Nearly half of UK households are now proud owners of an air fryer, according to Lakeland’s Trends Report 2023.
The kitchen appliance has reached superstardom levels of fame. Jamie Oliver has fronted a cooking series on them. McCain has released chips with air fryer-specific instructions, and the internet is packed with endless recipe hacks, from multi-layer game day nachos and cheats bagels to air fryer shawarma and pasta crisps. You can even find dedicated recipe books.
We may love these energy-efficient machines, but cleaning them is a chore that leaves many teetering on the verge of insanity. Because no matter how hard you scrub at the baked-on grease in the baskets, it seems nothing short of a minor miracle will get them back to showroom new.
We turned to leading home appliance brand Ninja for advice on air fryer cleaning: “Cleaning your air fryer after every use is an important step in ensuring consistent quality and durability”, they said. “At Ninja, we recommend using a damp cloth and soapy water. Ensure your air fryer is unplugged at the socket, then take a damp cloth and give the main unit and control panel a wipe clean. Don’t use anything too harsh, like a scouring pad.
“The drawer and crispier plate can be placed in the dishwasher or left to soak in warm, soapy water. Air dry or towel dry all parts after use. Do not immerse the main unit in water or any other liquid and never clean the main unit in the dishwasher.”
That’s all good and well if you’re dealing with a new air fryer, but what if yours has gone through a year’s worth or more of use? While home hacks like adding boiling hot water and a sliced lemon to drawers can help eliminate some of the grime, tough stains call for tough cleaners.
Alongside all the other air fryer paraphernalia, there’s been a fair few launches of food-safe cleaners, some designed specifically for air fryers. We’ve taken a look at the best below to get your beloved appliance back to its gleaming original state.
Shop the best air fryer cleaners below
HG Air Fryer Cleaner
HG is one of the best cleaning brands around; what it lacks in snazzy packaging, it makes up for in hard-hitting formulas. This powerful solution will erase tough, dried-on grease from air fryer baskets and can be used regularly without risking damaging the machine.
Simply add 50ml to a washing-up bowl with water and slip into your cooled-down basket. Leave it to soak for an hour, then rinse off with warm water.
Buy now £8.75, Amazon
Elbow Grease Air Fryer Cleaner 500ml
This degreaser from home cleaning brand Elbow Grease is made to see off stubborn stains that are blighting your air fryer experience. The 500ml bottle carries a fresh lemon scent, making your machine look and smell amazing. To use, spritz onto the offending parts, leave for a few minutes and wipe off, rinsing the areas you can with water.
Buy now £1.29, B&M
Lakeland Air Fryer Cleaner 500ml
Designed for air fryer cleaning but also suitable for ovens, hobs and grills, this 500ml solution comes in a spray bottle for fast and effective application. Spray onto the inner pan or basket and leave for up to a minute before wiping clean. The solution may be powerful but will leave the surface coatings intact, ensuring your machine works as it should for longer.
Buy now £5.99, Amazon
Scrub Daddy Power Paste All Purpose Cleaner
The smiling face of Scrub Daddy is ready to help clean your air fryer when you’ve tried everything else. The natural cleaner comes in paste form with a signature sponge to apply it with, and can be used on all sorts of kitchen appliances besides your air fryer machine. Dampen the Scrub Mommy sponge and use it with the paste on the most stubborn spots to ease dirt and grease away.
Buy now £8.49, Amazon
GLEAN Oven, Grill, Air Fryer & BBQ Cleaner
If you’re someone who cooks across multiple appliances, it’s useful to have a cleaner that can see to them all. Enter GLEAN’s solution, which can be used across ovens, grills, BBQs and air fryers too. The cleaner foams on application, slicing through grease, grime and other nasty stuff so you can simply wipe clean and rinse - no rigorous scrubbing for you.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
Astonish Specialist Extra Strength Grease Lifter Spray
Watch the remnants of endless meals lift off with Astonish’s degreaser. The extra-strength formula includes baking soda in the ingredients which adds to its strength. Spritz on and allow it to work its magic for a few minutes before wiping off the excess with a damp microfibre cloth. If you’re dealing with heavy stains, you may need to repeat a few times. Always apply it to a cold air fryer basket.
Buy now £1.99, Amazon
Easy Off Easy-Off Specialty Kitchen Degreaser Cleaner
There are better things to do than spend hours trying to scrub your air fryer clean. This lemon-scented formula is made to cut through grease and stains in seconds. Aside from the air fryer basket, you can use it across the kitchen from the backsplash, stove top, kitchen counter and cabinets, oven, sink, and microwave.
Spritz on and wipe off before cleaning your baskets with the usual dishwashing soap and water. Don’t let the formula dry and do not use on aluminium surfaces.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
Ecover Oven & Hob Cleaner Jasmine & Mandarin
Best for: eco-conscious cleaning
The Ecover brand hails from Belgium in a bid to provide an alternative to cleaning products that were harming the environment. That was over 40 years ago and it has been making plant-based cleaning products ever since.
Phosphate-free and kind to the earth, the bottle is made entirely from recycled plastic, the trigger from 30 per cent recycled plastic and the whole shebang can be recycled again. It is also manufactured in a zero-waste factory and is even vegan-friendly.
We didn’t find it was the toughest weapon against baked-on debris, but for regular use, before things go too far, it’s great. Plus, you can use it on the hob too. Bonus: it smells good - all sweet and flowery - and there’s nothing fumey about this stuff.
Buy now £3.20, Amazon
Dirtbusters Bio Oven Cleaner
Best for: if you want to use your oven right after cleaning
Since this is a non-toxic oven cleaner with no nasty fumes or strong chemicals, you can use your oven right away after you’ve cleaned it. It has a nice lemony smell and wipes off easily with a damp cloth or sponge.
Its clever components are tough on carbon, so you can use it to clean burnt dishes, pots and pans, as well as the top of your stove, BBQs, grills, racks and oven fans. The packaging can be recycled and the actual product is biodegradable, so you won’t be doing any harm to the environment no matter how often you use it.
Price for 5L.
Buy now £34.99, Amazon
Miele OvenClean oven cleaner
Best for: Miele oven-owners
A bit of a niche one, but if you own a Miele oven, then you’ll know you’re only meant to clean it with soapy water – or Miele’s own oven cleaning product, OvenClean. However, we tested it out on a non-Miele oven and it worked just fine.
The product is completely odourless, which is actually pleasant. It can be used on a cold oven and worked after just 10 minutes, taking away the unidentifiable brown stuff at the bottom. Just a wipe away with a damp cloth, followed by a rinse with a wet cloth and it was gone. Like magic.
Buy now £19.16, Amazon
