How to Clean a Juicer (Step by Step)

Quick overview: Cleaning a juicer is the single habit that decides whether you keep juicing or quietly abandon the machine in a cupboard. The good news: a proper clean takes only a few minutes if you do it immediately after juicing, before pulp dries onto the screen. This step-by-step guide covers the fast everyday routine for both centrifugal and masticating juicers, plus a deeper clean for stains, smells, and clogged mesh — so your juicer stays hygienic and works like new. For help choosing a machine that is easy to clean in the first place, see our complete juicer buying guide.

Why Cleaning Quickly Matters

Juice pulp is mostly fibre and sugar. Left on the screen and parts, it dries into a hard crust within an hour or two and bonds to the fine mesh, turning a two-minute rinse into a ten-minute scrubbing job. Damp pulp also becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and mould, and leftover residue can leave a sour smell that taints your next batch. The golden rule of juicer maintenance is simple: clean it right after you juice, while everything is still wet.

Before You Start

1. Unplug the juicer. Always disconnect from power before disassembling — never clean any part while the machine is plugged in.
2. Check the manual for dishwasher-safe parts. Many collection jugs, pulp containers, and lids are top-rack dishwasher-safe, but augers, screens, and motor bases usually are not. When in doubt, hand-wash.
3. Have the right tools ready: the cleaning brush that came with the juicer (or a stiff dish brush), a soft sponge, and a bowl of warm soapy water. A toothbrush is excellent for fine mesh.

Step-by-Step: Everyday Clean (Both Types)

1. Empty the pulp immediately. Tip the pulp container into your compost or bin right away. The drier the pulp, the easier this is — and dry pulp composts well.
2. Disassemble the parts. Remove the lid, feed chute, screen or strainer basket, auger (masticating) or blade basket (centrifugal), juice jug, and pulp container. Lay them out so nothing is missed.
3. Rinse everything under running water first. A pre-rinse removes the bulk of the pulp before soap and makes scrubbing far easier.
4. Scrub the screen or mesh. This is the part that matters most. Use the supplied brush (or a toothbrush) on both sides of the fine mesh, working from the inside out to push trapped fibres free. Hold it up to the light — you should see clear holes, not clogged ones.
5. Wash the remaining parts in warm soapy water with a soft sponge. Pay attention to grooves in the auger and the underside of the lid where pulp hides.
6. Wipe the motor base. Never submerge the motor unit. Wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it.
7. Air-dry fully before reassembling or storing. Stand parts on a drying rack. Storing parts damp invites mould and odour.

Centrifugal vs Masticating: What Differs

The routine is the same in spirit, but the trouble spots differ between the two main juicer types.

Centrifugal Juicers

The fine mesh strainer basket is the chokepoint. Its tiny holes clog with pulp and need brushing from the inside out every single time. Many centrifugal juicers have fewer parts overall and several are dishwasher-safe, so once the basket is brushed clean the rest is quick. Tackle the basket first, while it is wet, before the pulp sets.

Masticating Juicers

These have more parts — the auger, one or more screens, and sometimes a pulp-control housing — so disassembly takes a little longer. The upside is that the screens are often coarser and easier to rinse than a centrifugal mesh. Check the grooves of the auger carefully, and look for any rubber gaskets or end caps that trap fibre. A useful trick: run a glass of clean water through the assembled juicer immediately after your last produce to flush most of the pulp out before you take it apart. Our masticating juicer tips guide covers more time-savers.

Step-by-Step: Deep Clean (Weekly or As Needed)

Even with diligent daily rinsing, screens accumulate fine residue and parts can develop stains or smells over time. Do a deep clean weekly if you juice daily, or whenever you notice clogging or odour.

1. Soak in warm soapy water. Submerge the screens, auger, and other washable parts in warm water with a little dish soap for 10 to 15 minutes to loosen embedded residue. Do not soak the motor base.
2. Add a vinegar soak for mineral buildup and smells. For hard-water deposits or lingering odours, soak parts in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Vinegar is a gentle, food-safe descaler.
3. Brush the mesh thoroughly after soaking, using the supplied brush or a toothbrush on both sides until the holes are clear against the light.
4. Tackle stains from carrots, beets, and turmeric. These pigments stain plastic. Make a paste of baking soda and water, rub it onto stained parts, let it sit a few minutes, then rinse. Repeat if needed. A spell in sunlight can also fade plastic staining.
5. Rinse completely to remove all soap and vinegar, then air-dry fully before storage.

Common Cleaning Problems and Fixes

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How Long Each Step Really Takes

People often overestimate how long juicer cleanup takes, which is part of why machines get abandoned. Done immediately after juicing, the everyday clean breaks down roughly like this: emptying the pulp takes a few seconds, disassembly under a minute, a pre-rinse of all parts about a minute, brushing the screen one to two minutes, washing the remaining parts a minute or two, and wiping the base a few seconds. All told, a wet, immediate clean is genuinely a three-to-five-minute job. The same clean attempted an hour later, after pulp has crusted onto the mesh, can easily take three times as long. The lesson is the whole point of this guide: timing, not effort, is what makes cleaning easy.

