First, clean the outside of the Hamilton Beach can opener since there are always bits of food that splatter on the surface and get all sticky.
A damp cloth wipes away excess grime on the surface. This initial task will help with the remaining steps. The damp wipe takes care of obvious crud, but check quickly to see if metal panel still looks dull after you’re done.
Cleaning The Interior Mechanism
However, sometimes it’s just too much built up gunk that you can’t get off with water. That’s when you want something with some muscle to it. Use a heavy duty sponge or, even better, steel scrub ball. It gets in there goodly.
Then you press hard on the metal with the steel wool ball and the rough part of the steel wool scrubs into all those tiny little nooks and crannies, where all the gunk has settled for months. It lift it right out and restores the shine to your metal again.
You dry the device with a dry tissue after the rough scrubbing action. It’s not just removing the particles but also leftover moisture, which makes for a smooth and clean feeling to the touch.
It looks a lot better now as compared to earlier. But we’re not quite finished yet, since most of buildup occurs at the blade area. That’s where food particles gets caught while it’s on, so they need to be cleaned beyond what is clearly visible.
The cover of this thing just slides off and exposes the guts, the gear and blade assembly. Now it’s time to get in there real good. It’s a snug area with some action going on in there. You’ll want everything clean off.
Removing the covers is simple but once you get inside, the interior mechanism can appear pretty gnarly. Buildup occur all along the gears and around the cutting edge, especially when used a lot. Getting it cleaned up takes a little finesse and attention.
For this, we’re going to pull out our little wire brush. The tight assembly allow those bristles to go right where they need to go. By gently working around all of the metallic pieces, you will help loosen any debris that has become lodged there.
It’s important to keep things clean, but some spots might be more stubborn then others. If cleaning them with the brush doesn’t work and the gunk just won’t come off the metal, it’s time to use something stronger to scrape it away.
You’ll need some sort of tool with a knife edge for this delicate task. But be gentle with it! You don’t want to damage the blade.
Just lightly scrape off the debris with the point of your knife, as the sharp edge will pick up gunk without damaging the workings. A light touch and patience are required here… but when it’s all over you have a much cleaner inner assembly that works like new again.
Both the inside and outside of can opener are spotless again and look nearly brand new. While easy to do, every step required a little extra effort.
Appliances work best when properly maintained, and there you have it…your kitchen gear’s good to go.
