How To Clean Crock Pot Inside Out and Top To Bottom

CRYSTAL H.  |   |   Updated
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In most cases the inner pot of a slow cooker can go in the dishwasher, but the complete crock pot can’t. Over time it’ll get discolored with burnt-on residue. Here I go deep into how restore your appliance — to clean your crock pot inside out and top to bottom so it looks spick and span.

how to clean a slow cooker, clean crock pot

I cover how to clean a crock pot with burnt on food, how to clean the crock pot base, the lid, and how to deal with smells, stains, and grease residue, as well as how to clean an older crock pot that doesn’t have a removable stoneware liner.

To avoid confusion: Here ‘slow cooker’ and ‘crock pot’ mean the same for purposes of this article, because a lot of folks call a slow cooker, with a ceramic bowl, a crock pot, and vis versa.

On cleaning a slow cooker

Can you put the ceramic part of a slow cooker in the dishwasher? Yes you can put the ceramic part of a slow cooker in the dishwasher–if it’s removable. Simply remove the slow cooker inner pot and lid and pop it in the dishwasher. These are dishwasher safe and so can go in the automatic washer for cleanup.

Problem cleaning:

  • Food that gets burnt on and doesn’t come off easy.
  • The dishwasher leaves the stoneware inner pot with residue inside and this needs extra cleaning to remove what remains for a sparkling finish.
  • Hand cleaning of the base that has the heating element gets overlooked and has crusted-on stains that are a problem to remove.

Older fixed types can’t be immersed in water.

The base with the heating element also can’t go into the water.

The user manual gives an overview of cleaning and maintaining the slow cooker. You should follow the company’s manual so you don’t void the warranty.

In case you don’t have the user manual, or are looking for extra information for problem cleaning, read on…

The goal of deep cleaning your crockpot

The 3 reasons — the goal of crock pot cleaning…

  1. Good hygiene in the kitchen
  2. A crock pot looking like new is more appealing on the tabletop and if you’re lending or passing it on to someone
  3. Satisfaction: A versatile easy-to-maintain clean appliance

No doubt there are more reasons, but the first goal alone is important enough.

I set out the ‘how to’ below, starting with what you need, how to clean inside of crock pot, the heating element base, and lid; and then how to clean an older crock pot that has the insert attached. Among this, you’ll find answers to questions about stains and white residue…

How to clean crock pot liner, more to consider than knowing your crockpot dishwasher safe feature, how to clean crock pot base, how to clean crock pot insert, how to clean a burnt crock pot, how to clean inside of crock pot,  how to clean my crock pot

First steps: What You Need to know and to get

What’s the state of your crock pot and what about it needs cleaning? So, first up…

Get to know your crock pot: Modern crock pots have a lid, the cooker base, and a removable stoneware liner (what I prefer). In older types, the stoneware crock pots’ inner part is fixed to the base and can’t be cleaned separately.

If it has a fixed slow cooker stoneware pot — you won’t be able to separate it for cleaning – but I have that covered in a section below.

If it has a removable inner ceramic pot — Take the removable stoneware liner out and look at the inside of the metal base containing the slow cooker heating element. Is it cruddy? Sometimes we overlook this part of the crock pot when it comes time for cleanup.

It’s best to clean it to help keep creepy crawlies out of your kitchen, and to keep your crock pot performing at its best.

The same applies to the lid and the rim of the crockpot. Check for build up of grime in the grooves and crevices.

Discoloration, stains and residue: What about the removable pot? Is it stained? Is there discoloration — like white residue marks remaining on the surface?

What to get to clean the crock pot

Here’s the list of supplies — what I recommend for use in get a sparkling clean crockpot top to bottom:

  • Baking soda
  • Bar Keepers Cleanser & Polish (recommended but optional)
  • Soft cloth or sponge x 2
  • Magic cleaning sponge (optional)
  • Dish detergent
  • Warm water
  • Non-abrasive pot scourer
  • Hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice

How to clean inside of crock pot

The follow is how to clean ceramic crock pot liner.

