The Dry Pantry Staple That Makes Cleaning Spice Grinders A Breeze

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If your spice grinder smells like every dish you've cooked since 2020, one unexpected pantry staple can fix it without any scrubbing, soaking, or soaping required. Enter: rice. Uncooked white rice isn't just a budget pantry staple; it's also the simplest way to deep clean your blade grinder and erase the flavor ghost of every spice blend that has passed through. 

Just toss in a few tablespoons of grains and give it a whirl. As the rice pulverizes, it scrapes off leftover oils, absorbs funky odors, and traps spice dust you didn't even know was still in there. This trick works especially well if you're the type of person who uses the same grinder for coffee and spices or if you've ever found that your DIY pumpkin pie spice tastes like old chili powder. It's the same smart energy as practicing a nightly kitchen shutdown. There's a high payoff with low effort — with this rice hack, those lingering grinder smells will be gone in 30 seconds flat. 

Cleaning your grinder once with rice is great; cleaning it consistently is better. Aim for about once a week. Just keep in mind that rice should only be used to clean blade grinders, not burr grinders such as this Sparkfe portable electric coffee grinder.

Even if you're not making your own garlic powder every day, oils from spices and even coffee beans can eventually turn rancid, sullying everything you grind next. Start by splitting duties — use one grinder for spices and another for coffee to avoid flavor cross-contamination. If your current unit wheezes at whole cloves, consider upgrading to a stronger, easier-to-clean model with a removable bowl. You'll get a cleaner grind and fresher spice flavor.

After each use, wipe out the chamber with a dry towel or brush. If the residue is really caked on, you can also clean the grinder and blade with a slightly dampened cloth or paper towel. Aside from periodically deep cleaning with rice, you can also address stubborn smells by blitzing some baking soda, followed by a wipe down. If your model has removable parts (like a cup or lid), wash those in warm, soapy water and dry completely before reassembling.