Cleaning the toaster oven probably isn’t high on most people’s to-do lists, but the good news is, the task is typically much faster and less intimidating than tackling a full-size oven.It’s a good idea to clean your toaster oven whenever it starts looking cruddy, as a buildup of burnt-on food bits and crumbs is a potential fire hazard. Fats from food aerosolize onto the walls of your toaster oven, so if you don’t wipe them away after cooking, they become more difficult to clean.When cleaning a toaster oven, you’re dealing with several different types of materials, which can include stainless steel, glass, aluminum, or nonstick coatings.We recommend using an approach similar to cleaning a regular full-size oven, a process that’s safe to use on all those surfaces. But manage your expectations — it’s difficult to get a toaster oven looking like new again after prolonged use.