Your air fryer does in 12 minutes what your oven does in 25, and it pays for that speed in grease. Every cook leaves a fine film of oil on the basket, the crisper plate, and the coil above — and that film is what eventually turns into sticky, smoky, hard-to-scrub grime.
The good news: air fryers are genuinely easy to clean if you follow the order of operations the manufacturers specify. The problems come from impatience — scrubbing a hot basket, reaching for steel wool, or trusting a viral dishwashing-tablet trick that quietly eats the coating. Here are 15 air fryer cleaning tips, grounded in care guidance from Philips, SharkNinja, COSORI, GreenPan, and cleaning-product maker Simple Green, plus a controlled test of five DIY degreasing methods.
Photo: Food & Wine
1. Unplug it and let it cool — don’t clean a hot basket
Unplug the unit from the wall, then let it cool for 10–15 minutes before you touch anything. COSORI’s care guide notes that the residual heat actually makes wiping grease off easier, and Simple Green’s directions put full cooling at about 30 minutes, speeding up if you pull the basket and pans out of the main body first. Never plunge a hot non-stick basket into cold water: thermal shock plus steam is the fastest way to warp a pan or lift a coating edge.
Photo: Flickr
2. Empty the crumbs while the drawer is still out
Tip the loose crumbs and burnt bits straight into the bin before anything gets wet. SharkNinja’s daily routine lists this as a distinct step — empty loose crumbs, then soak — because wetting crumbs first turns them into a paste that glues itself to the perforated plate. A two-minute reset after each cook beats a 30-minute deep clean every weekend.
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3. Soak the basket and crisper plate for 15 minutes in warm soapy water
This is the single highest-leverage step and both major manufacturers specify the same number: SharkNinja’s routine soaks the drawer in warm water and washing-up liquid for 15 minutes and soaks the crisper plate separately in the sink; COSORI’s guide says to submerge basket and crisper plate in warm soapy water for 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes of soaking does more than fifteen minutes of scrubbing, and it does it without abrading the coating.
Photo: PickPik
4. Use a soft sponge only — never steel wool or scouring pads
Every manufacturer’s care page says some version of the same warning. GreenPan: “Use a soft sponge — avoid abrasive pads that can damage nonstick coatings.” SharkNinja explicitly warns off “abrasive scouring pads, steel wool, or viral internet hacks that strip the protective non-stick coating.” Simple Green goes further, ruling out metal utensils, steel wool, and abrasive sponges for any stuck-on food. Once the coating is scratched, food sticks permanently and every future cleaning gets harder.
Photo: PickPik
5. Keep a soft-bristle brush for the perforations and corners
A sponge can’t get into the holes of a crisper plate or the seam where the basket wall meets the base. COSORI recommends a soft-bristle brush specifically for cleaning crevices, and GreenPan recommends one for the heating element too. This is the cheapest upgrade to your cleaning routine and the one that prevents the rancid-oil smell that builds up in places you can’t see.
Photo: Amazon
6. Skip the viral dishwasher-tablet hack
Dropping a dishwasher tablet into the basket, adding boiling water, and filming the grease dissolve is the most popular air fryer cleaning video on social media — and SharkNinja’s own testing advises against it. Their verdict: dishwasher tablets “may contain highly concentrated, abrasive cleaning agents designed for heavy ceramic and stainless steel which may impact the non-stick coating over time.” A replacement drawer or basket costs far more than the two minutes you saved.
Photo: HowStuffWorks
7. Make a baking soda paste for burnt-on oil
For the dark ring where oil carbonized, mix baking soda with warm water into a paste, apply it to the stain, let it sit for 15 minutes, then scrub gently with a soft sponge. That’s COSORI’s method; GreenPan gives the same instruction for sticky residue and burnt-on bits (“let it sit, then gently scrub with a non-abrasive sponge”). Baking soda is mildly abrasive — abrasive enough to lift grime, gentle enough to leave the coating intact.
Photo: PICRYL
8. Steal the winning formula from a five-method cleaning test
The Kitchn tested five DIY degreasing methods on a greasy basket and scored them on both results and speed. The full results:
| Method | Cleaning time | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Baking soda + lemon paste (2 tbsp soda, juice of ½ lemon, 1 tsp hot water) | 3 min | 3/5 |
| Vinegar + lemon juice steam (¼ cup white vinegar + juice of ½ lemon) | 42 min | 3/5 |
| Dish soap steam (water + a few drops of Dawn) | 5 min | 4/5 |
| Dish soap + baking soda + vinegar (2 tbsp soda, 2 tbsp vinegar, hot water) | 12 min | 4/5 |
| Dish soap spray + baking soda + hydrogen peroxide (2 tbsp soda, 2 tbsp peroxide, 2 sprays) | 3 min | 5/5 |
The paste of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and a couple of sprays of grease-cutting dish soap won outright — the tester reported that stuck-on food, grease, smells, and most of the dark grime were gone after rinsing The Kitchn.
