Simple Steps to Cleaning Your Microwave

Best Of Hometalk
by Best Of Hometalk

Microwaves get used daily and they get messy fast. An item explodes while it is heating up, a soup gets spilled when pulling it out, or something gets burnt and leaves a foul odor. The list goes on and on and the mess and can build up fast and get layered on only after a couple of uses. Check out below for some fast and easy methods for cleaning a microwave

How to Clean a Microwave (Pixabay)

Easy Ways to Clean your Microwave

Ever heated up an item that exploded and left a mess inside the microwave? Or did you overheat some popcorn and it left a horrible burnt smell inside that last for days? Baked on splatter is not easy to clean up with just a wet cloth, but the good news is that there are a few quick and easy steps you can take to turn your microwave from messy to sparkly in mere minutes. This easy microwave cleaning method is safe for kids and pets as it does not require harsh chemicals, and it is green for the environment. 

Easy Ways to Clean Your Microwave (DeDe @ Design Decor)

See post: DeDe @ Design Decor|How to Clean the Microwave ~ The Easy Way!


Step 1: Create Your Own Green Cleaning Solution to Clean a Microwave

Microwaves get messy fast and more and more people are heading back to simple homemade remedies that use supplies that are green to eliminate the use of chemicals in the house. These simple supplies are water, baking soda, lemons, and vinegar and they make a wonderful green cleaning solution. The best part is you most likely have all or most of the items in your house already!


Option 1 - Lemon and Vinegar Solution to Clean a Microwave

The first type of solution uses water, lemons, and vinegar. The lemons and water help loosen the grime and baked on items in your microwave and the vinegar and the lemons help remove the odor that may be lurking in the depths of the vents and fans. Depending on what you have on hand, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar will both work, it really all depends on the smell you prefer and what you have on hand in your kitchen already. There is no need to use a fancy or expensive vinegar at all. Cut up 1 to 2 lemons into wedges or discs and place them in a 2 to 3 cup solution of 50% vinegar and 50% water. Place the entire mixture in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup.

How to Clean a Microwave with Vinegar (Today’s Creative Life-Kim Demon)

See post: Today’s Creative Life-Kim Demon|How to Clean and Deodorize Your Microwave


Option 2 - Baking Soda and Water Solution to Clean a Microwave

Baking soda is a wonderful odor remover and the water will help loosen all the dried on bits inside the microwave. To make this solution you need to place 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a microwave safe bowl or cup with 1 to 2 cups of water. 


You can also add cut up lemons to the baking soda solution, or a tablespoon of vinegar, or even mix all three to make one solution. Any and all combinations of these items will work, or only use one with water and it will still be a wonderful solution to clean your microwave.


Step 2: Steam Clean the Microwave

Place the bowl or cup of either microwave cleaning solution into the microwave and heat it up until boiling. This will most likely take about 2-3 minutes (give or take) to bring to a rolling boil. This next step is super important to make sure that the last step of cleaning your microwave is simple and fast; leave the microwave door closed to allow the steam to penetrate all the surfaces of the microwave and loosen up all that baked on grime. Letting the steam do its job will make your microwave cleaning that much easier. 

How to Steam Clean a Microwave (Maria @ Pastels and Macarons)

See post: Maria @ Pastels and Macarons|How to Deep Clean Your Microwave Naturally - from This to Sparkling!


Step 3: Wipe the Microwave Clean

After leaving the microwave door closed for 10-15 minutes to let the steam do its magic, it’s time to open up the door and complete the easiest microwave cleaning you will do. Be careful in taking out the bowl of cleaning liquid, it might still be warm, as will the solution inside the bowl. Set the solution aside, as you might need it to wet the towel or cloth you need to wipe down the walls of the microwave. Then remove the glass plate and wipe it down, making sure to wipe the top and bottom. You can also place this part in the dishwasher to wash if you wish to help clean it further, but it’s totally not necessary. Also, pull out the turntable support roller ring and wipe it down if you have one. Finally, wipe down all the interior walls of the microwave. Don’t forget the inside of the door, the top, bottom, and the corners. If you wish to dampen your cloth or towel with a little of the lemon cleaning solution go for it to help aid in the cleaning of your microwave. The dried on bits will now all be loose and easy to remove with a single swipe of the cloth.  

Clean a Microwave (Angela)

See post: Angela|How to Clean the Microwave {Three Easy Ways}


Replace the glass plate and support roller in the microwave and dispose of the cleaning solution down the drain. Fun tip, the cleaning solution is great to help clean out your garbage disposal as well, so you get a great two for one cleaning with the same cleaning solution! If you used lemons in your cleaning solution they grind up really well in your garbage disposal now that they are boiled and softened. The lemons and the warm water help cut through the grease caught on the blades, and the solution also helps your sink smell a ton better!


Another fun tip is that the microwave cleaning solution is great for wiping down countertops, cleaning cabinets, vent hoods, refrigerators, sinks, ovens, stoves, really any surface in your kitchen! A one stop shop of a multipurpose cleaning solution that is safe for kids and pets.

Clean Microwave (DeDe @ Design Decor)

See post: DeDe @ Design Decor|How to Clean the Microwave ~ The Easy Way!


Cleaning your microwave is super simple and easy and it can be done any time a little mess occurs. You no longer have to wait for your microwave to get really dirty before you clean it. The added bonus is you most likely have all the supplies to make one form of the green cleaning solution in your home right now. You no longer need to buy one more thing to clean only one appliance in your kitchen. It also has the added bonus that it can be used on any microwave, no matter where it’s located. This cleaning can be done in a home, apartment, dorm, RV, boat, or any place your keep your microwave!


I personally love how simple it is to clean my microwave, and it does not need any harsh chemicals or pricey cleaners to do the job. I like to keep my house as green as possible for my family as well as my planet, anything I can do to help prevent horrible things going down a drain is a win in my book! Plus this is the easiest way to clean a microwave, so easy that even my teenager can do it! Now he gets to add it to his chores since it is so safe and easy!


So dig into your pantry, fridge, cabinets, or under the sink for the simple supplies of lemons, vinegar, baking soda, and water to make your green microwave cleaning solution today and turn your dirty microwave sparkly clean in mere minutes.


Do you have an idea for how to clean a microwave? We would love to see it! Upload your ideas on cleaning a microwave to Hometalk today!


Written for the Hometalk community by: Erin Reed | Erin Reed Makes

Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
 1 comment
Next