Electric toasters with slots in the top for the bread all have one thing in common: they collect bread crumbs and dust, and need to be cleaned regularly.

Cleaning an electric toaster is not merely good sanitation. It is also fire prevention. Left uncleaned, a toaster will eventually collect enough crumbs and dust to begin to smoulder, or to create a short in the heating elements, or both. Either of these creates a fire hazard.