How to Clean a Vitamix? Every Hack and Tip You Need to Know

If your excuse for not downing a green smoothie every day is that your Vitamix is hard to clean, you’re going to need a new excuse. (Okay, we’ll take “smoothies should never be a hideous green.”)

Really, cleaning a Vitamix container couldn’t be easier. The machine cleans itself—literally. There's no need to put your appliance in the dishwasher and potentially damage it (yes, even if your Vitamix cup is top-rack dishwasher-safe).

Today, we’re bringing you a guide on how to clean a Vitamix as effortlessly as possible. Read on to learn what tips and hacks work—you don’t want to miss out.

How to Clean a Vitamix?: Regular Cleaning Routine

It’s best to clean Vitamix blenders right after they’re used. This is the best way to avoid having to clean with a scrub brush hours later, once the food bits have all stuck to the container.

Plus, since this everyday maintenance routine is so easy to follow, it will take you no time (or elbow grease) at all.

Stick to the following steps:

Step 1: Unplug the Vitamix

Start by unplugging your Vitamix machine. This will prevent any painful accidents from happening in the first place.

Step 2: Rinse with Warm Water

Then, rinse the entire container with warm water. Remember to separate the top into two parts: the black lid and the transparent lid plug. Both should get rinsed off, too.

The goal is to get rid of most of the liquid still in the blender.

Step 3: Blend Water and Dish Soap

Set down the blender cup on the motor base and fill halfway with warm water. Add a few drops of soap and put on the lid.

Next comes the hack most Vitamix users don’t know: Plug your Vitamix back in and slowly increase the speed to max. Let the soapy water mixture swirl around for up to 60 seconds.

Some models even come with a “clean” setting you can use here. The Vitamix will turn off the standard cleaning cycle once it’s done cleaning itself.

Step 4: Rinse Once Again

Once that’s done, dump out the soapy water and rinse the blender cup until it’s completely clean.

Step 5: Air Dry

Lastly, place your Vitamix container upside down on a dish-drying rack or on a clean kitchen towel. That’s it.

How to Clean a Cloudy Vitamix Container?

After using your Vitamix blender for a while, you might notice that a white cloudy film has formed. Don’t worry, you haven’t done anything wrong and your blender isn’t broken either. It’s just residue from mineral-rich fruits and hard water stains.

While dish soap can’t remove this film, there is an easy homemade cleaning solution that can.

Step 1: Rinse with Warm Water

Take your cloudy container and give it a quick rinse. You can skip this step if your blender is already clean.

Step 2: Mix White Vinegar and Water

Next, pour one cup of white vinegar and two cups of warm water into the blender. Close the lid on it and plug the machine in.

Step 3: Blend It

Slowly increase the blending speed to max and leave it there for fifteen seconds. Then turn off the power and unplug the blender from the outlet.

Step 4: Let the Vitamix Container Soak

Let your blender container soak for several hours. The acidity of the vinegar will eat away at the cloudy film.

Step 5: Rinse and Air Dry

The last step is rinsing your blender cup until it is clean. It will look like a brand-new container. Then, set it on a dish-drying rack or hand-dry with a paper towel.

How to Clean a Yellowed Vitamix Container?

Sure, most people won’t deal with a yellowed Vitamix pitcher. But if you cook a lot of Asian dishes (particularly hot blends, since they stain more easily than cold blends) and like adding turmeric to soups and smoothies, you will need to know how to remove stains.

Step 1: Clean as Usual

First, give your container a quick cleaning up if you have just used it. You can skip this step if your blender is already clean.

Step 2: Leave the Container in the Sun

The fail-proof way to remove turmeric stains is by exposing the blender cup to UV rays. Don’t worry, you don’t have to invest in an expensive machine. Leaving your Vitamix cup out in the sun for a full afternoon should do the trick.

Step 3: Dilute Bleach in Warm Water

If that cleaning method hasn't done its job of removing turmeric stains, you can move on to the next step. Fill up the container with warm water and simply add one-and-a-half tablespoons of liquid bleach. Let it soak for fifteen minutes.

