How To Clean A Chrome Toaster

You bought a chrome toaster because you wanted something shiny right? But maybe it doesn’t shine very brightly anymore? Toasters are often the most used appliance in the home. They can quickly lose their glow. Today I show you how to clean a chrome toaster to get it crumb-free inside and sparkling on the outside.

If your chrome toaster is looking a bit sad with brown marks, watermarks and perhaps even a bit of rust, you can get it cleaned up in no time with either baking soda, vinegar or some lemon juice. If it has some rust, try spraying it with vinegar or rubbing it with aluminium foil. Your toaster will look new again.

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Toasters made with chrome or stainless steel such as Dualit or Cuisinart can look very modern and stylish in your kitchen. We have a four-slot toaster made from chrome that sits on the kitchen worktop permanently because it gets used every day by different members of the family.

Here it is looking a bit sad with crumbs all over it. Let’s get it cleaned up!

Three natural ways to clean the chrome on a toaster

Avoid using harsh sprays on chrome metal because you risk damaging it. Here I have three natural and gentle ways to clean your toaster on the outside.

Do this before you begin to clean your chrome toaster:

• Unplug it.
• Give your toaster a general wipe over to remove loose crumbs.
• Clean the inside of the toaster. Click here for instructions.
• Plug the toaster slots with some paper towel to stop any liquids or particles from going in.

If your toaster has only light marks you might find water is all you need to clean the chrome. For a deeper clean choose lemon juice, vinegar or baking soda. If your toaster has watermarks or rust, vinegar works the best. For deeper rust marks, aluminium foil will do the trick, see the instructions here.

Don’t have a lemon to spare? Limes work just as well too.

Method 1 – Water

If your toaster has only light marks and perhaps a few greasy finger marks then just water will be fine.

• Dampen a microfibre cloth.
• Wipe all around the toaster until the greasy marks have gone and your toaster is shiny again.

Method 2 – Lemon juice

Lemons are a great natural way to brighten up chrome plus it’s something you probably already have in your fridge. If you don’t have a fresh lemon to hand, bottled lemon juice is perfectly fine.

• Grab a lemon and cut it in half.
• Rub the fleshy side of the lemon onto the chrome.
• Let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Wipe the lemon away with a damp microfibre cloth.

Method 3 – Vinegar

Vinegar is great at dissolving watermarks and rust. Plus, vinegar has disinfecting qualities.

• Make up a spray bottle of distilled white vinegar.
• Lightly spray the chrome.
• Let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Wipe away with a damp microfibre cloth.

Method 4 – Baking soda

If your toaster is really grimy and perhaps hasn’t been cleaned in years then reach for the baking soda. Baking soda can deal with more grime than the other two options. Baking soda is gently abrasive but won’t scratch the metal.

• Make up a paste using one tablespoon of baking soda and a small amount of water.
• Apply the paste to the chrome and rub it until the marks disappear.

How to remove watermarks from a chrome toaster

Toasters don’t typically get watermarks because obviously, it is dangerous to use electrical items near water. But sometimes splashes can occur which lead to marks that can be tricky to remove without damaging the metal.

If you have hard watermarks on your chrome toaster you can remove them easily with some vinegar spray and a cloth.

• Make up a spray bottle of white distilled vinegar.
• Wipe the outside of the toaster to remove debris.
• Plug the toaster slots with some paper towels.
• Lightly spray the chrome metal.
• Let the vinegar sit for 10 minutes before wiping it away with a soft cloth.
• Remove the paper towel.

How to clean a Dualit or Cuisinart toaster

Dualit and Cuisinart toasters a generally made from stainless steel rather than chrome. You can clean stainless steel toasters in the same way described above as for chrome. If you have rusty spots use the aluminium foil method to remove them.

Stainless steel can easily scratch. Always be gentle when you rub the metal to avoid damage.

How to remove brown marks and rust spots from a chrome or stainless steel toaster

Brown marks and rust can be removed easily from a chrome toaster with simple aluminium foil. When you rub the foil on the metal a chemical reaction occurs which causes the rust to lift off. Cut a square of foil and rub it on the metal until the rust disappears.

Although the brown marks you often see on the top of toasters aren’t necessarily rust, this method still works.

If you tried vinegar to remove rust and you still have some stubborn spots to remove, then aluminium foil should do the job.

If your chrome toaster has some rust on it, you will be glad to know that it is pretty simple to clean it off with something you probably already have available in your kitchen, aluminium foil.

Aluminium foil is soft enough that it won’t scratch the chrome metal but abrasive enough to gently remove the rust. The aluminium foil and the rust produce a chemical reaction that helps to dissolve it. We use water to help lubricate the cleaning process. There is no need to scrub.

If your toaster is made from stainless steel you can also use this method to remove the rust.

Things you’ll need

• Aluminium foil
• Bowl of water
• Rubber gloves

Step 1

Cut out a 3inch square of aluminium foil. Don’t scrunch it up, keep it flat otherwise there are too many edges that might cause scratching.

Step 2

Dip the aluminium foil into the water and then rub the rust spot very gently being careful not to rub too hard. The aluminium foil and the chrome will react to create aluminium oxide as the rust dissolves. The chrome metal will become shiny and smooth again.

Related posts:

• How To Make a Stainless Steel Sink Look New Again
• How to Clean Oven Glass With Vinegar and Baking Soda
• When To Throw Away A Cast Iron Skillet
• How Do You Clean The Bottom of a Cast Iron Pan?
• How to keep high-gloss kitchen doors clean

How to protect the shine on your chrome toaster

You want your chrome toaster to look great on your kitchen worktop at all times. To do that you will have to put in a small amount of time for regular maintenance. This job will only take you a minute. I suggest you build it into your 10-minute cleanup routine so you never forget to do it.

The first decision is what to use for regular cleaning. I recommend water only. If you get into the habit of wiping it regularly then water is all you need.

Grab a microfibre cloth and dampen it. Wipe over the whole toaster until it feels smooth and grease-free.

To get your toaster even shinier, gently rub in a small amount of oil. This can be any oil you have to hand such as vegetable oil, olive oil or baby oil. The oil should repel dirt, give it extra shine, and prevent it from rusting.

How to clean a chrome toaster inside

Before you start cleaning your toaster make sure it is unplugged from the power.

Things you’ll need to clean your toaster

• Warm soapy water
• Dishcloth
• Pastry brush

Step 1 – Clean the crumb tray

If you have a crumb tray pull it out and wash it in soapy water. Somehow the crumbs seem to stick onto the tray and the only way to get them cleaned off is in water.

This particular toaster has two crumb trays. Double cleaning!

Step 2 – Shake it upside down

Even though you have removed the crumb trays there will be plenty of crumbs left inside the toaster. The best way to get out those crumbs is to turn the toaster upside down and then shake it into a bin or the sink until most of the crumbs come out.

Step 3 – Brush away crumbs from inside

If you can still see crumbs inside the toaster, take a pastry brush and use it to clean out any crumbs still lodged in the toaster, then shake the whole toaster into the sink again.