How to clean the heating element area
The element sits directly above the food in most air fryers, is not removable, and is where fat ends up. It is also the part where a cleaning instruction is unambiguously an electrical-safety instruction, so this page is deliberately short on method and long on the conditions under which the method is safe at all.
Questions this answers
- Can I clean the heating element of my air fryer?
- How do I get the burnt smell off the element?
- Why does my air fryer smoke even when the basket is clean?
The published instruction, and the half people miss
One manufacturer in this catalogue publishes an element-cleaning instruction: clean the inside with a slightly moist non-abrasive sponge or cloth, and if needed clean the heating coil to remove food debris. The sentence immediately after it is the one that matters — make sure the heating coil is completely dry before turning the appliance on.
That pairing is what makes this recordable at all. An instruction to put a damp cloth near an element without the requirement that it be dry afterwards would be a hazard with no mitigation attached, which is not something this product publishes.
The best element cleaning is the fat that never gets there
Machines with a shield between the element and the food have one for this reason, and the manufacturer that documents one is explicit that failing to fit it results in oil building up on the element and causing smoking. Cleaning the shield after every use is a published instruction, not a suggestion.
On machines without one, the equivalent is not overfilling with fatty food and emptying the pan between batches — both of which reduce how much fat is airborne in the first place.
The method, part by part
| Part | What is on it | How often | Dishwasher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splatter guard | Greasy film | After every use | Dishwasher safe on the models we hold |
| Interior of the chamber | Greasy film | About weekly | Not removable, so the question does not arise |
| Heating element area | Carbonised deposit | About monthly | Not removable, so the question does not arise |
Splatter guard — Greasy filmThe splatter guard, and why it decides whether the machine smokes — The part almost nobody knows they have, and the one manual that documents it says failing to clean it puts oil on the element.
Interior of the chamber — Greasy film
The inside of the chamber
The chamber the drawer slides into collects splashes that the drawer itself does not catch. It is part of the main unit, so the rules are the main unit's rules.
- How often
- About weekly
- Dishwasher
- Not removable, so the question does not arise
Before you touch it
Unplug the appliance at the wall and let it cool completely before cleaning any part of it. An air fryer draws 1.5-2kW and its element and chamber stay dangerously hot for a long time after the fan stops — one manual in this catalogue warns that the frying tray is still hot half an hour after use. Never immerse the main unit, the cord or the plug in water or any other liquid. Every manual read for this catalogue says so, and it is the single instruction with no exceptions anywhere in the set.
What works
Wipe with a slightly moist, non-abrasive sponge or cloth
The published method, from two manufacturers in similar words. Slightly moist rather than wet is the operative part: the chamber contains an element and a fan.
Published by Arovast Corporation (Cosori).Dry it before using the appliance again
Cosori's manual states plainly: dry before using.
Published by Arovast Corporation (Cosori).
What not to do, and why
Immersing the appliance or pouring water into the chamber
Prohibited by every manual read for this catalogue.
Published by Arovast Corporation (Cosori).Abrasive sponges or cleaning agents
Named in both the Cosori and Tower manuals. The chamber is coated or painted metal and abrasives take the finish off.
Published by RKW Ltd (Tower Housewares).
- Your own manual is the governing document. Where it differs from anything here, follow it — this is a synthesis of what several manufacturers publish, not an instruction for your specific machine.
Heating element area — Carbonised deposit
The heating element area
The element sits directly above the food in most air fryers, which means fat reaches it, and it is not removable. It is the part most responsible for smoke and burning smells and the part where a cleaning instruction is unambiguously an electrical-safety instruction.
- How often
- About monthly
- Dishwasher
- Not removable, so the question does not arise
Before you touch it
Unplug the appliance at the wall and let it cool completely first. Never immerse the main unit in water or any other liquid. Cosori's manual requires the heating coil to be COMPLETELY DRY before the appliance is turned on — a wet element on a 2kW appliance is not a cleaning inconvenience, it is a fault waiting to happen. If the element is damaged, discoloured beyond soiling, or the appliance has tripped a breaker, stop and contact the manufacturer rather than cleaning it.
What works
Wipe the coil to remove food debris, with the appliance unplugged and cold
Cosori publishes this directly: clean the inside with a slightly moist, non-abrasive sponge or cloth, and if needed clean the heating coil to remove food debris. The instruction that follows it is the important half — make sure the heating coil is completely dry before turning the air fryer on.
Published by Arovast Corporation (Cosori).Invert the appliance where its design allows, to reach the element
Some drawer machines can be turned upside down with the drawer removed so the element faces up and can be reached with a cloth. Do this only with the appliance unplugged and cold, and only if nothing is loose inside it.
Keep the splatter guard fitted and clean on machines that have one
The best element cleaning is the fat that never reaches it. Where a machine has a shield under the element, its manual is likely to say that failing to use it puts oil on the element.
Published by SharkNinja Europe Limited.
What not to do, and why
Spraying anything at the element, or running the appliance wet
The manufacturer's own instruction is that the coil must be completely dry before the appliance is switched on. Liquid on a live element is an electrical fault and a steam burn at the same time.
Published by Arovast Corporation (Cosori).Immersing any part of the main unit
Prohibited by every manual read for this catalogue without exception. The element, the fan and the control board are all inside it.
Published by Arovast Corporation (Cosori).Scraping the element with anything metal
A sheathed element damaged mechanically is an electrical fault, and there is no way to inspect what you have done to it from outside.
Removing or dismantling the element
Out of scope for this product entirely. An appliance that needs its element removed needs a manufacturer, not a cleaning method.
Published by Electrical Safety First.
- Your own manual is the governing document. Where it differs from anything here, follow it — this is a synthesis of what several manufacturers publish, not an instruction for your specific machine.
- Only one manufacturer in this catalogue publishes an element-cleaning instruction. Several say nothing, and silence is not permission — check your own manual.
Evidence and confidence
- Applies to
- Specific to this type of appliance
- Why this rating
- Only one manufacturer publishes an element-cleaning method and it publishes the drying requirement alongside it. Several others say nothing, and this page treats that silence as silence rather than as permission.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-13
What this does not cover
- Your own manual is the governing document for your appliance. Where it differs from anything here, follow it.
- Only one manufacturer in this catalogue publishes an element instruction. If yours says nothing, that is not permission — check your own manual.
Sources (3)
Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry 10L Air Fryer CAF-TF101S-AES — User Manual (PDF)
Arovast Corporation (Cosori) — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: That the heating coil may be cleaned of food debris, that the appliance must not be immersed, and that the coil must be completely dry before the appliance is turned on.
States this directly
Passage read and verified
Retrieved 2026-08-13 from argos-support.co.uk
Retrieved from Argos's manual library for Argos product 818/0764. The document covers several languages in one file; every figure recorded here comes from the English section.
Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK — Instructions (PDF)
SharkNinja Europe Limited — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: That failing to use the splatter guard results in oil building up on the heating element and can cause smoking.
States this directly
Passage read and verified
Retrieved 2026-08-13 from argos-support.co.uk
Retrieved from Argos's manual library for Argos product 735/0124. The document identifies itself as revision AG551UKSeries_IB_MP_Mv1_200630_Mv1.
Electrical safety advice for air fryers
Electrical Safety First — Electrical-safety authority or body (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: That a damaged or faulty appliance should be taken out of use rather than worked on by the owner.
States this directly
Passage read and verified
Retrieved 2026-08-13 from electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk