How to Clean a Toaster Oven

Toaster ovens do more than toast. These versatile appliances can cook pizza, roast small sheet-pan dinners, and bake beautifully browned chocolate chip cookies. But like many a kitchen workhorse, after use comes grime—crumbs, grease, burnt-on bits.

I’m no stranger to toaster ovens. I spent weeks testing 12 of them by cooking loads of frozen foods, toast, and broiled goods (and cleaning up the mess afterward). As a result, I found creative ways to scour glass windows, drip trays, and even the exterior of the ovens, which are prone to smudges. But what’s the best way to get your toaster oven looking like new without getting tennis, er, toaster elbow? To find out, I got tips from Karen Diep, a member of the product team at Breville (who makes some of our favorite toaster ovens and air fryer toaster ovens). I then tested several popular cleaning methods to find the most effective way to care for the appliance.

Unplug Before You Scrub

Always ensure your toaster oven is unplugged and completely cool before cleaning it, even the exterior. A clean toaster oven is great, but it’s not as important as protecting your fingers from burns or electrical shocks.  

Tips for Cleaning the Exterior

Sure, the outside of your oven won’t see as much action as the racks or sheet tray, but it still needs to be wiped down. My toaster oven sits on a rack in the corner of my kitchen and accumulates dust and debris over time. It’s usually easy to wipe away dust, but, in the case of toaster ovens, things can get sticky. This is because the exteriors heat up while in use, and this heat can transform any oil and dust into a film. Regularly wiping down the exterior of your oven with a soapy sponge or towel and cleaning spray can help prevent this, but if you forget (we all do!), a grease-cutting cleaner like Bar Keeper’s Friend or Krud Kutter will make short work of any sticky residue. 

Diep recommends avoiding caustic cleaners and abrasive scrubbing tools for toaster ovens as they can “scratch off paint (on colorful ovens) and the non-stick surface.” Lightly abrasive materials, though, may help with stuck-on stains. Diep notes that she considers Mr. Clean Magic Erasers a “godsend” for toaster oven cleanup.

How to Clean the Interior

Toaster oven sizes vary widely but, generally speaking, they’re small-ish. This can make it difficult to reach under or clean around the heating element (this is why our favorite toaster ovens have removable crumb trays). The interior is also where some of the most stubborn stains pop up, including the bottom of the oven and the glass viewing window, which can get gunked up if your toaster oven has air fryer capabilities or a convection fan or you’re cooking something particularly splattery, like a roast chicken.

To clean the interior, start by removing components like the drip tray or racks. You can soak these in the sink or apply a little elbow grease (if needed) with the coarse side of a sponge. I also like to sprinkle a little Bar Keeper’s Friend onto a particularly dirty drip tray, add some water, scrub a little, then let it sit for a bit before rinsing—this usually gets out any stubborn grease stains.

To clean the interior oven walls, choose a gentle material—heavy-duty cleaning tools like steel wool can scratch the surface. I found that lightly abrasive materials, like baking soda or specialty sponges, did a decent job. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work well for removing light browning on the door, glass, or side walls, but tough bits of stuck-on food can tear them to shreds. For particularly tricky smudges, I make a paste of baking soda and water, apply it to stuck-on stains, and let it sit for 30 minutes. After it soaks, you should be able to wipe it away with a paper towel or microfiber cloth. 

As for the cleaning element itself, Diep recommends leaving it alone, since “these elements can break very easily if pressure is applied.” Any drips that fall directly onto the heating element will burn off on their own over time (just open your windows!). 

Cleaning the Crumb Tray and Sheet Pan

For tough stains on crumb trays or sheet pans, Diep recommends working your way up by starting with the least abrasive cleaning agents, such as a soapy sponge, to the hardcore cleaning supplies, like Magic Erasers or grease cutters if stains don’t wipe off easily. 

I also often turn to baking soda—it’s cheap, versatile, and non-toxic. Start by making a paste out of baking soda and water—smear this all over the surface of your pan and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then, rub the mixture in with a paper towel or a Brillo pad; you’ll see the mixture pick up color as it loosens stains.

If you need to dial it up a notch, hydrogen peroxide can increase cleaning power, since it’s acidic and will react with the baking soda. This generates a bubbly foam—and it also creates a mild bleaching effect when its oxygen molecules are released. After everything is clean, just rinse and dry thoroughly.

FAQs

How often should you clean a toaster oven?

Regular cleaning will prevent stains and drips from getting out of hand and ultimately make this task easier. Depending on how often you use your toaster oven, we recommend cleaning about once a week. 

How do you get baked on grease out of a toaster oven? 

We’ve found that lightly abrasive cleaning tools like Magic Erasers and baking soda can lift stains without scratching surfaces. 

Can I use vinegar to clean my toaster oven? 

Vinegar can be a helpful cleaning tool—particularly when it’s used in conjunction with baking soda. On its own, vinegar lacks the abrasive power or the alkaline composition to remove tough stains. When it’s combined with baking soda it catalyzes a chemical reaction that adds tons of stain-lifting power. Be sure to rinse dishes after cleaning to avoid introducing off-flavors to your food.

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