A blender cleans itself if you let it. The blade that chops the food also scrubs the jar — a 30-second run with soapy water does what ten minutes of hand-scrubbing cannot. The only rule is timing: rinse it right after you use it, before the food dries onto the blades and the jar.
Fill the jar halfway with warm water, add a drop of dish soap, put the lid on, and run the blender on high for 30 seconds. Pour it out, rinse the jar, and let it dry upside down. That is the whole job for a normal smoothie or soup. The microwave cleaning guide covers the same habit for the other appliance that gets dirty every day.
Rinse right away. Rinse the jar under the tap as soon as you pour the food out. Dried smoothie on the blades is the whole problem — a rinse now saves a soak later.
Fill with warm water and soap. Fill the jar halfway with warm water and add a drop of dish soap. Do not overfill — a full jar splashes out of the lid when it runs.
Run it on high. Put the lid on and run the blender on high for 30 seconds. The blades and the water scrub the jar, including the spots under the blades you cannot reach by hand.
Scrub the stubborn spots. For food stuck under the blades, use a bottle brush — never your fingers. The blades are sharp even when the blender is off, and a cut from a blender blade is a deep one.
Clean the base. Wipe the base with a damp cloth and check the rubber gasket for food stuck in the seal. Never submerge the base in water — it holds the motor, and water kills it.
Dry upside down. Let the jar dry upside down on a rack and the base dry with a cloth. Reassemble only when both are dry — a damp gasket grows mold in the seal.
For food that will not come off, fill the jar with hot soapy water and soak it for 30 minutes before you run the cleaning cycle. For smells, run it with water and a spoonful of baking soda. For a white mineral film, run it with water and a splash of white vinegar. A coffee maker has the same problem — the coffee maker descaling guide covers mineral buildup in the other machine on the counter.
Never put your hand in the jar with the blade — use a brush, always. Never submerge the base. Never use steel wool on the jar — it scratches plastic and glass alike. Never run the blender empty for more than a few seconds: the motor overheats without a load. And never put a hot jar under cold water — the glass can crack. An oven has the same rule about temperature and calibration — the oven calibration guide covers the other appliance that needs its settings checked.
Most jars are dishwasher-safe, but check the manual — the heat can warp a plastic jar over time. The 30-second self-clean is faster than the dishwasher anyway.
Run the self-clean cycle first, then use a bottle brush for what is left. Never reach under the blades with your fingers — the blades are sharp even when the blender is off.
Food stuck under the blades or mold in the gasket. Run it with baking soda water, scrub under the blades with a brush, and let the gasket dry fully before you reassemble it.
Soak the jar in hot soapy water with baking soda for an hour, then run the self-clean cycle. Turmeric stains fade with time and washing — they do not mean the jar is dirty.