  1. Add soapy water. You need to fill the crock pot with hot water to just above the line of the burnt food. Add a squirt of dish detergent, and let it soak for at least 30 min. (I leave mine for an hour or so, and sometimes overnight.)
  1. Remove food particles. Then use a non-scratch scouring pad with the soapy water to scrub away the food particles from the sides and bottom of the pot, rinse and then dry.
  1. Final scrub. If you find some hard to move residue remaining, do a final scrub with baking soda. Baking soda is great for cleaning away burnt-on residue.
  1. Rinse and dry for a sparkling clean finish

(Some people refer to stoneware and others to ceramic when talking about the pot. I use these interchangeably in this article. The same goes for crock pot — ‘Crock Pot‘ being a brand name of a slow cooker)

how to clean a stone crock, soaking a ceramic bowl of a crock pot
Soaking a crock pot. I’ve used a lot of dish detergent for this photo effect but you don’t need so much.

Tip: You shouldn’t need to use a harsh cleaner or abrasive scourer and it’s a good idea to avoid using sharp knives or utensils to clean a burnt crock pot. These sharp or abrasive instruments can scratch the surface and lead to staining of your pot with use over time and it will be harder to get a sparkling finish as a result.

Extra tip: When cleaning also avoid sudden temperature changes e.g. cold to hot or vice versa, to avoid potential cracks.

Clean Crock Pot
Sparkling clean after soaking and scrubbing using my method in this article

How to clean crock pot base

The slow cooker base contains the heating element over which the removable stoneware pot sits (if you have the modern style). This is the metal part that you plug-in, so (did I mention the warranty) NEVER submerge this component in water.

Inside the slow cooker base, you might find the occasional crock pot messes have resulted in burnt-on residue.

Even with the best care taken during the cooking process, messing of inside the base does happen.

Things that cause this…

The condensation under the lid that forms during the cooking process runs down the side of the pot as you lift the lid. Sometimes when you’re stirring or spooning out the contents, there’s that tiniest spillage of cooking liquid that seeps down into the base.

Cleaning crock pot base

The slow cooker base is generally made of aluminum or sometimes stainless steel and can get dark burnt-on residue from crock pot overflow or drips and spillages just like any cookware.

Illustration showing the metal base of the slow cooker with stains to show what you need to know for how to clean inside the base of the crock pot
Cleaning crock pot: The inside of a crock pot heating base with dark burnt-on residue from drips and spillages

How to clean a crock pot base? To clean the inside of a crock pot base, I prefer to use baking soda in a paste with some water. Or, even better, Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser & Polish.

Scrub with a pot sponge and a little bit of elbow grease to clean inside the heating element base and then wiping a few times with a damp cloth or paper towel to remove the loosened grime. I then allow it to dry.

how to clean crock pot base, bar keepers friend cleanser & polish
Cleaner for cookware and an all rounder in the kitchen

Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser & Polish will remove the residue and as an all-rounder cleaner is a useful product in the kitchen for rejuvenating cookware, stainless steel finishes, and more. It’s available at Amazon, also in liquid form with a non-scratch scouring scrubber included — see what users say here.

For how to clean the inside of a crock pot base, I also found simply rubbing the inside with a Magic Cleaner Sponge removes most burnt-on residue.

A method you’ll find recommended elsewhere involves using ammonia. I prefer to steer away from ammonia because of its odor and corrosive nature.

But if you don’t mind it and you feel you need something stronger, then you can check out Jillee’s approach that ‘lets the fumes do the work’ (or part of it – her second step involves scrubbing with hydrogen peroxide). 

For cleaning the outside of the crock pot base, wipe it over with a damp cloth or sponge soaked in vinegar or simply soapy water.

Here’s the best approach: Each time, after you’ve used the crock pot and the heating element has cooled, give the inside and outside of the metal base a wipe to remove drips and spillages. This will eliminate the need to go into approaches of using an oven cleaner or other harsh methods and will keep your appliance in top condition.

