How to clean an air fryer: basket, tray and heating element

3 min read · 8 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

An air fryer that is not cleaned smokes, smells and makes yesterday's fish part of today's chips. Grease also builds up on the heating element, where it burns. The job takes ten minutes if you do the basket after every greasy meal, and half an hour if you have left it for a month.

Check the manual for your model first: it tells you which parts may go in the dishwasher and which cleaning products the maker allows.

Step by step

1. Unplug and let it cool

   Switch the air fryer off at the socket and wait until the basket and the inside are cold. The heating element stays hot long after the fan stops, and water on hot non-stick coating can damage it.

   Done

2. Take it apart

   Pull out the basket and lift out the grate or crisper tray inside it. On an oven-style air fryer, take out the racks and the drip tray. Tip loose crumbs into the bin.

   Done

3. Soak the basket and tray

   Fill the sink or a large bowl with hot water and a good squirt of washing-up liquid and leave the parts in it for 10 to 15 minutes. If the basket is too big for the sink, fill the basket itself with hot soapy water. The soak loosens baked-on grease so that you do not need to scrub hard.

   Done

4. Scrub the grooves with a soft brush

   Use a soft sponge for the flat surfaces and a soft-bristled brush for the holes and grooves of the grate, working in circles and back and forth. Rinse and dry with a cloth so that no water marks are left. If the manual says the parts are dishwasher-safe, the dishwasher is fine, although hand washing is gentler on the coating.

   Done

5. Wipe the inside

   Wipe the cavity the basket slides into with a damp microfibre cloth and a drop of washing-up liquid, then again with a clean damp cloth. The cloth should be damp, not wet: water must not run into the electrics. Never put the main unit in water.

   Done

6. Clean the heating element

   The coil sits in the roof of the cavity. If your model allows it, turn the unplugged air fryer upside down to see it. Brush off crumbs with a clean, dry, soft brush such as an old toothbrush, then wipe the coil gently with a damp cloth. For stuck grease, a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water on the brush helps. Wipe off any residue and let it dry.

   Done

7. Wipe the outside

   A damp cloth with a little washing-up liquid, then a dry cloth. Pay attention to the handle and the buttons.

   Done

8. Dry and put it back together

   Everything must be completely dry before you reassemble it and plug it in. Run it empty for two or three minutes if you want to be sure no moisture is left.

   Done

Good to know

How often: wipe or wash the basket and tray after every use, because that is where the food sits. Do the inside and the heating element every few weeks, or as soon as you see smoke or smell burning.

Avoid stiff brushes, scouring pads, steel wool and oven cleaner on non-stick parts. Scratches make food stick and the coating flake.

For a quick clean between washes, spray the basket and tray with equal parts white vinegar and water and wipe with a damp cloth. Keep the spray away from the heating element.

Paper or silicone liners catch most of the grease, but only use them with food on top so that they cannot lift into the element.

More kitchen cleaning: how to clean an oven with bicarbonate of soda and how to clean a dishwasher.

In short: Unplug, cool, take out basket and tray. Soak 10 to 15 minutes in hot soapy water, soft brush in the grooves, rinse, dry. Damp cloth inside, soft dry brush on the cooled heating element, wipe the outside. No steel wool, no water in the main unit.