Dec 13 2006
How To: Microwave Cleaning Tips
Dried, crusty insides of a microwave are voila! a problem no more with these easy cleaning methods. Here are a few tips to easily clean the grunge from inside your microwave:
Microwave Cleaning Tips
Tip #1
- Place a bowl of water in the microwave (with a non-metal object such as a wooden spoon or stir stick in the water*) and heat for 3 - 5 minutes, depending how hard the crud is really stuck on. When microwave stops, keep the door closed to give the moisture and steam the heated bowl of water generated to have time to work. Remove bowl (careful, it’s hot) and take a moist, warm cloth to the inside of the microwave. The crud bits should wipe off easily.
Tip #2
- Add a couple teaspoons of baking soda to a bowl of water and place in microwave. Follow same process as above. The added baking soda will act as a deodorizer. If you’re brave, you can use the hot baking soda water to clean the insides of the microwave, but be careful–it is HOT water. Use a thick sponge and make sure to keep water away from your fingertips. You could also add a splash or two of cold water to bring the temperature down.
Tip #3
- Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in a bowl, place in microwave. Follow the same procedure as Tip #1. The vinegar also acts as a freshener and deodorizer. You can also use this water when wiping down, but again–the water is very hot. Be careful.
Tip #4
- Soak a thick, clean sponge with vinegar and water (you can also use a hand towel instead of a sponge), set microwave on high for 3 minutes. Let the microwave sit closed for a few minutes once heating is done–allows moisture and steam to work into all the crust bits and splatters. Open microwave and use the sponge to wipe down insides. The sponge will be hot, so wear rubber gloves to help protect your skin from the heat.
Another option:
- You can throw a few slices of lemon in a bowl of hot water and then heat as above. This will help freshen things up as well.
Try it, with these tips cleaning the inside of your microwave has never been easier ;).
*ETA: Read comment section below. Water by itself placed in a microwave can ’superheat’ and cause serious burns by erupting.
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Posted in Kitchen Cleaning, Popular Tips | 
( 14 )
14 Dec 2006 at 5:18 pm
placing a bowl of water in the microwave can be dangerous, google - microwave water - and the top links will show what I mean. So tip # 1 is a bad idea.
14 Dec 2006 at 5:43 pm
Now that’s interesting Steve, thanks for that warning. Here’s the link I found:
truthorfiction.com
I did some more digging and it looks to be legit, water can indeed superheat in a microwave, but frequently cited as a rare occurance. Here’s something from snopes:
Snopes
I’m going to adjust the first tip, thanks Steve!
14 Dec 2006 at 10:37 pm
Placing a bowl of ammonia in the microwave and leaving it overnight works well. You can also microwave the ammonia for a few minutes and leave it hot inside for a while and then clean, but the heated ammonia is pretty nasty. I managed to quickly clean an old microwave that hadn’t been used in years this way…..felt like I had snorted the ammonia, but worked really well.
16 Dec 2006 at 11:20 am
I’ll have to post this at work. We don’t have a kettle so we microwave our water for teas, soups, flavored coffees and whatever for hot water needs. Nothing has happened in the ten plus years I’ve worked there, but this is good to know. Thanks for the info!
17 Dec 2006 at 3:04 pm
Came back to tell you this was my Saturday job To Do and YOU ROCK! My microwave looks brand new again, THANK YOU!!!
16 Aug 2007 at 12:11 pm
[...] found this microwave cleaning tip on TipNut and I couldn’t procrastinate any longer! So, here are three steps to get rid of that [...]
12 Mar 2008 at 4:32 pm
This isn’t A Comment,but Rather A Question….how can I remove “burnt popcorn smell from my microwave?”.
12 Mar 2008 at 5:09 pm
pinkzodiac37 use one of the cleaning methods above to give the microwave a good clean. If the burnt popcorn smell is still there:
What I would do is cover a large plate with fresh coffee grounds (a generous layer), put it in the microwave, close the door and let it sit closed for a few days.
You could also try method #1 on this page.
16 Mar 2008 at 8:00 pm
This is not a comment but a question.
How can you get the smell of rotten chicken which has been defrosted and forgotten to take out of the microwave. I’ve tried the bicarb and lemon ideas but the smell is still there. I’ve even wiped around the microwave and the cupboard with eucalyptus oil and still the smell lingers. Any suggestions?
31 Mar 2008 at 8:42 pm
[...] How To: Microwave Cleaning Tips [...]
04 Apr 2008 at 1:12 pm
[...] Do a quick wipe inside the microwave (the more you do this, the less you’ll need to do this) [...]
10 May 2008 at 7:07 pm
We have two thin dark brown streaks on the wall of the microwave. No sure what happened, never ocurred before.
How can you get the streaks off? Neither “soft-scrub w/bleach” or :brillo pad” worked.
Thanks
12 Jul 2008 at 12:02 am
Can somebody suggest the way to get rid of cockroaches settled in the space between the two frames of the lid of a microwave. The microwave was not in use for quite sometime.
12 Jul 2008 at 7:10 am
I found that if you clean your microwave with the following method, it leaves your kitchen smelling fresh for days.
small microwavable bowl
water
vanilla or lemon juice
place a couple of drops of vanilla (artificial is fine) or lemon juice (ReaLemon works) in a small bowl of water (do not fill to brim) and cook for 2 minutes. Take a damp sponge/cloth and wipe microwave clean.
This may need to be repeated, depending on how dirty your microwave is. Just keep cooking the water for 2 minutes at a time. If a lot of elbow grease is required, you may dip the sponge/cloth into the water (careful, it will be hot) and wipe again.