If your air fryer has started smoking a little at the start of every cook, or you're noticing a faint burnt smell that has nothing to do with what's in the basket, the culprit is almost always grease baked onto the heating element. That's the coil (or in some models, a flat metal plate) mounted in the lid or top housing, directly above the basket. It catches splatter from fatty foods like wings, bacon, and burgers, and because nobody looks up there, it can go months without a wipe-down.
The basket and drawer get washed after every use. The element almost never does, which is exactly why it's worth a dedicated cleaning session every few weeks if you cook fatty foods often, or monthly for lighter use. Here's how to do it without damaging the coil or shocking yourself.
Why the Heating Element Gets Neglected (and Why It Matters)
Most air fryers work by circulating hot air with a fan, but the heat itself comes from a coil or element positioned above the food. Grease vapor rises, hits the hot metal, and bakes on in thin layers the same way oil bakes onto the inside of an oven broiler. Over time that residue does three things: it smokes when the element heats up, it can drip rancid-tasting grease back onto food, and in bad cases it becomes a small fire risk if buildup is heavy enough to smolder.
Manufacturers typically bury a line about wiping the heating element in the manual's maintenance section, but it's easy to miss because it's not part of the after-meal basket rinse most people settle into as a habit.
Before You Start: Safety Basics
Unplug the unit and let it cool completely, ideally a few hours after the last use, before you touch anything near the element. The coil retains heat longer than you'd expect, and it's a bad place to get a burn since your hand has to reach up into a tight space to clean it.
Never submerge the main housing or spray liquid directly upward into the element area. The heating coil and its wiring are not designed to get wet, and soaking them risks a short or a corroded connection down the line. Everything here is done with a damp (not dripping) cloth or brush, never a running faucet.
What You'll Need
A soft-bristle brush (a toothbrush you've retired from teeth duty is fine), a few clean cloths or paper towels, warm water, a small amount of dish soap, and optionally a bit of baking soda for stubborn spots. Skip steel wool, metal scrubbers, and abrasive scouring pads: they can scratch the coating on the element or bend the coil itself, and once that coating is compromised it flakes into your food.
Step-by-Step Cleaning
Remove the basket and drawer first. Set them aside for their normal wash so you have a clear, empty housing to work in and can actually see the element.
Look at the coil before you touch it. Most basket-style units have the element sitting a few inches above where the basket sits, often behind a metal guard or grate. Some models let that guard pop out or unclip for easier access; check your manual, since forcing a part that's meant to stay fixed can crack the mounting.
Loosen the grease. Dampen a cloth with warm water and a drop of dish soap, wring it out well, and wipe along the coil and the surrounding metal. For caked-on spots, make a thin paste of baking soda and water, dab it on, let it sit for five to ten minutes to soften the residue, then wipe again. Don't scrub hard; let the paste do the work.
Get into the gaps with a brush. A soft toothbrush reaches between coil loops and into corners a cloth can't follow. Brush gently, in the direction of the coil, rather than scrubbing across it.
Wipe dry, then air dry fully. Follow up with a dry cloth to remove leftover moisture, then leave the lid or housing open for at least thirty minutes to an hour before reassembling. Any dampness left near electrical contacts is a bigger risk than a little residual grease.
Wipe down the fan and vents nearby. While you're in there, run a dry cloth or a barely damp one over the fan blades (if visible) and interior vent openings, since grease and dust collect there too and can affect airflow.
Preventing Buildup Between Deep Cleans
A few habits cut down how often you need to do this. Pat very fatty foods dry with a paper towel before they go in the basket, since less surface grease means less vapor reaching the coil. Keep the basket loaded to a single layer where possible instead of overcrowding, which reduces splatter as fat renders off. And after any cook involving bacon, wings, or fatty ground meat, do a thirty-second visual check of the element with a flashlight; catching a light film early takes seconds to wipe, while months of buildup takes the full baking-soda treatment.
If your model runs at higher temperatures like 400°F for crisping wings or bacon, grease vapor is more aggressive, so those are the meals worth checking after every single use.
When Smoke Means More Than Just Grease
A little wisp of smoke from old grease burning off is common and usually stops within a minute of preheating. But if smoke continues throughout the whole cook, smells acrid or plasticky rather than like burnt food, or you see the element glowing unevenly or arcing, unplug the unit and stop using it. That points to a wiring or component issue rather than a cleaning problem, and a deep clean won't fix it. In that case, check the warranty and contact the manufacturer rather than continuing to run the unit.
FAQ
Can I spray degreaser or oven cleaner on the heating element? No. Commercial oven cleaners and aerosol degreasers are usually too harsh for the coating on an air fryer element and can leave residue that off-gasses into food during the next cook. Stick to warm water, mild dish soap, and baking soda paste for stuck-on spots.
How often should I actually clean the heating element? For frequent fatty cooking (wings, bacon, burgers a few times a week), check it every use and do a full clean every two to three weeks. For lighter use, once a month is usually enough. A quick flashlight glance takes less time than the smoke it prevents.
Is a little smoke on preheat always a sign of dirt buildup? Usually, yes, especially if it fades after a minute and smells like burnt grease rather than anything chemical or plasticky. If it persists through the whole cycle or smells off, treat it as a possible wiring issue rather than a cleaning fix.
My air fryer's element isn't exposed. Do I still need to worry about this? Oven-style and some enclosed dual-basket models shield the coil behind a fixed grate or panel. Grease can still collect on that panel and on the grate itself, so wipe those surfaces with a damp cloth regularly even if the coil itself stays out of reach; check your manual for whether the panel is removable.
Will cleaning the element affect my air fryer's warranty? Gentle hand cleaning with a damp cloth and soft brush, done while unplugged and cooled, is standard maintenance and shouldn't void a warranty. Submerging the unit, spraying liquid directly into the housing, or disassembling parts the manual says are non-removable is what typically causes warranty issues, so stay within what your manual describes.