For those of us who've become inseparable from our air fryers, imagining a life without this kitchen wonder might be a challenge. As my most-utilised gadget for whipping up swift and wholesome meals—not to mention its energy savings compared to using an oven—it's hard to look back.

Yet the downside to turning to your trusty air fryer time and again—sometimes several times within a day—is that staying on top of the cleaning can be tricky. Within just a couple of uses, you'll notice grease and muck quickly accumulating, and let's face it, these machines are no picnics to clean.

I've put several tactics to the test: dropping in dishwasher tablets, letting it bathe in sudsy piping-hot water for ages, but alas, these strategies rarely hit the mark. More often than not, I'm left scouring away relentlessly at the caked-on filth, usually winding up with my kitchen in a state of disarray, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The game-changer came when I stumbled upon a cleaning tip for air fryers from Lottomart's team, which I had to give a whirl. They suggest harnessing something quite unexpected—denture cleaner tablets—as your secret weapon against tenacious grease and leftover bits in your appliance.

Lottomart's representative hailed this proven technique, explaining: "These fizzing tablets are typically used for cleaning dentures, but they are packed with powerful ingredients like peroxide, oxidisers, baking soda, and washing soda.

"These all work together to break down the stubborn grime when mixed with warm water; the effervescent fizz acts as a catalyst, loosening grease and residue, making it much easier to wipe away." Luckily, I had some Steradent (a denture tablet brand) at home, which I use to clean my Invisalign retainers. You can purchase a pack of 30 for just 99p from Home Bargains, or four packs for £3.96.

As evident from the photos, my air fryer was in a sorry state. It had accumulated about a week's worth of grease and grime before I decided to tackle it using this method. Following the suggested steps, I began by emptying the air fryer basket, shaking out any remaining food particles and crumbs into the bin. Next, I used a damp cloth to wipe the bottom and remove any loose residue.

I then boiled water and filled the basket with it. My air fryer is quite large, so it took two kettle loads to cover the entire basket. Afterwards, I dropped one tablet, costing less than 3p per use, into the basket. The hot water activates the cleaning power of the denture tablet. As soon as the tablet hit the water, it started fizzing. This reaction is supposed to break down all the grease and grime. I let the tablet dissolve and sit for approximately 20 minutes.

After this period, I drained the murky brown water. After rinsing it a few times with warm water, I could already see a significant improvement. However, due to the poor condition of my air fryer, there was some stubborn residue that required extra effort to remove, particularly in the corner where it tends to stick.

The moment I started scrubbing these areas, the grime practically dissolved. I then gave the basket another rinse under warm water and dried it meticulously with a clean towel. It's fair to say that my air fryer now looks almost as good as new. The method was effective and cut my usual cleaning time in half.

I won't be resorting to any other cleaning techniques in the future!