How to Clean a Blender (Portable and Countertop)

Fill the jar a third full with warm water, add one drop of washing-up liquid, blend for 20 seconds, tip it out, and rinse. That handles daily cleaning of any blender. Once a week, take the blade assembly and the silicone seal out and wash them separately—that's where residue and smell actually live, and no amount of blending water reaches it.

Daily—20 seconds

  1. Rinse the loose stuff out immediately after use.
  2. Fill a third with warm—not hot—water.
  3. One drop of washing-up liquid. More makes it foam over. 41. Blend 20 seconds.
  4. Tip out, rinse, and leave upside down to drain. 

Weekly—the part everyone skips

  1. Unscrew the blade assembly from the jar.
  2. Lift the silicone seal out of its groove. This is the part that holds smell.
  3. Wash both in warm soapy water with a brush. Never leave blades soaking in a sink where a hand can find them.
  4. Dry the seal fully before reseating—a damp seal in a groove grows mildew within days.
  5. Wipe the motor base and the contact ring with a damp cloth. Never submerge it.

If it smells

Smell is almost never the jar—it's the silicone seal, which absorbs oils from ginger, turmeric, nut butters, and greens and holds them. In order of escalation:

Try 

How

Works on

Bicarbonate soak 

Remove the seal, and soak in 250 ml warm water with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda for an hour. 

Most food smells 

Lemon blend 

Blend a quartered lemon with 200 ml warm water for 30 seconds, leave to stand 10 minutes, and rinse. 

Dairy and protein powder smells 

White vinegar 

Half water, half white vinegar in the jar, stand 30 minutes, and rinse thoroughly.

Persistent sour smells and light mineral scale.

Replace the seal. 

$8 part, two-minute job 

Anything that survives the above. Seals are consumable—12–18 months of daily use. 

 

Stains and cloudiness

  1. Turmeric and beetroot stains: a bicarbonate paste, left on for 15 minutes, then a soft brush. Don't use an abrasive pad on Tritan or glass—micro-scratches make the next stain permanent.
  2. Cloudy jar: usually dishwasher heat, and it's irreversible. This is why we recommend hand-washing a Tritan jar even though it's dishwasher-safe.
  3. White mineral film: limescale from hard water. Half water, half white vinegar, 30 minutes, rinse well.
  4. Scratched inside: replace the jar. Scratches harbor bacteria and can't be cleaned out.

What never goes in the dishwasher

The motor base of any blender—it holds electronics, and in a portable blender, a lithium battery. Jars and lids are usually dishwasher-safe on the top rack, but repeated heat clouds plastic and perishes seals faster than hand-washing. Two minutes a week by hand adds years to a blender.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What's the fastest way to clean a blender?

A. Fill the jar a third full with warm water, add one drop of washing-up liquid, blend for 20 seconds, tip out, and rinse. Do it immediately after use—the dried-on smoothie behind the blades takes ten times longer.

Q. Why does my blender smell bad?

A. The silicone seal, not the jar. Seals absorb oils from ginger, turmeric, greens, and nut butters. Remove it, soak it for an hour in warm water with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, and replace it if the smell survives—seals are a consumable part.

Q. Can you put a blender in the dishwasher?

A. The jar and lid are usually yes, on the top rack. The motor base never—it contains electronics and, in a portable blender, a lithium battery. Repeated dishwasher heat also clouds plastic jars and shortens seal life, so handwashing is better.

Q. How do you clean under blender blades?

A. Unscrew the blade assembly from the jar and wash it separately with a brush. Blending soapy water does not reach behind the blade seat, which is exactly where residue collects.

Q. How do I get turmeric stains out of a blender jar?

A. Bicarbonate of soda made into a paste, left on the stain for 15 minutes, then a soft brush. Avoid abrasive pads—they scratch the jar, and scratches hold the next stain permanently.

Q. How often should you deep-clean a blender?

A. Once a week if you use it daily: blade assembly and seal removed and washed separately. Daily quick-blending of soapy water keeps the jar clean but never reaches the seal groove. 

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