Sustainability Week 2026
This text is a part of a collection of sustainability-themed articles we’re working to look at Earth Day 2026 and promote extra sustainable practices. Try all of our Sustainability Week 2026 content material.
Do you will have a damaged kitchen equipment lurking behind a cupboard? Maybe an air fryer that is stopped heating, or a blender with a damaged seal? You are not alone. In keeping with analysis from equipment producer Tefal, 88% of British folks have a minimum of one unused equipment at house, and over a 3rd have three to 5 in what Patrick Lucereau, Advertising Director at Tefal UK, calls a “kitchen graveyard”.
Nonetheless, the most effective factor to do is hold your home equipment out of the “kitchen graveyard” within the first place by taking correct care of them, with cautious cleansing and upkeep. Here is the best way to present your small home equipment some love and provides them an extended and helpful life.
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Additionally keep in mind that if a small a part of an equipment breaks (like a lid or a seal), the producer usually sells replacements or can ship you one when you write to their assist division.
Air fryers
Air fryers get greasy — it is of their nature — however common deep cleansing will assist forestall dust build up and inflicting issues like overheating and unhealthy smells.
Most of your air fryer’s elements, together with the hampers, racks, and trays, are detachable for straightforward cleansing, and the basket virtually actually has a non-stick coating that forestalls meals and dust from getting actually caught on. All the time learn the instruction handbook earlier than you begin washing, and keep away from harsh and abrasive cleansing merchandise that might harm the floor.
Do not have the handbook anymore? Discover your air fryer on the producer’s web site, and you must have the ability to obtain a PDF copy.
It is a reality of life that air fryers get soiled, however staying on high of cleansing will hold yours working like new (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / KNataliia)
When it is time to give your air fryer a correct deep clear, begin by unplugging it and ensuring it is cool, then soak a material in heat, soapy water, wring it out so it is simply damp, and use it to wash any grease and fingermarks from the skin of the equipment. When that is achieved, rinse the fabric, wring it out once more, and wipe the machine right down to take away any cleaning soap left behind.
Do not be tempted to make use of glass cleaner in case your fryer has a window; the subsequent time it heats up, so will any residue left on the glass, releasing fumes. As an alternative, clear it the identical approach as the remainder of the outside, then buff away any streaks with a dry material.
Now look inside your air fryer. Should you discover meals caught to the fan blades or heating factor, clear it off with a brand new toothbrush. If the mannequin permits it, take away the rubber or silicone seal, give it a great wash with heat, soapy water, rinse, and let it dry earlier than changing it. Soiled seals are a standard explanation for odors, so carry on high of upkeep to keep away from disagreeable smells.
What to learn subsequent
No matter you do, do not be tempted to submerge your air fryer in water or attempt to clear it by utilizing it to warmth water or cleansing chemical substances.
Espresso machines
Espresso machines additionally profit from deep cleansing, which can hold them brewing like new. Each a part of the machine that comes into contact with beans, water, or milk is a possible breeding floor for micro organism (and might even develop mould), so it pays to maintain up with upkeep.
You must give your espresso maker a fast clear every time you utilize it, a radical clear on the finish of the day, and a descaling each month, or after brewing 100 cups of espresso (whichever comes first).
Every time you put together a brew with a handbook espresso machine, be sure you rinse the brew group, purge the steam wand, and wipe the skin of the wand with a humid material. On the finish of the day, empty and wash the drip tray, wipe out the portafilter basket with a humid material, and hand-wash the deal with and basket.
Your automated espresso machine’s handbook will clarify the best way to entry the grinder so you’ll be able to clear the burrs with a small, stiff-bristled brush (Picture credit score: Future)
If in case you have an automated espresso maker, issues are extra sophisticated as a result of moisture and stray espresso grounds contained in the machine create an ideal atmosphere for issues to develop. On the finish of the day, take away the facet panel, take out the brewing group, and rinse it in response to the producer’s directions. Take away the waste espresso grounds container, empty it, and wash it with soapy water. Empty and wash the drip tray, too, then use a humid material to wash up any espresso grounds you’ll be able to see contained in the machine.
Once you’re achieved, depart all the pieces out to dry totally in a single day, and depart the facet panel off the machine so moisture can evaporate.
No matter sort of espresso machine you will have, additionally clear the water tank at night time and fill it with contemporary, clear water within the morning.
It is also price cleansing the bean hopper and grinder every now and then, since oils from espresso beans can construct up and ultimately go rancid, whereas particles can get caught within the grinder burrs and trigger them to stay.
Blenders
With the precise care, your blender can final for 10 years or extra — belief me, my devoted Dualit has been going even longer!
You must by no means immerse your blender’s motor unit in water. As an alternative, detach the jug or mixing cup and wipe the skin of the bottom with a humid material. If the jug is dishwasher-safe, this would be the best approach to get it fully clear, however be sure you learn the handbook to see how you must clear the blade unit and seal.
If the jug is not dishwasher-safe, fill your mixing jug a few third of the best way up with heat however not boiling water. You may add a really small quantity of dish cleaning soap at this stage, too, however not an excessive amount of, otherwise you’ll find yourself with a mountain of suds.
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs, Grace Cary)
Flip the blender on to provide the soapy combination a great whizz round earlier than emptying the jug and rinsing it with water. Depart the mixing jug to totally dry earlier than putting the lid again on, as this might trigger damp odors to construct up.
If there are any items of meals left across the blade meeting, take away them with a small, stiff-bristled cleansing brush or an unused toothbrush.
Recycling
All of the following tips will assist guarantee your kitchen home equipment have an extended, helpful life, however ultimately a motor will put on out, or a heating factor will quit the ghost. When it does, do not stuff the damaged gadget in a cabinet and neglect about it — a stunning variety of small family home equipment could be recycled, and it is simpler than you may count on.
Within the US, Finest Purchase accepts small kitchen home equipment for recycling in-store, or you’ll be able to request a mailing field if you cannot take them in individual. Staples and Walmart additionally supply applications that may settle for e-waste, together with kitchen home equipment. Check out MRM Recycling and Earth 911, the place you’ll be able to enter your ZIP code to see e-waste recycling services close to you.
Within the UK, Currys and B&Q take small electrical gadgets for recycling, and your native recycling middle may settle for them, too. To see your choices, go to recyclemyelectricals.org.uk and enter your postcode or deal with, then enter the kind of equipment you wish to do away with. Relying on the kind of merchandise you will have and its situation, you’ll be able to select whether or not you’d prefer to donate, restore, or recycle it, and the positioning will present you places inside a five-mile radius the place you are able to do that.
