Less than half of people who own air fryers clean them every day, according to a survey.
The survey, which was carried out by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), also showed that 7% of daily users only clean their air fryer once a month, with 3% admitting to never cleaning them.
Research carried out by the CCPC shows that air fryers are a relatively safe appliance, but there can be fire risks if they are not used properly or cleaned regularly.
CCPC Director of Communications Gráinne Griffin said a build up or grease or oil can be an issue with a product that reaches “really extreme temperatures”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said liners are not a replacement for cleaning an air fryer properly.
She also cautioned that how an air fryer is cleaned is important, adding that “some of the things that we’ve seen on social media, people popping dishwasher tablets in air fryers, kettles of boiling water, turning them on”, are not advised and are “potentially very dangerous”.
Air fryers are a relatively safe appliance
Last year, 60,000 air fryers were recalled due to a risk of overheating.
The CCPC carried out a product safety investigation into air fryers earlier this year, and found no significant concerns among the variety of models tested.
However, it said that incidents can and do occur and urged people using air fryers to follow the manufacturers’ instructions, keep them in a well-ventilated area and clean them regularly.
Air fryers should not be immersed in water and they should not be placed against a wall or other appliances when in use.
The CCPC survey of 1,011 people, carried out with IPSOS B&A this month, found that 73% of those surveyed owned an air fryer, with 41% of them using it every day, but only 44% said they were cleaning them every day.