How do you clean flour sifters?

You clean a flour sifter mostly by keeping it dry: tap and brush out the leftover flour, and wipe the sifter rather than washing it, because flour and water combine into a sticky paste that clogs the fine mesh and, on a metal sifter, can cause rust. You only wash a flour sifter with water when it really needs it, for example if it has become greasy, smelly or clogged, and then you must dry it thoroughly and completely before storing, since any trapped moisture makes the remaining flour clump and can rust the mesh and mechanism. So the golden rule is dry cleaning first, wet cleaning only when necessary and followed by very thorough drying. Our Best Flour Sifters compares five of them.

Why flour sifters are cleaned dry

The key thing to understand is that flour and water do not mix well for cleaning, which is why flour sifters are cleaned differently from most kitchen tools. Flour plus water makes a glue-like paste, so running water through a sifter full of flour residue creates a sticky dough that clings in the fine mesh and the mechanism, clogging it and being far harder to remove than dry flour. On top of that, most sifters are metal, and water left on them can cause rust in the mesh and the moving parts.

So the default for a flour sifter is dry cleaning: getting the loose flour out without water. In normal use a sifter only handles dry flour, which is not dirty in the way greasy or wet foods are, so there is usually no need to wash it at all. This is the opposite of how you clean most utensils, and understanding it, keep the flour and the water apart, is the whole key to cleaning a sifter properly.

The dry cleaning routine

For everyday cleaning, which is almost always all a sifter needs, get the leftover flour out dry. Tap the sifter firmly over the sink, a bin or a sheet of paper to knock out the loose flour, and work the mechanism (turn the crank or squeeze the handle) empty to help shake flour out of the mesh. Then use a dry pastry brush or a clean dry brush to sweep flour off the mesh and out of the corners and the mechanism, and wipe the outside with a dry cloth.

This dry brush-and-tap routine removes the flour without any water, leaving the sifter clean and dry and ready to store. Doing it after each use stops flour building up and going stale or attracting pests in the mesh. For a bit of stuck flour, a dry brush and tapping usually dislodge it, and you can hold the sifter up to the light to check the mesh is clear. For normal use, this is the complete, correct way to clean a flour sifter.

When and how to wash it with water

Occasionally a sifter does need a proper wash, for example if it has been used with something that leaves residue, has picked up grease or a smell, has flour caked on, or you want to deep clean it. When you do wash it, work quickly and do not soak it: rinse and wash it in warm water with a little dish soap and a brush to clean the mesh, working fast so the flour does not turn to paste and sit, then rinse it thoroughly to clear all flour and soap from the mesh.

The critical part is drying. After washing, you must dry the sifter completely and thoroughly, because any moisture left in the mesh or mechanism will make leftover flour clump into paste and can rust a metal sifter. Shake out the water, wipe it, and then let it air dry fully, and many people speed and ensure drying by putting the washed sifter in a warm (switched-off, cooling) oven or a very low oven for a short time, or leaving it in a warm airy spot, until every part is bone dry. Only store it once it is completely dry. Check whether your sifter is dishwasher safe before machine washing; many are not recommended for the dishwasher precisely because of the flour-paste and rust issues and the fine mechanism.

Keeping it in good condition

A few habits keep a flour sifter working and clean. Clean it dry after each use so flour does not accumulate, store it in a dry place so it does not pick up moisture that would clump the residual flour or rust it, and keep it away from damp. If you do wash it, always dry it fully as above before storing. Avoid leaving a sifter sitting with flour in it for long periods, and never put it away damp.

Treating the sifter this way, dry cleaning as the norm, wet cleaning only when needed followed by thorough drying, keeps the mesh clear so it sifts properly, prevents rust, and avoids the clumping and clogging that come from moisture meeting flour. So the answer to how you clean a flour sifter is mostly do not use water: brush and tap out the flour and wipe it, wash it only when necessary and then dry it completely, which keeps a sifter clean, rust-free and working for years.

The short answer

You clean a flour sifter mainly by keeping it dry, because flour and water make a sticky paste that clogs the fine mesh and water can rust a metal sifter. Normally, tap and brush out the leftover flour, working the mechanism empty to shake flour from the mesh, and wipe the outside with a dry cloth, which is all a sifter usually needs since it only handles dry flour. Wash it with water only when necessary, if it is greasy, smelly, caked or needs a deep clean, working quickly without soaking, using warm soapy water and a brush, and rinsing thoroughly. Then dry it completely and thoroughly, by air or in a warm cooling oven, before storing, since any trapped moisture clumps leftover flour and rusts the metal. Check whether yours is dishwasher safe, as many are not recommended for it, and store the sifter dry to keep it clear, rust-free and working.