Juicers are great kitchen appliances that can provide more than enough vitamin C on a daily basis. Naturally, for that to happen you have to have fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes at your disposal. Unfortunately, these fruits can also leave a mess behind, even in an appliance that is specifically designed to juice them.
If you want to extend your juicer’s life expectancy significantly, you have to take care of it properly. That’s why I’ve put together a few tips and tricks on how to properly maintain and clean your juicer.
Read the Manual, Sherlock
I know, I know. Reading the manual is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but here’s the thing: it actually contains valuable information on how to clean and care for your juicer. So, read the manual. Trust me, it’s less painful than discovering you’ve voided your warranty because you used a chainsaw to clean your juicer instead of a brush.
Also, every juicer is different in one way or another and might require a different approach when it comes to maintenance. The included manual should have all the necessary information.
The Pre-Clean Ritual: The Rinse
Before you start your juicer, make sure it’s clean. If not, you might find yourself sipping on a smoothie with a hint of yesterday’s carrot-beet concoction. Yuck. After each use, do the following:
- Turn off and unplug the machine.
- Disassemble the juicer. Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science.
- Rinse the parts under running water. Easy peasy.
Congratulations, you’ve just completed the pre-clean ritual!
It would be great to make a habit out of this ritual – so take it as another mental discipline training session.
The Deep Clean: Embrace Your Inner Clean Freak
Every once in a while, your juicer deserves some extra TLC. Break out the soap and water, and follow these steps:
- Remove any pulp and debris with a spatula. Be gentle. Your juicer has feelings too.
- Soak the parts in warm, soapy water for a few minutes. Let them marinate like a fine steak.
- Use a soft brush or sponge to clean every nook and cranny. Channel your inner detective and leave no stone unturned.
- Rinse thoroughly. Nobody likes soapy juice.
- Dry the parts with a soft cloth. No need to swaddle them like a newborn, but close enough.
- Reassemble the juicer. It’s like a puzzle, only less fun.
Deep cleaning will be beneficial for you and your juicer, not to mention the machine will be quite thankful because you know – #JuicersHaveFeelingsToo.
Also, make sure the fruit remnants don’t end up on your shirt – they are quite annoying to clean.
The Forbidden Zones: Don’t Go There
There are some parts of your juicer that should never be touched unless you want to risk turning your beloved juice machine into an expensive paperweight. These are:
- The motor: Don’t even think about submerging it in water. Electricity and water are like cats and dogs—they don’t mix well.
- The blades: They’re sharp, and they’re dangerous. Clean them with a brush and handle them with care. Or just imagine what life would be like without fingers.
If there is something stuck on the blades and your juicer produces abnormal sounds – which can be hard to distinguish, since they are not quiet appliances by default – and you decide to clean them, please DOUBLE CHECK that the juicer is unplugged from the electricity.
The Maintenance Dance: Keep It Moving
Your juicer is a delicate flower that needs regular care to stay in tip-top shape. Here’s a quick maintenance checklist:
- Lubricate moving parts, as instructed in the manual. (You did read it, right?)
- Inspect the blades and replace them when they’re dull. Nobody likes a blunt blade.
- Check the warranty and perform any required maintenance to keep it valid. Trust me, it’s better than paying for repairs out of pocket.
In Conclusion
I hope that at least some information that I provided here is of some use to you – if not, well, sorry to waste your time – but hey, even if you knew all this, it never hurts to remember the important steps – better to be safe than sorry, right?
Peace out, folks.