Cleaning a honey extractor can be quite easy: all you need is a spatula (or something to scrape off the leftover honey), some hot water, and a soft brush. With these, you can thoroughly clean the honey extractor in 7 steps.
In this article, we will show you how to clean your honey extractor properly, so keep reading! This method of cleaning a honey extractor works for both manual honey extractors and electric honey extractors.
How to Clean a Honey Extractor
The whole process of cleaning a honey extractor( both manual and electric) can be broken into 7 steps. Follow these steps to clean your honey extractor, and for electric honey extractors, take extra care not to wet the motors and electrical components.
- Start by draining any remaining honey. You can use a spatula or a specialized scraper to remove the remaining honey from the drum and basket. Try to do it as soon as possible, before the honey starts to crystallize.
- Gently rinse the extractor with warm water.
- Fill the extractor’s drum with warm water and let it soak for a while. This will help dissolve any hardened and crystallized honey.
- Using a cloth or a soft brush, gently scrub the basket and drum. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
- It’s time to dry your extractor. You can do it by wiping it with a dry cloth or leaving it to air dry.
- If you have an electrical honey extractor, make sure that its motor and electrical parts never get in contact with water.
Overall, these steps are the same for the manual and electric honey extractors, but you need to be more careful with the electric ones, because you can’t allow water anywhere near their motors and electrical parts.
Extra Tips For Cleaning an Electric Honey Extractor
Electric honey extractors are a bit more sensitive than the manual ones when cleaning. If you tried to soak them in water as thoroughly as you would with the manual honey extractors, their electrical components would get damaged, and the extractor would become useless.
So, here are some additional tips on how to clean a honey extractor, in case it’s an electric one:
- Never forget to unplug it before cleaning.
- Make sure that electrical components stay dry when you are soaking and rinsing the drum and basket.
- When drying the extractor after cleaning, ensure it is completely dry before storing it in a dry location.
- Clean the motor with a damp cloth and make sure that honey doesn’t seep into this area.
To make it even easier for you to understand the difference in catering for a manual vs. an electric honey extractor, here is this table:
| Step | Manual Honey Extractor | Electric Honey Extractor |
| Drain & scrape honey | Remove any leftover honey with a spatula or scraper. | Remove any leftover honey with a spatula or scraper. |
| Warm water rinse | Rinse the entire drum freely with warm water. | Rinse drum with warm water, but make sure to avoid motor & electrical components. |
| Soak for crystallized honey | Fill the drum with warm water and let the honey dissolve. | Do the same, but make sure water does not reach the motor area. |
| Scrub interior | Use a soft brush or cloth to scrub the basket and drum, but don’t use soap. | Do the same, but again, keep the motor housing dry. |
| Final rinse | Thoroughly rinse the extractor with clean warm water. | Rinse just the drum and basket. Do not splash anywhere near electrical components. |
| Drying | Air dry or wipe completely dry. | Air dry or wipe, ensuring no moisture near the motor. |
| Extra care | No extra care is needed. | Wipe motor housing with a damp cloth and never submerge under water. Keep it dry at all times. |
Why You Should Clean Your Honey Extractor
First, before you learn how to clean a honey extractor, you need to understand why it is so important to keep it clean. The most obvious reason is due to hygiene - you don’t want to contaminate your honey by using a dirty honey extractor. Contaminating honey will affect its quality and flavor, and that’s something you want to avoid.
Another reason why you shouldn’t leave your honey extractor dirty is the fact that leftover honey will crystallize fairly quickly. This will make it harder to be removed later, which can significantly reduce the lifespan of your equipment.
Let’s not forget that leftover honey also attracts ants, flies, and other pests. You sure don’t want your honey extractor to be full of dead insects!
Electric vs. Manual Honey Extractor - Which One To Get?
Apart from the fact that you need to be more careful when cleaning an electric honey extractor, there are several other differences between the manual and electric extractors.
- Manual extractors are usually cheaper and more portable, but electric extractors are more efficient, especially if you have multiple hives.
- With manual extractors, you need to do all the spinning yourself, which can put a lot of strain on your arms. Electric extractors do all the work for you, and they do it much more quickly.
But of course, if you only have one beehive, or if you prefer to do things manually, a manual extractor will work just fine.
Affordable Honey Extractors from Co-Z Palace
If you still need to buy a honey extractor, we have selected two great options for you. One is manual, and the other is electric:
1. CO-Z 2 Frame Manual Honey Extractor with Adjustable Stands
This 2 Frame manual honey extractor is made of a 201 food-grade stainless steel drum. It is sturdy, rust-resistant, and easy to clean: The fluid-action manual crank is solid. Enjoy the process of extracting honey.
The drum is not directly attached to the floor. No need to worry about dust getting into honey.
2. CO-Z 3 Frame Electric Honey Extractor with Transparent Plexiglass Covers
With a 140W motor reaching 1300rpm, this 3 Frame electric honey extractor quickly extracts honey from up to 3 frames of any size. It comes with a honey gate for easy flow and transparent covers for observation.
Conclusion
Learning how to clean a honey extractor is not hard, but it is extremely important for keeping your honey and beekeeping equipment in the best condition. Clean your extractor as quickly as possible after the extraction. If you are using an electric extractor, don’t get its electrical components wet.
