Fresh fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Therefore consuming them on a daily basis is highly recommended. While persons may not always be in the mood to eat the fruit and vegetables in their natural state, they may be prone to consuming it in juice form. But after you prepare your nutritious juice it is important to maintain your juicer. This is especially important if you make juice on a regular basis.
If your juicer is not properly cleaned and maintained, you will find that pieces of food can get caught in the crevices of the machine and left to rot which can result in a build-up of germs, bacteria, and even mold. This can result in the contamination of your juice the next time you go to blend and can result in illness. Here we will provide you the best way to clean and maintain your juicer and keep it in top performance so you can enjoy your well-blended juice without the danger of becoming ill due to bacteria built up.
There are different types of juicers on the market and each will require a slightly different way of cleaning and maintenance. Here we will take a look at a few of the most popular kinds.
Juice extractors
A Juice extractor is a device used to extract liquid from various vegetables and fruits. Extracting the pure juice from your vegetable and fruits is a great source of nutrition. Cleaning the extractor can be a bit tricky at first but once you get the hang of it, it is relatively straightforward. The fact that most of its removable parts are dishwasher friendly makes it even better to clean. Ensure that you do not rush the cleaning process as there are sharp edges that could come in contact with your skin.
Centrifugal Juicer
The centrifugal juicer cuts up your fruits and vegetable with a flat cutting blade before spinning them to separate the juice from the pulp. While there are different designs of a centrifugal juicer, and the cleaning technique may vary based on design, overall, the steps are similar. Most parts (except for the food pusher) are dishwasher safe, so you don’t have to worry too much about getting them cleaned by hand. You can place them on the top rack of the dishwasher at least once a week. However, in the meantime, if you blend daily you may want to ensure that you hand wash and wipe down after each use to prevent food particles from drying on the parts.
Masticating Juicer
Masticating juicers known to many as slow juicers use a slow gear to crush fruits and veggies then force them through a sharp compartment for extraction. It basically chews up the produce to a very dry pulp, slowly but effectively. As this happens pulp is pushed through a screen while the juice is fed out through a sprout. A typical masticating juicer runs at a speed between 80 to 100 revolutions per minute.
Wheatgrass Juicer
The wheatgrass juicer is a high-yield, low-speed juicing system that maximizes juice extraction. They are considered the most efficient and versatile of the various types of juicers. They are made up of masticating single gear or twin grinding gears for effectiveness. Because of the design of the interlocking feature, it may seem difficult to clean. But once you are able to pull it apart (as instructed in the manual) you will realize that cleaning is pretty easy and a number of the parts are machine washable.
Citrus Juicer
As the name suggests, the Citrus juicers are primarily for citruses like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits and are fairly easy to clean. It is easy to disassemble with most of the parts are also dishwasher friendly. The citrus juicer comes in both hand-operated and electric versions. The one you equip your kitchen with will depend on just how much citrus you need to blend and the regularity.
Cleaning And Maintaining Your Juicer
The cleaning of your juicer will be dependent on the one you choose. Your owner’s manual will provide the necessary information pertinent to that particular piece of appliance. It is recommended that you read your manual before you pull down and clean your juicer as it will inform you which parts are dishwasher safe and which parts are not.
However, general cleaning remains the same for a standard juicer and you cannot go wrong after reading your manual and following this step-by-step guide below. This should make the cleaning process easy and quick.
Step 1 – Turn Off and Unplug the Juicer
Before attempting to clean your juicer, even if you are wiping down the outside with a wet rag, always ensure the power is off. If you are using an electric juicer, ensure it is plugged out from the energy source.
Step 2 – Disassemble the Appliance
Remove the pulp container and get rid of all the pulp. If you are a gardener then this is a good source of fertilizer for your crops. Otherwise, you can get rid of it in your compost bin. Check if there are any spilled pulps on the sides and surface of the container holder. If so, ensure that you remove and wipe this away also. After removing the filter basket out of the juicer, hold it on the sides to avoid cutting yourself on the blades located at the bottom of the appliance. Layout all the parts that you disassemble so that none gets misplaced when you are ready to put them back together.
Step 3 – Wash Parts
You have three options when it comes to washing the removable parts. (1) wash under your facet with hot soapy water then rinse and lay them out to air dry. (2) Soak them in your sink with hot soapy water for about 5 to 10 minutes then rinse and allow them to sit and air dry. (3) Place the parts that are machine washable on the top rack of your dishwasher. If the dishwasher does not clean the hard-to-reach areas of these parts you may want to use the cleaning blush (sometimes enclosed in the package, depending on the juicer chosen) to get the job done properly.
Step 4 – Clean the Motor Base
For maintenance and a cleaner look, ensure that you wipe down the motor base with a damp cloth or paper towel. Wiping soon after blending will prevent any food that found itself there from sticking to the appliance and making it harder to clean. This is especially important since you cannot dunk the base in soapy water for soaking off. Pay keen attention to the top of the motor base where the locking mechanism is located. Build up food around this area can prevent proper locking of the container to the base. Remember not to immerse or spray the base with water as this can damage the motor instantly.
Step 5 – Cleaning the Filter Basket
It is very important to clean the filter basket of your juicer to prevent it from blockage. Your machine may come with a brush for cleaning purposes or you may have to get one to have the job done. Be careful while cleaning, however, as the filter basket and feed chute have a sharp blade and small sharp teeth made specifically for cutting through fruits and vegetables which can also cut through your skin. Therefore, caution is advised. The washing brush, usually made of nylon, will clean the filter basket and prevent the chance of you getting hurt in the process.
Step 6 – Remove Stuck On Food
Having food particles get stuck in various corners of your juicer is not unusual. You may even find that your filter basket becomes blocked by stuck-on pulp that you find hard to remove. You can get rid of this by soaking the parts in hot soapy water and adding lemon juice that will help to unclog the holes and loosen the particles. Lemon juice is also quite good at preventing discoloration of the plastic parts by the color of your fruits and veggies and will help to remove food colors from the parts already stained.
Step 7 – Reassemble the Juicer
After you have allowed your parts to air dry, you are now ready to reassemble and store away. Ensure that you put each part back in its proper position and if you are unsure about a part, consult your manual.
How Often Should You Clean Your Juicer?
If you use your juicer on a regular basis, then we would recommend cleaning it thoroughly every other day. However, ensure that you do a light clean (wiping down the base and rinsing the easy to remove parts) after every use to quickly and easily get rid of pulps that may rot if it sits for long. Your juicer should be clean for each use as you do not want to have food particles sitting in it for long and juicing fresh fruits on top of that. This could cause bacteria and germ buildup, cause your plastic parts to become discolored, and makes it harder to clean the dried on particles.
In Conclusion
Keeping your juicer clean is important in the maintenance of your appliance as well as maintaining good health. Ensure you read your manual before pulling apart your juicer for cleaning and be mindful of the sharp blades while you disassemble and reassemble. Cleaning may seem hard the first time around but after that initial job it is fairly quick and easy.