If you love making shakes, smoothies, juices, and sauces, you probably use your blender a lot. It has become an indispensable kitchen tool. As your blender is subject to many uses, in particular, it is important to keep your blender jar clean so that it will be free from dirt and food particles.
Blender jars may be easy to clean after making decadent shakes, fruity smoothies, tangy sauces, or slushy margaritas. But thicker mixtures and solids leave tough food stains and particles, and they can be more stubborn to remove, especially if you don’t clean the blender jar right after using it. Apart from dishwashing soaps, other cleaning agents like baking soda can help lift off some stains and the leftover food particles.
A quick blender jar cleaning
In case you are a first-time owner of a countertop blender and are not quite sure how to clean the jar after use, follow these simple and quick steps of cleaning it – without taking it away from the base:
What you need:
- Hot water
- Dishwashing soap
Steps:
- Pour your blender jar halfway with hot water from the tap or the kettle.
- Add only a drop of dishwashing soap.
- Place your blender jar back on the base. Cover it with its lid and hold it down with a towel. Turn on the blender and let it run for around ten seconds.
- After cleaning the jar, remove it from the base and discard the soapy water into the sink.
- For rinsing the jar, pour your blender with hot water again.
- Discard the used water.
And you’re done! Now you have a perfectly clean blender with no food particles left to be scrubbed out. It’s ready for another blending.
Cleaning a blender jar with stubborn stains and stuck-on food particles
If your blender has stubborn stains or pieces of food stuck between and under the blades, then you may need a little extra help. You may find some of them in your kitchen pantry — and you will be surprised at how effective they are!
1. Lemon and baking soda:
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- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice to the jar.
- Then add two tablespoons of baking soda and a cup of water in the jar.
- Place the blender jar back on the base.
- Cover it with its lid and hold it down with a towel.
- Turn on the blender at high speed for about thirty seconds.
- Remove the jar from the base.
- Scrub the jar’s interiors a scrub with a soft sponge.
- Rinse it well and let it dry.
2. Vinegar and baking soda:
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- Add ¾ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda, and about ¼ cup water.
- Place the blender jar back to the base.
- Cover it with its lid and hold it down with a towel.
- Turn on the blender at high speed for about 30 seconds.
- Remove the jar from the base.
- Scrub the jar’s interiors with a soft sponge.
- Rinse it well and let it dry.
Cleaning a smelly blender
You’ve just blended a spicy or pungent sauce. It’s tasty for your meat dishes, but it leaves your blender jar with an oniony or garlicky smell. The pungent odor remains even after you’ve cleaned and scrubbed it with water and regular dishwashing soap.
Or if you’ve noticed that your blender has a funny, funky smell – how appetizing is that?
Either problem, there’s a solution for that. Cut up a lemon and put it into the blender (you can also freeze some lemon ice cubes beforehand). Add about half a cup of water, put the jar back to the base, hold the lid down with a towel, and then turn on the blender. The lemon helps remove the unpleasant odor from the blender jar, leaving it clean and smelling fresh and lemony! Rinse it well and dry. To read a reliable buying guide for immersion blenders, click the link.