How to Clean a Vitamix Blender – Simple Guide with 15 Images

If you are happy with your new high-speed blender, you might be wondering how to clean a Vitamix blender. After all, what you want is your new blender to continue looking brand new for as long as possible.

Vitamix 5200 Blender

Maybe you have owned your blender for some time now and notice the jar is getting a little cloudy with brown stains. It can get smelly too even after cleaning it after each use with warm water and dish soap.

In this article, you’ll learn the best way to clean a Vitamix blender, how to deep clean it and how to remove stains and odors.

How to Clean a Vitamix Blender – Quick Method

The quick method of how to clean a Vitamix is to be used after each use. Best if done inmediately after use so as not let it dry with food particles in it. Folllowing are the steps:

  1. Inmediately after each use, rinse the container with warm water in the kitchen sink. Add a drop of dish soap and fill it to half-full with warm water.
  2. Attach the lid, start the blender and turn the speed dial to “1”. Slowly increase the speed to the highest setting and run for 30 seconds and turn it off.
  3. Discard the soapy water and rinse with water.
  4. Separate the lid, tamper(if used) and container and let them air dry upside down.

How to Clean a Cloudy Vitamix Blender – Deep Clean Method

When you have used your Vitamix blender for a long time, it is inevitable to have some stains in the container. Maybe sometimes you didn’t clean the container inmediately after use, or you blended some recipes that left a sticky mess in your blender. Overtime, this result in your container looking cloudy.

In the following picture you can see our Vitamix container lloking cloudy and with brown stains. This stains won’t come out with just warm water and soap.

Brown stained Vitamix blender jar

In the following picture you can see the blade of our container, it has some brown stains. Continue reading to see how to deep clean a Vitamix cloudy container.

Stained Vitamix blender blade
Before-After Vitamix blender

To remove these stains we are going to use the foolowing tools:
1. White Vinegar
2. Baking soda
3. Non-abrasive sponge
4. Warm water
5. Damp cloth

10 minutes

White Vinegar to remove stains

vinegar for Vitamix blender

We are going to use white vinegar to remove some of the stains. We prefer not to use magic eraser, clr or other harsh or strong chemicals in cleaning a Vitamix blender because those are harmful if ingested.

Step 1. Add White Vinegar

Add vinegar to Vitamix blender

Add 4 cups of white vinegar to the Vitamix container.

Step 2. Secure the Lid

Vitamix blender lid

Secure the lid to the container and place it on the Vitamix motor base.

Step 3. Run the Blender

Turn on Vitamix blender

Set the Speed dial in the “1” speed and turn ON the blender.

Step 4. Slowly Increase Speed

Increase speed Vitamix blender

Slowly increase the speed of the machine.

Step 5. Set the Speed to the highest setting

High speed Vitamix blender

When you reach the highest speed, in our case “10” speed, run the blender for 5 minutes.

Step 6. Check the results

Some stains removed Vitamix blender

When the 5 minutes at the highest setting has passed, discard the white vinegar and check to see if the stains are compeltely removed. If there are still some stains like in our case, continue to the next step.

Step 7. Grab a Non-abrasive sponge

Nonabrasive sponge to clean Vitamix blender

We will be using a non-abrasive sponge to clean the inside of the container and scrub tto remove the tougher stains.

Step 8. Add Baking Soda

Baking soda to clean Vitamix blender

Add some baking soda inside the container.

Step 9. Scrub with the sponge

Scrub Vitamix blender with sponge

Scrub with the non-abrasive sponge the inside of the container. With the help of the baking soda, the stains should start to disapear. You will need a lot of elbow grease to remove the tougher stains.

Step 10. Clean the motor base

Cleaned Vitamix blender

Now that you have removed all stains from the container we go ahead and clean the motor base.
With a damp cloth, wipe all surfaces and sides of the motor base. The centering pad at the bottom of the motor base is removable. Clean under it and the pad itself.

Tips and Tricks

  1. Never submerge the Vitamix motor base in ater or any other liquid.
  2. Always unplug the Vitamix blender form the wall outlet when cleaning the base.
  3. Never use metal utensils to clean your blender jar and base. This utensils will stratch the jar and the base.

FAQs on How to Clean a Vitamix Blender

Can I clean my Vitamix blender in the Dishwasher?

Yes, the container and lid of Vitamix blender are dishwasher safe. We don’t recommend cleaning them in the dishwasher because it puts stress on the container, blade and bearings. The high temperatures in the dishwasher can harm the plastic in the container and lid. it is best to wash by hand as this will prolong the life of your machine.

How to eliminate odors from Vitamix blender?

If your blender has some odors even after cleaning it with warm water and soap you can try the following:
Fill the container with warm water and white vinegar, let soak for at least four hours, or as long as overnight. After the soak is finished, dump out the contents, then run through the quick-cleaning steps using dish soap and warm water. 

How to remove turmeric stains from Vitamix blender?

Turmeric is super pigmented so it tends to leave a golden trace on everything it touches. It is highly recommended to clean as soon as you finished blending turmeric in your Vitamix to avoid this staining.
To remove turmeric stains we will need th help of the sun. Leave the container out in the sun for 4 hours. Then add some baking soda and scrub with a non-abarasive sponge. Rinse with warm water and let it air dry.

What is the best way to clean a Vitamix?

To extend the life of your Vitamix, always wash it by hand after each use. This will keep the container and blade worjing at its optimal performance.

Do I need to remove the blade to clean my Vitamix container?

You can only remove the blade on 3 Vitamix containers, the 40oz container, 20oz container, and 8 oz bowl. No, the blade does not need to be removed to do a quick clean or deep clean.

Final Thoughts

The best way to remove stains and odors from a Vitamix blender is to prevent them from forming in the first place. You can prevent this by cleaning your machine by hand after each use.

If your blender is not from the Vitamix brand you can follow our specific guide for the following brands:

  1. Black and Decker
  2. Blendtec
  3. Ninja
  4. Nutribullet
  5. Oster

Happy blending!