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A fire hazard lurks in the kitchen — Aussies warned to check their toasters
Who here likes their toast in the morning? We bet a bunch of you are raising hands or nodding your heads right now.
Some years ago, the Australian order-ahead app Hey You confirmed this, with plain butter being the most popular condiment (yes, it was NOT Vegemite, to the surprise of many!).
But that’s not what today is about. Instead, we will tackle an often overlooked, low-priority chore: cleaning your toaster.
On social media, a woman posted a visual reminder of how important it is to check your toasters. The photo showed a crummy secondhand appliance that has elicited various reactions ranging from disgust to genuine concern.
The woman shared a photo of toaster trays full of crumbs and fruit particles. Source: Facebook/DailyMail
Sharing on a popular Facebook group with over 381,000 members, the woman has sought help on cleaning a toaster given to them by relatives.
She wrote, 'My partner and I were given this toaster by his aunt and uncle when we moved in together, I didn't have a chance to clean it when we got it with all the moving stress, but I've just taken out the crumb trays and found this.'
The toaster trays were extremely grubby, with crumbs and fruit stuck on the metal. Apparently, the previous owners loved their sweet toast!
As expected, the bottom of the kitchen appliance was also filled with fruit.
The woman had already tried cleaning the trays by soaking them in hot, soapy water, but the method failed to remove the stickiness.
Moreover, the insides of the toaster were still dirty.
'How should I clean the inside of the toaster? Or should I just give up and throw it out? It works perfectly fine but I'm not sure I can get over how disgusting it is,' the woman said.
Members were quick to help, recommending using small brushes to scrub the insides of the toaster. She was also duly warned that the toaster could be a fire hazard if not cleaned properly.
However, many suggested getting a new toaster altogether — they thought that the effort needed to clean was not worth it when she could get a new toaster for cheap.
After considering her options, the woman decided it was best to dispose of the used toaster. She tried most suggestions but found removing the melted fruit glued to the toaster impossible.
'Even the trays that now don't have any crumbs on them are still sticky to the touch and likely to stay that way. I'm concerned about it being a hazard, so I think it’s a new toaster for us!'
A Facebook user encouraged her to give the toaster to an e-waste drop-off instead of a landfill.
If you ever struggle to find the motivation to clean your kitchen appliances, remember that it is always best to attend to them regularly.
It doesn’t even have to take long! Check this helpful video on how to clean a toaster:
We’d love to know what you think! Do you have your own ‘hacks’ for cleaning kitchen appliances? Share them with us in the comments below!
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