Did you know this compartment in your toaster exists?

When you make toast in the morning you probably do it on autopilot - not noticing the many fascinating components of the appliance.

Indeed, did you even know that toasters have a hidden crumb tray which works behind the scenes to avoid you making a big mess?

Christian Strandoo, product manager at Morphy Richards, told The Express: "The crumb tray sits underneath your toaster and catches errant crumbs so that they don’t build up inside the toaster slots.

"If you’ve never noticed it before, the crumb tray compartment can usually be opened from the back of the toaster and it will slide out from underneath."

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The toaster expert said that these should be cleaned at least once a week.

To make sure this is cleaned you can simply remove the crumb tray from the bottom of the toaster, empty the crumbs into the bin then get a damp paper towel or cloth and wipe away any remaining crumbs before putting it back in.

But he added: "Cleaning the crumb tray regularly will increase the lifespan of the product – which of course will be cost-saving and more sustainable over time."

So now you know.

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