How To Clean a Blender in 30 Seconds (Without Taking It Apart)

I used to avoid using my blender to purée soups or to do other messy jobs because I hated taking it apart and scrubbing out the pitcher. But years ago, we wrote about the quickest, easiest way to clean a blender — one that takes mere seconds and doesn’t involve taking your blender pitcher apart. (It also doesn’t require getting your hands anywhere near those sharp blades.) It was a forehead-smacking moment for me; what an obvious and delightful way to clean a blender!

Well, this 30-second cleaning method means much faster, easier cleanup after smoothie-making and soup-puréeing. I tried it out for myself — let me show you!

This blender-cleaning method is super easy — do you already do this? You just need hot water, a bit of soap, and a few seconds. If your blender has buildup or is looking a bit dull, you can also add a drop of vinegar or some lemon, as Emily did in her original post.

One final note: This quick and easy method doesn’t replace occasional deep-cleaning of your blender. I clean it out quickly after basic tasks, but I still do take it apart from time to time and clean the blades and any gunk hanging out under the rubber ring.

• Hot water
• Dish soap

1. Pour water in the blender: Fill your blender pitcher about halfway with hot water from a kettle or the tap.
2. Add dish soap: Add just a drop of dish soap.
3. Turn on the blender: Put the blender pitcher back on the base and hold the lid down with a towel. Turn on the blender and let it run for about 10 seconds.
4. Pour out the hot water and rinse: Rinse out the blender thoroughly with more hot water. Ta-da! You should have a perfectly clean blender with no smoothie, no soup, or puréed baby food left to be scrubbed out.