If you’re like me, you use your Vitamix every day. Mine gets used at least once a day, starting with a morning smoothie. MMM…there is no better way to kick off your day than with a delicious,  smoothie or smoothie bowl. 

I generally rinse out my blender rather than wash it everyday. I mean, if there is stuck on pancake batter or cashew cheese, I will wash it in the sink, but day-to-day I simply rinse it out with water and let it air dry until next use.

Over time, fruit residue and hard water stains have turned my Vitamix container from nice and clear to cloudy and brown. Not very attractive to say the least.

This blender does not owe me a thing, I use it all the time to make delicious food that I otherwise would be unable to make. I owe it to the blender to give it some love and clean it so that it may sparkle once again.

If you don’t feel like reading through all the steps outlined below, no worries there’s a video version of the method as well. 

What you will need

Luckily, deep cleaning your vitamix does not require many supplies. Depending on how dirty it is, you will need one to three items that you probably have in your pantry and kitchen area right now.

  1. Vinegar
  2. Baking Soda
  3. Sponge or other scrubbing device


  1. Starting off with a clean blender container, pour in 3-4 cups of vinegar.

2. Attach the lid to the container, including the plastic middle piece to prevent splatter. Set the blender on the base.

3. Turn the blender on high and let it rip for around 5 minutes.

4. Turn off blender and allow vinegar to cool before discarding.

5. Discard used vinegar. I prefer to pour my vinegar into a mason jar and reuse it a few times before dumping it down the drain. You can also try cleaning your coffee carafe with the warm vinegar. Why not have a super productive day and clean two appliances?

If your blender is cleaned to your liking, congrats! You are finished! Just wash the container with some soapy water and you are set. However, if your blender is as dirty as mine, grab the baking soda, sponge, and a lot of elbow grease and continue with the following steps.

7. Pour some baking soda onto the sponge and in the blender container and SCRUB! When you think you’re done, scrub some more!

8. Rinse out your Vitamix container and marvel in your hard work and clean blender! I must admit, my blender did not come totally clean, but it is a world of difference better. I am happy with the results for sure. 

To help keep the gross brown build-up at bay, try blending the vinegar once every one to two weeks. I know I am going to do that from now on! Also, to prevent hard water stains, try drying your blender container with a towel instead of letting it air dry

Here are some pictures of my blender after cleaning.

Here are a few before and after cleaning shots to really illustrate how much cleaner my Vitamix really is.

How do you keep your blender clean? Do you have any other tips or tricks? Let me know in the comments below.


  1. Donna Riccardo

    These things are expensive. Hard to believe they can’t find better plastic and a way to make one that doesn’t get scale. Even taking these steps doesn’t get it completely clean and mine didn’t start out completely cloudy, just in areas. It’s almost impossible to get the scale of the areas that have the vertical ridges.

    • Donna Riccardo

      I have also found that washing it with hot water and dish soap, rather than just rinsing it, helps to slow down the accumulation of scale.


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