How to clean your toaster

Let me start this post by saying our toaster is OLD. It's not an antique or anything, but we have owned this toaster for longer than we can remember and it is well used. 
We are a family who loves toasty things.

When I pulled out the toaster this morning to toss in some cinnamon waffles, I finally took a good, hard look at the tiny, appalling appliance. 

It was in desperate need of a deep clean. 

This post is to show you my cleaning method (when I actually remember to do it) for getting a toaster back to a decent condition. 

First, pull out those crumb traps. 

Now if you are like me, you will take a moment to let the shame of this sight wash over you. 
It's okay. This shame will be the motivator to get the job done. 

Anyhoo....

Put the traps in the sink and get to scrubbing with soap and hot water. The crumbs should come off fairly easily. 

Once those are clean, tip that toaster out over your sink and get to shaking. 
Shake as many crumbs out as you can.
Get crazy on that sucker. 

Now it's time to clean the inside. 

This should go without saying - but make sure your toaster is unplugged. 

You can use a good dish brush to do a basic scrub around the inside of the bread insert openings or if your toaster is not as bad as mine (the shame...), you can use dry paint brushes to brush off the interior crumbs. 

Turn over and repeat the shaking process. 

Mine, however, was so bad that I grabbed on of my reusable straw cleaners, bend it to and angle, and used that to really get inside. 

After you have given your toaster a good shake for that second time, you will start cleaning the outside. 

I use soap, hot water, and a sponge with a scrubbing side to get the grime off. 
Keep in mind, this toaster is older and has seen better days. 
The after photo will still show scratches and other war wounds. 
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Here is the before interior photo:

And here is the after interior photo:
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Once you have dried the toaster as well as possible, pop those crumb catchers back in. 
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And voila! You are done!
Allow your toaster adequate time to dry before plugging it back in or using it. 

Don't forget (like me) that going long periods of time without cleaning your crumb tray can actually be a fire hazard! 

Thanks for reading! 
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