What Not to Use on a Juicer

A few cleaning habits do more harm than good and can shorten a juicer’s life or compromise food safety.

• Abrasive scouring pads or steel wool scratch plastic and can damage fine mesh screens, creating crevices where residue lodges. Use the supplied brush, a toothbrush, or a soft sponge instead.
• Bleach and harsh chemical cleaners are unnecessary and risk leaving residue on food-contact parts. White vinegar and baking soda handle smells, mineral buildup, and stains safely.
• Boiling water on plastic parts can warp screens and housings. Warm water is enough.
• The dishwasher for non-safe parts. High heat warps augers and fine screens over time. Confirm in the manual before putting any part in the dishwasher.
• Submerging the motor base. Never. Wipe it with a damp cloth only — water in the motor housing is a safety hazard and will ruin the machine.

Centrifugal vs Masticating: Cleanup Time at a Glance

Maintenance Habits That Keep a Juicer Lasting

• Clean immediately, every time. The biggest factor in easy cleaning is simply not letting pulp dry.
• Flush with water between produce when batch-juicing to stop residue building inside the assembled machine.
• Never force a jammed auger. Reverse the machine if it has that function, or disassemble and clear the blockage by hand to protect the motor.
• Replace worn screens and gaskets. A torn mesh lets pulp through and a perished gasket can leak. Both are inexpensive consumables.
• Store dry and assembled loosely so air can circulate and no part stays damp.

A Smart Order of Operations

Cleaning faster is partly about sequence. Following the same efficient order each time turns cleanup into muscle memory and shaves off minutes.

1. Flush first (masticating). Before switching off, run a glass of water through the assembled juicer to push out most of the loose pulp.
2. Empty the pulp container straight into compost or bin while everything is still wet.
3. Tackle the screen immediately — it is the part that sets hardest, so clean it before it can dry.
4. Pre-rinse the rest under running water to remove the bulk before any soap.
5. Wash, wipe the base, and rack to dry. Leave parts to air-dry fully rather than towel-drying into crevices.

Doing the screen first, while the pulp is wet, is the single biggest time-saver in the whole routine.

Hygiene: Why Drying Matters as Much as Washing

A part that is washed but stored damp is not truly clean for long. Residual moisture in screens, augers, and sealed corners is exactly what bacteria and mould need to grow, which is what produces that sour, musty smell in a neglected juicer. After washing, stand every part on a drying rack with air circulating around it, and only reassemble or box the machine once everything is bone dry. If you juice daily, storing the parts loosely rather than tightly assembled lets air reach every surface. This one habit — drying fully before storage — prevents the most common hygiene problem juicer owners face.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you clean a juicer quickly?

Clean it immediately after juicing, before pulp dries. Empty the pulp, disassemble the parts, pre-rinse everything under running water, then brush the screen or mesh from the inside out with the supplied brush. Wash the other parts in warm soapy water, wipe the motor base with a damp cloth (never submerge it), and air-dry fully. Done right after juicing, this takes only a few minutes.

Can you put juicer parts in the dishwasher?

Some parts often are top-rack dishwasher-safe — typically juice jugs, pulp containers, and lids — but augers, fine-mesh screens, and the motor base usually are not. Always check your model’s manual. When in doubt, hand-wash, because high dishwasher heat can warp screens and damage augers over time.

How do I get stains out of juicer parts?

Carrot, beet, and turmeric pigments stain plastic. Make a paste of baking soda and water, rub it onto the stained part, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse. Repeat if needed. Leaving the part in sunlight can also fade stubborn plastic staining over time. These methods are food-safe and avoid harsh bleaches.

How do I get rid of a smell in my juicer?

A sour or musty smell comes from residue left on parts or from storing them damp. Soak the washable parts in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water for 15 to 20 minutes, brush the mesh thoroughly, rinse well, and — most importantly — air-dry every part completely before storing. Cleaning immediately after each use prevents the smell from developing in the first place.

How often should I deep clean my juicer?

Do the quick everyday clean after every use. Add a deep clean — soaking, vinegar treatment, and thorough mesh brushing — about once a week if you juice daily, or whenever you notice clogged mesh holes, staining, or odour. Regular quick cleaning greatly reduces how often a deep clean is needed.

Conclusion

Cleaning a juicer is genuinely easy when you do it at the right moment — immediately after juicing, while the pulp is still wet. Unplug, disassemble, pre-rinse, brush the screen from the inside out, wash the rest in warm soapy water, wipe the motor base, and air-dry fully. Add a weekly soak with a vinegar treatment to keep mesh clear and parts fresh, and use baking soda for pigment stains. Build the habit and your juicer will stay hygienic and last for years. For more ways to get the most from a slow juicer, see our masticating juicer tips, and for the full picture on buying one, the Best Juicers guide.

Last updated: June 2026

See our main guide: Best Juicers.