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10 Super Simple Ways to Clean Your Microwave

Haven't cleaned your microwave in... months? These are the simple ways to clean your microwave in an instant without any hassle.

By Penny NewtonPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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Some people don't understand how filthy, messy, and absolutely gross microwaves can eventually get. Since they're mainly used to heat up our meals, it shouldn't be a surprise to discover some filth in the corners of the microwave. Sometimes our food can pop a little from the reaction of the microwave, and bits and pieces of food get stuck on the inner walls and on the bottom. While many of us look past wiping down our microwaves, filth continues to build up the more we use it. And after months of not cleaning it, our microwave looks like a blackhole of utter disgust.

That's why it's super important to clean our microwaves often. Yes, not once in a while, but regularly. They get dirty fairly quickly, and you wouldn't want to heat up your delicious meals while there's leftover pieces of food from months ago stuck in the corners and walls of the microwave, right? No one would want that. And cleaning a microwave isn't rocket science, either. There are really easy ways to make your microwave spotless without a drop of sweat gliding down your forehead. To finally clean your microwave after a whole year, these are the simple ways to clean your microwave swiftly!

Vinegar

Vinegar is one of the best solutions to clean many products and appliances in your kitchen. And using vinegar to clean your microwave can do wonders for it. Simply pour one cup of white vinegar into a measuring cup or a bowl with one cup of water.

Then place it in the microwave and put your microwave to five to ten minutes. Once the time is up, carefully remove the cup from the microwave with an oven mitt. Next, with a wet sponge or a rag, wipe the inside of the microwave. The steam from the water and vinegar should have loosened any spillage and splatters in the microwave.

Lemon Essential Oil

Using a lemon essential oil is one of the best, simple ways to clean your microwave. Wet your sponge, and place it in the microwave. Next, fill your spray bottle with a few ounces of water and three to five drops of lemon essential oil.

With the mixture, spray the inside of your microwave. But make sure you spray it in every corner of the microwave. Afterwards, turn the microwave on for about two minutes with the sponge still inside. When the sponge has cooled down enough to handle it, use it to clean around the microwave. This should leave your microwave clean and spotless.

Lemon

This is one of the more unique and simple ways to clean your microwave—with a lemon! Lemon is also a great alternative to cleaning kitchen appliances, and it's very effective, too. Just grab a lemon, cut it into slices, and place them in a bowl full of water.

Microwave it for about three minutes or until the water is boiling. Once the time is done, wipe the inside of the microwave with a sponge or paper towel. And now your microwave should smell like citrusy lemons! Lemon is also one of the best ways to eliminate lingering orders naturally in your microwave.

Dish Soap

With a microwavable bowl, fill it with warm water and as much dish soap as you think you’ll need. But don’t overdo it. Using dish soap to clean your microwave is a great option, as well!

Then, place the bowl in the microwave for about one minute or until it starts to steam. After you take the bowl out of the microwave, get a fairly damp sponge and wipe down the inside of the microwave. The steam from the soapy water should have loosened the spillage and gunk from the inside of the microwave and you can easily clean it up.

Window Cleaner

Yes, window cleaner is definitely one of the simple ways to clean your microwave in a breeze. With a bowl, mix two parts of window cleaner with one part warm water. While this dilutes the solution, it also becomes much more effective. Then dip your sponge in the mixture and scrub down the inside of the microwave. This way, you’re scrubbing off all of the spots and stains that are left in the microwave.

Now with a clean rag, soak the rag in fresh water and wipe down every single corner and surface of the microwave. Make sure you clean up all of the residue that’s left behind by the window cleaner. Then with a dry rag, go over again once more and dry every spot of the microwave.

Wet Paper Towels

Wet paper towels are one of the more simple ways to clean your microwave! Yes, that's literally it. Take a couple of paper towels and soak them in water. Then, place them inside of the microwave and turn the microwave on for about five minutes.

This way, the steam from the wet paper towels will soften any leftover pieces of food in the microwave. Once the time is done and the paper towels have cooled down, use them to wipe around the microwave. This is probably the easiest alternative to cleaning the inside of a microwave ever. And it's also one of the ingenious lifehacks for lazy people!

Want something more professional and designed to specially clean your microwave? Glisten's microwave cleaner is super effective and can leave the inside of your microwave literally spotless. Plus, it's totally hassle-free and it's super affordable if you're worried about the price.

With one of the sponges, simply soak it in water and place it in the microwave. After leaving it in the microwave for a few minutes, when the time is up, wait until the sponge is cool enough to take out. Then with the sponge, start cleaning and wiping down the inside of the microwave. In addition, these sponges give off the delicious scent of lemons!

Baking Soda

You can certainly use baking soda as a way to clean your microwave. While it’s one of the more simple ways to clean your microwave, it’s also strong in breaking down any spots and stains left behind. In order to remove any spills on the bottom or the turntable of the microwave, you can make a paste out of baking soda and water.

Apply the paste on any hardened mess and allow it to sit in the microwave for about five minutes. Then, wipe the baking soda with a wet sponge or a piece of cloth and get rid of the residue that's leftover with a paper towel. The paste softened the hardened spillage and makes it easier to wipe away.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

What happens when you combine vinegar with baking soda? You get the ultimate mixture to clean your microwave—it's baking soda and vinegar science! Since both ingredients are affordable, people use this method the most. Add four tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water. But make sure you properly mash and stir the baking soda so that the powder completely dissolves.

Then dip a piece of cloth or sponge into the mixture and use it to clean every corner of the microwave. Afterwards, pour equal parts water and vinegar into a microwaveable bowl and place it into the microwave for three minutes or until the water starts to boil. Once the time is up, remove the bowl carefully and wait for the mixture to cool down because you'll use it to clean the interior of the microwave. Continue this until there isn’t any baking soda left in the microwave.

Lastly, from the simple ways to clean your microwave is the Microwave Cleaning Angry Mom! This product brings some fun to cleaning the microwave and it's totally affordable. Plus, seeing the product steam rapidly is very entertaining to watch.

Once you get the product, fill the bottle with vinegar and water. Then, place it in the microwave for a few minutes and watch the Angry Mom's head start steaming! The steam should loosen any hardened spillage in the microwave, which makes it much easier to wipe down. And you can use this product as many times as you want.

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About the Creator

Penny Newton

Penny Newton: Dreams of honeymooning on the moon. Owns about 20 galaxy dresses and wishes to be probed by aliens one day.

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