Having toast in the morning with breakfast is an American tradition. You pop the white bread into the toaster, and moments later, it's a warm, crispy, and brown piece of toast that you can lather with butter and jam to make a delicious side dish to bacon and eggs. That is, as long as the bread stays down in the toaster long enough to turn into toast. Sometimes, no matter how many times you press the knob down, the bread pops right back up as soon as you release the knob. For many people, this is a sign to replace the toaster with a new one, but if you like to fix things, here's what you can do to get your toaster working again when the problem is that there are too many bread crumbs in the toaster.
Safety Considerations
Make sure you unplug the toaster from the electrical outlet to avoid getting shocked while working on it.
Remove Cover
The cover has to be removed so you can get to the magnetic components that hold the carrier bar down so the bread can be toasted. The screws are located on the bottom of the toaster. Before you flip the toaster over, you should put some paper towels down to catch the crumbs that will invariably fall out of the toaster.
Remove the screws and turn the toaster back upright. Remove the knobs on the front and gently lift up the cover to remove it. There are wires that run along the bottom of the toaster to a control panel in the front. These wires can get caught in the cover and you can damage them if you are not careful.
Set the cover to the side once you have removed it.
Removing the Crumbs
There will probably be a lot of crumbs inside the toaster, but the crumbs you really need to remove are the ones covering the magnetic strips on the toaster. When you press down on the knobs, the magnetic strips are activated to hold the carrier bar until the thermostat in the toaster reaches a certain temperature and the toast will pop up. Bread crumbs can prevent the two magnetic strips from connecting to each other.
One magnetic strip is affixed to the bottom of the toaster while the other one is connected to the carrier bar. Wipe away the crumbs from the strips with a soft bristled brush until the surfaces are completely clean.
Testing the Toaster
Put the cover back on (be careful not to pinch any wires), reinstall the knobs, and plug the toaster back in. Press the knob down to make sure it doesn't pop up right away anymore.
If your toaster is still misbehaving after attempting these repairs, your best bet is to contact an appliance repair company, like Roia Appliance.
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