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Let me ask you this: if your blender takes longer to clean than the actual process of making a smoothie, is it worth it?
For me, it certainly is not.
Luckily, most blending machines nowadays are self-cleaning, especially if it’s a high-powered blender.
Now:
There are generally two ways to clean blending machines, whether a countertop blender or a portable blender.
Let’s start with the simple way.
The easy way: How to clean your blender in 30 Seconds!
#1 After blending your favorite smoothie, rinse the container with water.
#2 Fill the blender vessel with half warm water and a drop or two of dish soap.
#3 Then, secure the lid.
#4 If you have an automatic clean setting, select that and let the blender do the work. Otherwise, blend for 30 seconds at max speed.
#5 Pour out the soapy water and rinse well with running water.
#6 Disassemble your blender if it can do so and let dry (upside down) before storing.
If you didn’t make any thick blends, this easy way does the job well. With my Vitamix A3300, I don’t even need to use the max speed as it’s already powerful enough to clean itself.
As for the base:
You only need to wipe it with damp cloth. If the rubber centering pad can be removed, then you can wash it separately.
How to deep clean your blender? (cloudy)
You don’t need to do this method every after blend.
Depending on the recipes you make, you may only have to do this bi-weekly or once a month. As for me, I don’t have a specific schedule, but I always deep clean my blender after making a Homemade Almond Butter.
Now, here’s how to deep clean your blender:
#1 (If you just finished blending something, follow the easy method first until step 5.)
#2 Fill the blender vessel with 4 cups of warm water and 4 cups of white vinegar. Let sit for at least 4 hours or overnight.
#3 If your lid has a rubber gasket, you may be able to remove it for cleaning. You can also soak the lid components in a vinegar solution.
#4 Pour the vinegar water out, and scrub both the vessel and lid with the soft side of the sponge for any remaining food debris.
#5 Rinse with running water for the final time, and let dry (upside down) before you store it. If your blender can be disassembled (with blade assembly), take it apart before storing it.
#6 On the other hand, if you removed the lid rubber gasket earlier, you can put them back together before storing them (to prevent them from getting lost).
Here’s the deal:
For blenders with glass containers, it’s unlikely to result in a cloudy jar. However, only a few blenders feature glass containers—cooking blenders and low-powered blenders such as the Oster Pro 1200.
Regardless of the container type, they should be straightforward to wash with either easy or deep cleaning.
If this didn’t work, try the 4th tip on the Tips and Tricks section below. Yet, if that doesn’t work still, it could be minute scratches that are sadly irreversible.
How to clean your immersion blender?
Immersion Blenders are a popular choice for the reason that they’re easier to maintain than the countertop or the portable counterparts. Essentially, hand blenders are easy to store, simple to use, and of course, straightforward to clean.
#1 Rinse the blade part of the hand blender.
#2 In a blending cup, fill with warm water (half) and a drop of dish soap.
#3 With the blade submerged in the blending cup, blend for 30 seconds at max speed.
#4 Finally, rinse the blade part with running water.
#5 Let it dry. If your stick blender can be disassembled, take it apart to dry. Otherwise, let it dry with the motor side on top.
Make sure that the motor doesn’t get wet. Just like the countertop and personal blenders, you only need to wipe the motor base with a damp cloth.
5 Tips and Tricks
#1 Clean your blender right away. If any food is stuck for a long time, it’ll be harder to remove.
#2 When making nut butter, blend a smoothie or milkshake afterward before cleaning. This removes any lingering nut butter on the sides that are hard to remove with the scraper alone.
#3 Speaking of scrapers, you can also get an under-blade scraper. By having so, there’ll be less waste.
#4 Make a baking soda paste (baking soda and water mixture). Using a toothbrush, scoop some baking soda paste and scrub the pitcher to further clean it.
#5 For “hard” ingredients such as sugar and dry grains, your container could be scratched. So, one solution is to get a different vessel. One example is Vitamix’s dry grains container.
Final Thoughts
Even though most blenders nowadays are dishwasher safe, I would still recommend the easy way. If anything, it’s actually more straightforward to clean using the first method than to utilize the dishwasher.
