How To Clean A Milk Frother?

In this article, we explain how to clean a milk frother quickly and easily.

A milk frother, like any kitchen appliance, gets dirty easily. Any good barrister will attest that milk is troublesome to clean due to the smell and potential mold that forms inside an appliance. 

There are different ways of cleaning a milk frother, depending on whether it’s a handheld milk frother, manual milk frother, or electric milk frother. You can opt to hold most frothers under a running faucet or carefully rinse them. 

That said, we’ve compiled some tips that will guide you on how to clean the milk frother.

Cleaning An Electric Milk Frother

1. Turn the milk frother off and dismantle removable parts to cool all items. Handwash all the detached parts with warm soapy water and rinsed thoroughly with warm water. You can handwash the jug with warm running water if it is not dishwater-safe.
2. To clean the inner parts of the milk jugs, you can use a cloth or sponge with non-abrasive detergent. The inner coating of milk jugs is made of non-stick coating, which makes cleaning relatively easy. Gently scrub the coating if you notice limescale deposits or stains on the inner or outer surface of the electric frother.
3. When cleaning the outer part, use a soft, damp cloth to prevent the cover from getting scratched. It’s inadvisable to use a knife or metal spoon to remove burnt foam since it may damage the surface of the milk frother. Avoid applying any chemical since it can discolor the stainless steel or even make it rust.
4. Another way how to clean the milk frother is in a dishwasher. Put the jug, frothing disk, and lid into the machine and start it. The highly pressurized water from the dishwasher will get rid of stuck deposits or milk. It also uses cleaning detergent to enhance the cleaning. 
5. Although this article optimistically details what you can clean in a dishwasher, we prefer cleaning expensive equipment by hand.
6. After you’ve cleaned it, wipe the milk frother with a dry piece of cloth. If you are using a dishwasher, the machine will dry it automatically.
7. Once the parts are completely dry, assemble them and place them in the storage compartment.

You might also find our guide on how to clean coffee machines with a coffee brush useful.

Cleaning A Handheld Milk Frother

1. To wash a handheld or wand milk frother, turn off your milk frother. If the device runs on electricity, unplug it and let it cool down. Dip the tip of the wand into a glass of hot soapy water. Clean the coil with the brush milk residue is stuck to it. 
2. If the wand contains limestone deposits dip the whisking part in warm water with citric acid or lemon juice to remove milk buildup. You can also submerge the frother in a glass with warm soapy water and turn it on to make it spin for a moment. This will clean, sanitize and prolong its life.
3. While cleaning, avoid moistening any electrical parts. To dry the whisk, put the device on for a few seconds. If you notice dirty spots on the handle, wipe them off with a damp cloth.
4. To prevent the buildup of deposits on the whisk, wash the appliance immediately after use. You can wipe the upper part of the milk frother with a wet cloth.

Cleaning A Manual Milk Frother

1. You can clean manual milk frothers in a dishwasher if it doesn’t contain plastic parts. Use rubber gloves to remove the plunger with a mesh screen and wash it with soapy water to eliminate the clog. After cleaning, rinse all the parts thoroughly. That said, we prefer option two as it avoids any potential damage.
2. Use citric or lemon juice to get rid of any deposits that you may come across. You can let the liquid content stay in the jug for a while and then thoroughly rinse it. Wipe the frother with a dry cloth before storing it.