How to Clean Your Microwave – Home Hacks

Microwave is the essential of a kitchen which is used from heating food to baking different items. Whether you are heating food or baking something, splatters, stains, and leftovers buildup. These residues turn into a mess and create a very smelly atmosphere in the microwave. Therefore, it is important to clean your microwave to get rid of leftovers and smell.

There is not a fixed rule of how often you should clean your microwave. It depends on the consistency of using the microwave. Experts say that it is important to clean the microwave at least once a week with the “clean as you go” trick, which means if something spills in the microwave while heating food or baking, clean it immediately. This quick wipe-down method makes it much easier to clean the microwave as opposed to cleaning it after a week.

Here are some cleaning hacks that can help you to clean your microwave.

When you don’t clean your microwave after every use, the residues dry out and become difficult to remove because these leftovers are cooked again and again while heating or baking other food items, and as a result, your microwave turned into a mess. Spraying chemicals inside the microwave to remove residues where food is cooked seems like a dangerous thing. Fortunately, there is a way to remove these hardened leftovers without using a harsh chemical and that is steaming the microwave.

• Microwave-safe Bowl
• Water
• White Vinegar or Lemon Juice (Optional)
• Soft Sponge or Microfiber Cloth

• Take a microwave-safe bowl and pour one cup of water into it. If your microwave is smelly, add half a cup of white vinegar or lemon juice or both into this water, both will help to get rid of any bad or lingering smell.
• Place this bowl into your microwave, set the timer for 5-10 minutes on high, and turn it on. When the time is up, wait for 5 more minutes while the steam does its job of softening all the particles of food. Then carefully remove the bowl from the microwave with an oven mitt.
• Take a soft sponge or a clean microfiber cloth and wipe down the inside of the microwave and the door as well. It will take not much effort and will be cleaned easily. Try to wipe it down quickly before the residues turned hard again.

To remove all the spills or residues, you can use baking soda. Baking soda is one of the most used natural cleaners for cleaning home appliances. It will easily clean your microwave without taking much energy.

• Baking Soda
• Water
• Soft Sponge or a Microfiber Cloth

• Take 3 spoons of baking soda and mix it with water to make a thick paste.
• Apply this paste onto the residues inside the microwave and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Take a soft sponge or microfiber cloth and wipe down the baking soda. All the hard spills will be removed in no time.

For microwave cleaning, you can use a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. By combing these two, they will make a better cleaning duo.

• Baking Soda
• Vinegar
• Water
• Soft Sponge or a Microfiber Cloth

• Take two to three spoons of baking soda and vinegar into some warm water and make a thick paste.
• Apply this paste inside the microwave and let it sit for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, take a microfiber cloth or a soft sponge and wipe down all of the paste.
• Then clean the microwave with a clean cloth if you see any leftovers.

You don’t have vinegar or baking soda at the time of cleaning the microwave, no worries. Here is a simple solution you can use to clean your microwave.

• Microwave safe bowl
• Water
• Dish Soap
• Microfiber cloth

• Pour one cup of warm water into the bowl. Add some amount of dishwashing soap.
• Place the bowl into the microwave and turn it on for about two minutes.
• Remove the bowl and wipe the inside of the microwave down with a clean cloth.

You can use window cleaners for cleaning your microwaves. You can use them inside as well as outside of the microwave.

• Window Cleaner
• Soft Sponge or a Microfiber cloth

• Take a microfiber cloth or a soft sponge.
• Dip this sponge into the solution of the window cleaner and start rubbing inside and outside of the microwave.
• Repeat this process until all the grease and spills went clean.
• If you found any smell of the window cleaner, you can take a fresh wet clean cloth and wipe down the microwave one more time.

One of the easiest and fastest methods to clean a microwave is to use wet paper towels.

• Wet Paper Towels
• Microfiber Cloth or a Soft Sponge

• For cleaning, place wet paper towels inside the microwave.
• Turn it on for about 5 minutes. This will create steam in the microwave which will soften the hard particles.
• Take a microfiber cloth and wipe down the entire interior of the microwave.

Also Read More About How to Clean a Glass Top Stove

It’s not just the inside that matters; greasy doors also require your attention to clean them. Here are some tips through which you can clean your microwave doors easily.

• Clean both sides of the door, take a microfiber cloth or a soft sponge and dip it into a mixture of warm water and vinegar. Wipe it down all over the door.
• Make a thick paste of baking soda and vinegar. Apply this paste on the door and then wipe down with a clean microfiber cloth.
• If there is a heavy grease build-up, take a grease-cutting cleaner and apply it with a cloth on the door and then clean it off with a clean cloth.

By following these hacks, you can get a cleaned microwave without wasting much time on cleaning.