Photo: Clean Mama
9. Use lemon juice or citric acid for stains and lingering smells
COSORI names citric acid and lemon juice as the go-to for stubborn stains alongside baking soda, and the lemon-paste method above scored a respectable 3/5 in testing. For odor specifically, COSORI suggests wiping the interior with a mixture of water and vinegar. Acid cuts the alkaline film that holds cooked-on smell, which is why a faint fryer smell usually disappears after one lemon or vinegar wipe-down.
Photo: Foodiesfeed
10. Clean the heating element with a dry-ish brush, never metal
The coil above the basket is where grease bakes into smoke. GreenPan’s guidance: clean the heating element gently with a soft brush or damp cloth and “never use metal tools.” COSORI adds the electrical warning — use a soft-bristle brush to sweep away debris and avoid applying water directly to the heating element to prevent short-circuiting. Simple Green’s version: wipe the coiled element with cleaner on a cloth, then follow with a plain damp cloth.
11. Wipe the interior walls after every single cook
SharkNinja’s top maintenance habit is a two-minute post-cook interior wipe once the unit cools, with the specific instruction not to let grease pool in the bottom. A damp cloth with a little diluted dish soap, followed by a clean damp cloth to remove residue, is all COSORI’s interior method requires. Grease that never gets to polymerize never needs a deep clean.
12. Wring out the cloth before you touch the exterior or control panel
For the shell, COSORI specifies a wrung-out damp cloth, and for the control panel, dry paper towels only. Water running into button seams or the display is how air fryers fail — and COSORI’s notes are explicit: don’t submerge the appliance in water and don’t use high-pressure water on the housing or heating element. Simple Green’s exterior mix is 2 tablespoons of all-purpose cleaner to 1 cup of water, sprayed onto the cloth rather than the machine.
13. Brush the vents so the machine can breathe
The bottom vents collect dust and kitchen fluff, and blocked airflow means uneven cooking and a hotter-running element. COSORI recommends a soft-bristle brush for the vents to keep airflow proper. While you’re there, wipe the cord and the base — a greasy base is what makes the whole appliance feel tacky even when the basket is spotless.
14. Dry everything completely before you reassemble
This is the step people skip. GreenPan, COSORI, and SharkNinja all specify full drying before the parts go back in — SharkNinja advises letting components air-dry completely on a rack first. Trapped moisture under a crisper plate is what produces that damp, stale smell the next time you preheat, and a wet basket also accelerates coating breakdown at the seams.
15. Prevent the mess: liners, parchment, and silicone utensils
The best air fryer cleaning tip is not needing to scrub. Green Pan’s guide notes that silicone liners or parchment inserts “help minimize mess and extend the life of the basket.” Two safety rules: parchment must never touch the heating element (COSORI flags this as a fire risk), and foil must never cover the vents or element because blocking them restricts airflow and causes uneven cooking. And keep metal tongs out of the basket — COSORI and GreenPan both recommend wooden or silicone utensils to protect the coating.
Photo: Amazon
How often should you clean an air fryer?
Removable parts — basket, crisper plate, racks — after every use, per both SharkNinja and COSORI. The exterior and interior get a wipe regularly, and a deeper inside-and-out clean is due every few uses; Simple Green recommends deep cleaning the inside and outside after every few uses, with a 10-minute soak in hot water and cleaner for any parts with baked-on grease. GreenPan’s schedule is the same shape: wash basket and tray after each use, wipe the exterior regularly to keep buttons and displays clean.
FAQ
Can I put my air fryer basket in the dishwasher? Some parts are dishwasher-safe, but not all — check your manual before assuming. Both SharkNinja and COSORI note that hand washing is the better default for coating longevity; SharkNinja’s comparison table rates a dishwasher cycle as “moderate” risk to the non-stick coating versus “extremely low” for a warm soapy soak, and recommends dishwasher use only occasionally.
How do I get rid of burnt-on grease that won’t budge? Work in this order: 15-minute warm soapy soak, then a baking soda and water paste left for 15 minutes, then gentle scrubbing with a non-abrasive sponge. If that fails, the tested baking soda + hydrogen peroxide + dish soap spray cleared heavily soiled baskets in about three minutes.
Why does my air fryer smell even after cleaning? Odor usually means grease or food residue in a place you haven’t reached — the perforations, the seam, or the heating coil. Wipe the interior with a water-and-vinegar mix, and use the soft brush on the element and plate holes.
Can I use oven cleaner on an air fryer basket? Don’t. Manufacturer guidance consistently steers you toward mild dish soap, baking soda, and soft tools; caustic sprays and concentrated tablet solutions are exactly what SharkNinja warns may degrade the non-stick layer over time.
Is it safe to clean the heating element? Yes, gently — a soft brush or a cloth dampened with cleaner, then a plain damp cloth. Never metal tools, and never direct water on the element or the housing.