How often should you clean your kitchen appliances

2020 has put hygiene practices under the microscope. We’re more conscious of germs than ever before and cleaning has a newfound importance. 

With kitchen cleaning front-of-mind, you might be thinking about other cleaning practices, like how often you should really be cleaning your kitchen appliances? Better yet, are there ways your oven is equipped for self-cleaning, and more to the point, what is pyrolytic cleaning?

As the keeper of food, most people are pretty diligent about keeping their refrigerator clean, but it’s our other kitchen appliances that often fall by the wayside.

To answer all your kitchen cleaning needs, we’ve developed a guide for how often your appliances should be cleaned.

How Often Should You Clean Your Oven?

Let’s start with one of the toughest first, because there are actually several different answers depending on the level of cleaning required. For general cleaning or if you’re using the automated Easy Clean functionality of your oven, cleaning should happen at least once a month. However, wiping up spills as they occur can save you from needing any elbow grease when cleaning time comes (just be sure to let your oven cool down first!).

Pyrolytic cleaning

NEFF makes oven cleaning easy with Pyrolytic functionality, but this is only intended to be used every 6-12 months. Pyrolytic cleaning can be one of the most convenient ways to clean your oven. By heating your oven to nearly 500°C, it turns all residue to ash for easy disposal. You can clean any pyrolytic accessories too, just remove all other attachments like racks and rails from inside the oven, choose which level pyrolytic cleaning you need based on residue, and close the door. Note that the door will lock during the cleaning process. Learn more about pyrolytic oven and how they work?

Easy Clean

Easy Clean is great for a lightly soiled oven. Start with a room temperature oven (let it cool if you’ve just used it), remove all racks and rails, mix a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid with 400mls of water, pour the mixture into the bottom of the oven, close the door, and turn onto Easy Clean. After it has run, give your oven a quick wipe down with a damp cloth and you’re done!

Read a full run-down of Easy Clean and Pyrolytic cleaning here and watch videos on both.

And with the NEFF Slide & Hide® range, cleaning like cooking becomes a lot easier with close access to the oven cavity for a deeper clean.

How Often Should You Clean Your Dishwasher?

Cleaning your dishwasher is extremely important to maintain its performance as well as the hygiene of your dishes, which is why NEFF dishwashers are designed with an Easy Clean function. Deposits such as grease and limescale can cause your dishwasher to malfunction. In order to avoid such faults and to reduce the development of odours, we recommend cleaning the dishwasher every four to six months (or as often as your display panel lights up to tell you it needs a clean. When cleaning your dishwasher, dishwashing detergent won’t cut it — after all, you use that every day – so NEFF Machine Cleaner should be used in its place or follow the instructions for use on the machine cleaning detergents.

Empty the washer completely of all tableware and remove any food residue from the filter. Before you put your powder in, choose a program at least 65°C or the Easy Clean function and let it run its course. Simple!

How often should you clean your cooktop?

This is a relatively easy one but look out for our deep cleaning suggestions. You should clean your gas and induction cooktops after every use to prevent the buildup of grease, food spills, and grime. For gas cooktops, wipe down the grates and burners with a damp cloth, and deep clean them every week to ensure proper function. Over time, clogged burners can reduce gas flow, causing uneven cooking or inefficient heat distribution and reduce the life span of the cooktop. The buildup can also become a fire hazard as grease is highly flammable. Induction cooktops are easier to maintain as their smooth surface can be wiped clean immediately, but regular weekly cleaning with a specialized cleaner will keep them looking shiny and avoid stubborn stains. Regular cleaning also helps maintain the efficiency and longevity of both types of cooktops. Here are magic products that will make your cooktop cleaning a breeze.

How often should you clean your rangehood?

Whether you choose to go Inclined, Wall Mounted, Integrated and Slideout, or with one built into your Worktop, your rangehood is sure to get a workout. This kitchen feature is unfortunately often overlooked, which is a shame because it builds up a lot of grease very quickly and that can be a fire hazard in your kitchen. If the saturation display lights up, this indicates that your filters need urgent cleaning (or they should be cleaned at least every two months).

Follow your manual for detailed instructions, but your stainless steel, painted elements and controls can be carefully cleaned with a soft cloth and hot soapy water and dried immediately. Glass, aluminum and plastic surfaces should be cleaned with a glass cleaner and a soft cloth. Try our popular appliance degreaser for best results.

How often should you clean your microwave?

Not so fun fact: If you let spills sit in your microwave, you are not just creating a breeding ground for germs but letting certain smells permeate and taint everything you heat up. Spills should be wiped up immediately before they dry. Use warm, soapy water (not vinegar solutions or oven cleaner) and a soft cloth to clean the inside of your oven and the turntable, at least every couple of weeks. To eliminate lingering odors, leave an open box of baking soda in the microwave for a few hours, or microwave a bowl of water with a few teaspoons of baking soda for 3-5 minutes.

If you are interested in exploring our easy to maintain kitchen appliances, book a FREE cooking demonstration with a NEFF specialist today.

About NEFF 

NEFF is a German-engineered kitchen appliance brand, with a product range that includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, coffee machines and dishwashers designed to make life in the kitchen a daily pleasure. For people who love to cook, NEFF gives you the tools to create meaningful connections, express your creativity and make memories. Because real life happens in the kitchen.