Cleaning a juicer is a relatively simple job, yet so many people are put off by the prospect of it. That doesn’t need to be the case though, and luckily there are a few tricks out there to make the process easier. These tips won’t all work for every style of juicer though, and unfortunately, if you’re a horizontal juicer fan, your options aren’t as wide-spanning.
The Best Way to Clean
So, let’s start at the very beginning and look into the best way to clean your juicer. First off, we always recommend a thorough rinsing to clear parts of any remaining pulp. They will still need further cleaning, but this will just help to keep your cleaning space less messy. Next up it’s crucial that you do some manual scrubbing on the screen and in the pulp outlet. These areas are the most common for pulp clogging, and if it isn’t all removed effectively, then it can dry and cause issues later in your juicers life.
Following the scrubbing stage, you have two options. If your parts are dishwasher safe and you want to save some time, you can now put them in your dishwasher for a short cycle. If you either don’t own a dishwasher or your juicing components aren’t recommended for dishwasher use then, unfortunately, you will now have to do some more manual scrubbing for all the remaining parts. Once either of these steps are complete, dry the parts and reassemble the juicer.
Cleaning a Vertical Juicer
Now you’ve got the hang of the general cleaning process lets look into a handy trick to make the job easier in a vertical juicer. Start by closing your juice cap after you’ve released all the juice from the juicer. Next take about 500ml of warm/hot water and pour it down the hopper into the juicing chamber. Quickly turn the juicer on and leave it to soak for about a minute. Then find an empty container and pour the water out of the juicer. The water should bring out plenty of pulp with it, generally making the cleaning process less hassle.
Screen Brushes
No matter what juicer you buy almost all premium models will come with some form of cleaning brush. However, standards between manufacturers are always different, so the quality of the cleaning tools provided will always vary. The most common brush you’ll come across is the standard scrubbing brush. It’s not interesting but it is practical, and it typically does a good job of clearing out pulp from the juicing screen. It does involve a bit of elbow grease to see the best results though.
Another type of cleaning tool that is beginning to become more common is a short wire brush. It serves as an excellent tool for reaching tough spots, especially the deeper parts of the pulp outlet in a vertical juicer. Currently, Hurom are including one with all their latest juicers and some other brands are likely to follow in their footsteps.
Now, those brushes are pretty standard, and realistically a spare toothbrush could do the same job. However, there is one other option in the form of the rotational screen brush produced by Kuvings. This tool feels and looks a lot more like the real deal, and if cleaning shortcuts are an important factor for you when buying a juicer, the C9500 should stand out from the rest. The rotational brush works very simply and is designed to fit comfortably around the outside of the screen. Then with a firm grip of the brush handle and the screen, a few twists should be enough to remove a majority of the remaining pulp.
Descaling
Well, you should now be a master on juicing brushes, but correctly caring for your juicer doesn’t just involve cleaning after juicing. Over time minerals from ingredients will build up and form a layer of scale of the top of key juicing components. The amount of time taken for this to happen will be increased with good cleaning, but it's inevitable that a good descaling will need to be done at some point in your juicers lifetime. This doesn’t need to be a complicated affair though, and it
Our Easiest to Clean Juicer
This title is currently held by the Kuvings C9500 in our opinion. Realistically a vertical juicer is always going to be easier to clean than any other style and the fact that the Kuvings is also one of the few models around to have a rotational screen brush just helps it to edge ahead of the rest. As things stand no other model is better, but some other note worthy contenders are the Hurom H-AA and the Omega MMV702.