How to clean crock pot lid

The typical crock pot lid is dishwasher safe but it is also easy to clean. I simply hand wash mine in warm soapy water and rinse or I may place it in the dishwasher for a hot wash.

Check the rim and lid of your pot

Make sure to check you’ve cleaned around the grooves and indents of the crockpot rim and lid, where you can easily miss any grime that accumulates. If the lid of your crock pot has a vent, check that this hole is not clogged.

Next, how to clean crock pot stoneware liner with burnt-on food…

How to clean crock pot with burnt-on food

Say you’ve left the slow cooker on overnight and ended up with a crusty rim around the contents that’s burnt on.

This is how to wash crock-pot stoneware bowl with burnt-on food…

To clean a crock pot with burnt-on food, you could try a special stoneware cleaner, but I found the best way is to:

  1. Simply soak the removable stoneware inner pot, filling it with warm sudsy water to above the burnt-on area.
  2. Let it sit for a few hours, overnight if possible, and then hand wash to remove the residue. It should have softened to make it easier to remove with just a bit of scrubbing.

I prefer this cleanup method over using an abrasive cleaner that may etch the surface of the inner pot exposing it to stubborn stains and making it harder to clean next time around.

How to clean an older crock pot

Cleaning a crock pot that has the stoneware inner pot fixed to the base means you need to hand clean the pot without submerging it in water.

Just adapt the cleaning process given above without placing the unit in water. That is, add water and detergent to soak the burnt-on food before scrubbing it with a non-scratch scourer to remove the food. Empty the soiled water and then fill with fresh water a couple of times and empty to rinse, and then dry.

When I had one of these, I found placing the unit beside the sink on the benchtop is best for cleaning. I would use a dish towel or sponge beneath it to collect any overflow from the cleaning process.

More tips for cleaning crock-pot stoneware liner

Sometimes you might have stains or residue after dry cooking in a slow cooker or a ring of baked on crust left from a meal cooked with liquid.

Cleaning the mess sooner rather than later will make life easier for you. The longer you leave the burnt on food and residue the harder it will be to remove.

Spillage or crust, if left, will dry and harden, making it harder to shift.

Make it a habit, after enjoying your slow cooker meal, to remove and store left overs and then don’t wait…do the soaking (at least), then the necessary cleanup of the inner pot.

How to clean a crock pot with vinegar

Vinegar is great for removing odors and can be used to wipe down outside and inside the metal heating base of the crock pot. It’s also useful to cut through and remove any remaining film of grease left after cleaning.

How to get the smell out of a crock pot? A tip for how to get rid of smell in crock pot is to wipe it inside and out with white vinegar. You can also try lemon juice. (Baking soda also eliminates odors.)

Apart from this, I prefer to use baking soda and dish detergent to remove the burnt-on residue in the crock pot.

Removing crock pot stains 

How to get stains out of white crock pot? To remove stubborn crock pot stains, especially if the inner ceramic pot is white, after you have rubbed it with baking soda and rinsed it, try wiping the surface with a damp cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice. Leave for an hour or so. This will bleach the stains, and leave the surface sparkling clean and sanitized.

I found this worked on mine.

Removing white residue in slow cooker

White residue on your slow cooker ceramic pot can appear after washing it in the dishwasher. This is one of the drawbacks of using a dishwasher to clean your removable stoneware liner.

Once again, you can use baking soda mixed with a little cold water in a small bowl to form a paste and give the inside of the pot a scrub to remove the white residue.

Crock pot single use liners

Some people prefer to use slow cooker liners that you can dispose of after the cooking process to avoid this problem of burnt-on food. For more on these, see my article on the pros and cons of slow cooker liners. I also cover some alternatives that you may find helpful.

Final thoughts

It’s best to routinely clean the crock pot inside and out after each use to make it simple to maintain a sparkling clean crock pot.

Maintaining a clean crock pot inside out and top to bottom makes for good hygiene in the kitchen and will have you enjoying your crock pot for years to come.

Click here for great examples of programmable crock pots / slow cookers.

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©ceramiccookwarehub.com original article created: 2020-10-07