Waffles are a breakfast staple; you can buy them pre-cooked in the frozen food aisle or make your own at home if you have a waffle maker. There are other things your waffle makers could do, too, but they can be difficult appliances to clean. They’re full of tiny crevices that give the waffles their classic texture, but which also lead to plenty of crumbs and oil or butter getting stuck in there.
Cleaning a waffle maker starts with soaking up any leftover grease or residue, as well as cleaning any crumbs; these should all be easily removed with a paper towel. From there, you only need a few tools: soapy water, a sponge, and a microfiber cloth. And if you have an old toothbrush lying around, that will help, too. Maintaining your waffle maker after each use is key to giving it a long life, but you can also occasionally deep-clean it by adding a paste of baking soda and water to each of the plates for about 45 minutes before wiping and drying them.
The best way to clean your waffle maker
Always make sure your waffle maker is unplugged before cleaning it; the plates can get hot and potentially burn you if they’re not cooled. Before you clean the inside of the waffle iron, wipe the exterior with a little soapy water to remove any batter or residue, then dry it with a microfiber cloth. This is important if you’re making something a little messy, such as crispy, gooey brownies in the waffle maker.
Some waffle makers have removable plates, which makes things easy; just take them out and clean with soap and water. Dry them well before putting them back. If you can’t take them out, then you can scrub the grates with a toothbrush and soap water, which will help get in between all of those crevices. Most importantly, wipe the waffle maker with a damp cloth prior to drying it so that there is no leftover soap.
Finally, make sure there is no leftover grease in the crevices that catch the waffle batter on the outskirts of the iron. You can clean these by adding some vinegar to a paper towel, then sticking it to the end of a chopstick (a skewer would work, too). Use the chopstick to get the vinegar-soaked towel into those small nooks and crannies. A waffle maker can do anything from reheating leftover pizza for a crunchier slice to making crispy mac and cheese bites, but cleaning it after each use is essential to making it last.
