Use a stiff brush on the coarse side.

On the regular grating sides, clean against the grain. keep your cloth/sponge wet and soapy and you'll be fine. of course don't forget to clean the inside too. This will loosen up any stuck particles

A bit of running water should then do the trick to restore your grater's cleanliness.

Swishing in a solution of white vinegar and water works on just about anything as it's a mild form of acid.

First I give the grater a smack with the side of my hand to dislodge any remaining cheese.

Then I scrub the cheese grater in the opposite direction that you would grate with the scrubby side of the sponge. And then I wipe down the inside of the grater.

And I do my best to wash it immediately. I also check the insides for stray cheese pieces.

If I wait too long, I let the grater sit cheesy side up in the sink while I am washing other dishes to let the hot water soften the cheese.

I let mine get a really good period of soaking in the sink while I do the rest of the dishes. The hot water from the soaking usually loosens everything up, even cheese, and then I just need a few light swipes with a sponge, and that's it.

"First I give the grater a smack with the side of my hand to dislodge any remaining cheese."

And that's why she can no longer go back to the Italian restaurant. ;)

What about the kind of brass bristle brush you'd use to clean your grill?

You can find smaller versions that are used for cleaning tools at hardware stores. I believe some light scrubbing will remove the cheese without damaging your grater -- anyone know anything about this?

Probably isn't good for the grater... but I've done it for a few years now with an OXO grater. I just chunk it in the bottom of my dishwasher when I don't want to deal with it. The heat and blasts of water get every bit off.

Does anyone really use any part of the box grater other than the coarse side [like shown in the illustration above]?

In my opinion the problem is the box grater itself. They are inherently difficult to clean. I found one that was a flat thing that was nothing but a replica of the coarse side. [Sorry, can't remember where I got it.]

Clean-up is a snap! My old box grater went in the trash. This flat one usually washes off with a sponge fine but can go in the dishwasher top rack and not take up much space.

Most of the functions that were supposed to be done by the other parts of the box grater [which never really worked well] are much better accomplished with MicroPlanes and such.

@somewhiteguy I have an OXO grater too. I just got it a few months ago, and I can tell you that it says on the packaging "dishwasher safe", so it's fine for the grater! I do the same - put it in the dishwasher and let that deal with it.

But back when I had a cheaper one, or on the odd occasion I know I'll need it again before I run the dishwasher, I'll just wipe in the opposite direction of the blades. On the zesting side, I just do my best to dab at it, and lightly wipe, using hot soapy water (plus trying to attack from the back) to try to get everything clean! But I rarely ever use that side so it's not really a concern to me.

@phoxx I had one of those "coarse only" flat ones. While I agree that it can be easier to clean since you don't have to stick your hand in there etc, and I generally only use that side of my box grater, I HATED using it to grate cheese. I always found it was awkward to use, and the cheese always ended up everywhere, rather than in a neat pile out of the bottom of the box (and my new box grater came with a container that fits in the bottom with measurements and a lid.. awesome!)

My (relatively new) dishwasher is a disappointment on many levels, but I will say that it manages to get my box grater clean as a whistle every time.

I wonder if you popped the grater in the freezer for few minutes. I don't have a box grater but was just wondering if the little bits of cheese were frozen would they come lose pretty easy?

The bottom rack of the dishwasher always seems to do the trick for me.

I usually let mine soak (I'm terrible about washing it right away, oops) while I do other dishes and then use a scrub brush on it. I'm pretty sure mine is meant to be a fingernail scrubber but it was $2 at the hardware store and works like a charm. Since the bristles are plastic, it doesn't scratch anything.

The only tried and true method I'd found is washing it immediatly after use so nothing has time to dry on it.

"I have a cheese-shredder at home, which is its positive name. They don't call it by its negative name, cause no one would buy it: sponge-ruiner. Because I wanted to clean it, and now I have little bits of sponge... that would melt easily over tortilla chips."

- Mitch Hedberg

@patrick(the other one)- Ba DUM dum. :)

I do the exact same thing @fab does- works great with no extra tools or scrubbers.

I typically don't have an issue when I'm using the coarse side, but for the smaller holes, I just keep a bar of soap under the sink and run it over the grater to help dislodge the fine bits. It really makes a difference in how clean I can get it (even w/soaking).

It's like running your blender or food processor w/a bit of dish soap after use - makes cleanup a LOT easier.

(hey, TWO hints for the price of one)

If i have stuff stuck on mine that refuses to come off, I take the plastic part on the bottom of and put the whole metal grater in a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes. That pretty much always works.

My Bosch dishwasher cleans it completely. It's the first dishwasher I've had that gets the thing clean.

i threw my box grater out for the exact same reason. now i have a flat plane grater and i love it. took me a while to find one that i liked though!

use an old toothbrush. the end. It's also great for the microplane graters

its a grater. its made of metal...I chuck it in the dishwasher. Never had it come out dirty yet.