How to Fix a Broken Toaster

A toaster is an extremely helpful kitchen appliance. While a toaster might be a relatively inexpensive gadget, nothing is more aggravating than not having your morning slice of whole grain toast, Pillsbury Toaster Streudel, Pop Tart, or waffle magically pop up like it was supposed to. This a.m. frustration can indeed become a major early morning annoyance if you let it.

In the world of toasters, an ounce of prevention can really go a long way as far as prolonging the life of your faithful appliance. The build-up of crumbs is one of the most common problems associated with toasters. Not only is this the easiest problem to prevent, a build-up of crumbs can also make your appliance more likely to catch on fire or have other more complicated internal issues.

Thankfully, if an overabundance of crumbs is your toaster's only problem, the issue can generally be remedied in a snap. After using your toaster, first, unplug it from the electrical outlet. Wait until the electrical components have cooled off. Then, clean the crumbs out of your toaster.

Most pop up toasters have a small flap, or lid, on the bottom that slides or pushes open so you can do this relatively easily. Be careful not to shake your appliance, turn it upside down, and do not immerse it in water. Shaking the toaster can cause other problems, and so can turning it upside down. Most toasters say right on them not to immerse them in water, because if water gets into the heating components the toaster will stop working, and it can be an additional fire hazard. By simply keeping an appliance clean, this will undoubtedly result in your toaster having a longer more useful lifespan.

Proper use of a toaster is another important factor. The button or mechanism that you depress, which lowers and raises your toast, can commonly slide out of place over time, and sometimes faster with more aggressive wear and tear. Be careful not to exert too much force on this lever, even if you're in a hurry, or having a frustrating morning. Also, do not force this lever back up again while it's still halfway through the middle of its heating cycle.