Then, rinse the blending container and wash it thoroughly with hot water and soap. 

How to Remove Peanut Butter Stuck on Vitamix?

Cleaning nut butter from Vitamix blenders is the least favorite chore of most home chefs. Fortunately, it can be surprisingly simple.

Step 1: Let the Container Soak

The best way to remove nut butter from your Vitamix machine is by filling it up with hot or warm water and letting it soak overnight. Before you do, make sure you’ve removed as much of the nut butter as possible with the help of a small silicone spatula.

Step 2: Remove Blades

The next day, empty the blender and remove the blades. Make sure not to cut yourself while disassembling the bottom of the Vitamix. 

Step 3: Scrub the Blades

Grab a soft pot scrubber and scrub away at the blades. The peanut butter should be easy to remove since the blender was left to soak.

However, there is bound to be nut butter stuck to the blades still, so you need to clean every nook and cranny. Otherwise, food particles could lead to a build-up of bacteria.

Step 4: Hand-Wash the Carafe

Once you’ve cleaned the blades, it’s time to tackle the carafe. With the same soft bottle brush wash the blender with hot soapy water. Be thorough.

Step 5: Air Dry

Lastly, let the blender and the blades air dry on a dish-drying rack. When they’re ready to be put away, securely attach the blades to the blending cup.

How to Eliminate Odors from a Blender Cup?

Odors are bound to build up, even if you always get your blender clean after using it. Fortunately, getting rid of them is easy.

Step 1: Clean as Usual

First, do some quick cleaning of your cup if you have just used it.

Step 2: Soak in Warm Water and White Vinegar

Then, pour one cup of white vinegar and two cups of water into the pitcher. Let the mixture soak for several hours or overnight.

Step 3: Rinse and Dry

Next, rinse out the pitcher. If the smell of white vinegar persists, you can give the cup a quick clean with soap and warm water. Then leave the cup upside down to air dry.

Bonus: Sprinkle Baking Soda

You could make a paste of baking soda instead of using vinegar and water, especially if the smell of vinegar is unpleasant to you.

Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a few drops of water until it makes a spreadable goo. Then, rub it on the inside of the container.

Let it sit for a few hours, rinse it off, and leave the pitcher to air dry.

3 Tips to Deep-Clean Your Vitamix

These five methods should take care of every cleaning need you will ever have for your Vitamix. But that’s not all—we still have three more deep cleaning tips for you.

Use a Magic Eraser for Stubborn Stains

A Magic Eraser can give you the extra help you need to clean your Vitamix machine. 

If your pitcher still has stubborn stains or hard water or mineral deposits that won’t come off with vinegar, bleach, or sun rays, you can use this melamine foam eraser to remove them. It’s much more effective than a soft pot scrubber and pretty easy to use.

(Plus, Magic Erasers are completely safe, despite some rumors and online misinformation that has been spreading for a few years now.)

Hand-Wash the Rubber Seal

You can only completely clean a Vitamix if you also clean the rubber ring seal along the lid and around the blades.

Separate them from the other blender components and scrub them with a brush. This will get out most of the gunk stuck on them. You can also leave them to soak in a bowl with hot water and a few drops of dish soap.

Don’t Forget the Hidden Components

Even though we have mentioned the blender cup a lot throughout this guide, that is not the only part that needs cleaning. Even the hidden components should get a quick clean every once in a while.

Grab a damp cloth and wipe down the motor base. Make sure to also wipe down the centering pad.

Then, with a paper towel, clean around the blade assembly parts. More often than not, these parts get dirty without us even noticing.

 

All in all, cleaning a Vitamix is a piece of cake. Despite some models being top-rack dishwasher-safe, you still should hand-wash yours to guarantee it truly gets cleaned properly. Luckily, as we've seen, taking care of its everyday maintenance is easy, so you won't have to deep clean often.