clean of the inside, element, and exterior |
| Once a month | Deep clean, including a good look at the heating element |
Cook a lot of greasy food like bacon or wings? Move that deep clean up. The messier the cooking, the sooner grease builds up, and the more often the element needs a wipe. A quick clean after each greasy cook saves you a big scrub later. Greasy favorites like air fryer sausages are exactly the kind of cook that calls for a wipe afterward. Trusted kitchen sources like America’s Test Kitchen recommend the same little-and-often approach, and the USDA reminds us that clean equipment is part of safe cooking.
What I learned keeping air fryers clean for years
When I got my first air fryer, I treated it like a toaster: use it, shove it back in the cupboard, repeat. Within a couple of months it smoked every time I turned it on, and I could not figure out why. When I finally looked up at the heating element, I found it coated in baked-on grease. That was my lesson. The element, not the basket, is what makes an air fryer smell and smoke, and almost nobody cleans it.
The other thing I learned was the power of little and often. In my experience, the people who dread cleaning their air fryer are the ones who let a week of bacon and wings bake onto the basket before tackling it. I have found that a 30-second wipe right after each cook, while the basket is still slightly warm and the grease is soft, saves me from ever needing a hard scrub. The mistake I made for years was waiting until it was bad, when a quick habit would have kept it easy.
I also noticed that gentleness pays off. The first basket I owned, I scrubbed with an abrasive pad whenever it got sticky, and within a year the coating was scratched and everything stuck to it. Now I never reach for anything rougher than a soft sponge, and my current basket has stayed smooth and easy to clean for far longer.
Cleaning specific messes
Some foods leave behind trouble that plain soapy water will not budge. Here is how I handle the usual suspects.
- Melted cheese: let it cool and harden first, then it often peels right off. For the rest, a baking soda paste and a soft brush lift the residue without scratching.
- Burnt sugar or sticky glazes: soak the basket in warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes to dissolve the caramelized sugar before you scrub.
- Fish and strong smells: wash as normal, then wipe with a vinegar-dampened cloth and let the basket air out fully.
- Greasy splatter on the element: wait until it is cool, then wipe with a damp cloth. Repeat if needed rather than scrubbing hard.
The pattern across all of these is the same. Soften the mess first with a soak or by letting it cool, then lift it gently. Patience beats elbow grease, and it is far kinder to the coating.
Removing smells and odors
Air fryers can hold onto strong smells, especially after fish or heavily spiced food. A couple of simple tricks clear the air.
- Vinegar wipe. Dampen a cloth with white vinegar and wipe the interior, then rinse with a clean damp cloth. The vinegar smell fades as it dries and takes the food odor with it.
- Lemon. Rubbing a cut lemon on the basket, or running the air fryer briefly with a few lemon slices inside, freshens it up.
- Air it out. Sometimes simply leaving the basket out to dry fully in the open clears lingering smells.
The root cause of most odors is grease on the element, so if smells keep coming back, give that element a thorough wipe.
Protecting the nonstick coating
Most baskets have a nonstick coating, and treating it well saves you money down the line. A scratched coating sticks more, which means more scrubbing and a shorter life.
Protect it with a few habits. Use only non-abrasive sponges and cloths, never steel wool or scouring pads. Avoid metal utensils in the basket while cooking. And lean toward hand-washing over the dishwasher when you can, since harsh detergents and high heat wear coatings down over time. A liner like parchment can also keep sticky messes off the surface in the first place. If you are weighing the appliance against your oven for everyday cooking, our air fryer vs conventional oven guide is a useful read.
Storing it clean and dry
How you put the air fryer away matters almost as much as how you clean it. The golden rule is to store it only when every part is bone dry. Reassembling and tucking away a basket that is still damp invites musty smells and, over time, can encourage corrosion on metal parts.
After washing, I leave the basket and tray out to air-dry fully, then give them a final pass with a dry towel before they go back in. Store the unit with the basket slightly ajar or removed if you have the space, so any trace of moisture can escape rather than sit sealed inside. Keep it somewhere with a little airflow, not crammed into a tight, humid cupboard. A clean, dry, well-stored air fryer is ready to go the moment you want it, with no surprise odors on the first cook.
Common mistakes I see
After cleaning more air fryers than I can count, these are the errors that cause the most trouble.
- Ignoring the heating element. This is the top cause of smoke and smells. Wipe it regularly.
- Using abrasive scrubbers. Steel wool wrecks the nonstick coating. Stick to soft sponges.
- Submerging the base. Water in the main unit can ruin it. Only ever wipe it.
- Letting grease build up. A quick wipe after each use beats a hard scrub later.
- Reassembling while wet. Trapped moisture can cause issues, so dry every part fully first.
FAQ
How do you clean an air fryer with baked-on grease?
Soak the basket and tray in warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes, then make a paste of about 2 tablespoons of baking soda and a little water. Spread it on the grease, wait a few minutes, and scrub gently with a non-abrasive sponge.
Can you put an air fryer basket in the dishwasher?
Most baskets and trays are dishwasher safe, but check your manual to confirm, since some coatings are not. Hand-washing is gentler and helps the nonstick surface last longer.
How do I clean the heating element of my air fryer?
Unplug the air fryer and let it cool, then wipe the element at the top with a damp cloth or soft brush. Do not soak it. Check it every 3 to 4 uses and clean off any grease you see.
How often should I clean my air fryer?
Wipe the basket after every use, do a thorough clean weekly, and deep clean about once a month. Clean more often if you cook a lot of greasy foods like bacon or wings.
Why does my air fryer smell bad or smoke?
Almost always it is grease built up on the heating element. Unplug it, let it cool, and wipe the element thoroughly. Keeping it clean stops the burnt smell and smoking.
Can I submerge my air fryer in water to clean it?
No. Never submerge the main unit or put it in the dishwasher, because it holds the electrical parts. Only the removable basket and tray can be washed in water. Wipe the base with a damp cloth.
Can I use vinegar to clean my air fryer?
Yes, vinegar is great for cutting grease and removing odors. Dampen a cloth with white vinegar and wipe the interior and basket, then go over it with a clean, damp cloth and dry it. Do not pour vinegar directly into the base, and avoid soaking electrical parts.
How do I stop my air fryer from smoking?
Smoking is almost always caused by grease, either on the heating element or dripping from fatty foods. Clean the element regularly once it is cool, wipe out the basket after greasy cooks, and for very fatty foods add a tablespoon of water to the drawer to stop drippings from burning.
The bottom line
Learning how to clean an air fryer comes down to a simple routine and one firm rule. Unplug and cool it, wash the basket and tray in warm soapy water with a 10 to 15 minute soak for stuck grease, and wipe down the inside and the often-forgotten heating element. Never submerge the base or run it through the dishwasher, and always dry every part before reassembling. Wipe up after each use, clean thoroughly each week, and deep clean monthly, and your air fryer will stay fresh, smoke-free, and cooking at its best for years to come.
