How to Clean Microwave

How to Clean a Microwave – Top Methods including how to get rid of the burnt smell of Popcorn.

A microwave oven has become part of every household these days. They allow us to cook food quickly without having to spend hours at the stovetop. However, microwaves are not always perfect. Sometimes foods get stuck inside the machine and cannot easily be removed. Other times, the heating element gets damaged by overheating.

The best way to avoid a problem with your microwave is to have it serviced regularly. Servicing the microwave will ensure that there are no problems before they occur. However, not everyone has the time to do it. So, we have come up with several tips on how to clean your microwave at home. Read more below to know the answers to these questions:

  • What are the best products to use in cleaning a microwave?
  • How do you clean a microwave with lemon juice?
  • How do you clean a microwave with baking soda?
  • How do you clean a microwave with white vinegar?

How do you polish a knife so it is shiny and clean?

What are the Best Products to Use in Cleaning Microwave

To efficiently and effectively make your microwave clean, get yourself these cleaning essentials to remove grease and dirt.

  • microwave-safe bowl
  • Microwave safe bowl of water
  • Microfiber cloth or damp cloth
  • Paper towel or damp sponge

And choose any of these:

  • Baking soda
  • Lemon juice
  • White vinegar
  • Dish soap

How to Properly Clean a Dirty Microwave

If you want to clean your microwave properly, then the first thing you need to do is remove all the large food bits sitting microwave interior with a wet paper towel. Plus, at the same time get rid of any large bits of food splatter, the smaller bits that are firmly stuck, or just grime we will get to with the methods below.

Also, If you want to keep your microwave looking new for longer periods of time, then the methods below can be your go-to set of microwave cleaning hack.

These methods require some elbow grease and are good with stubborn stains and even a burnt smell.

Also, there are several dirt and grease cleaners that you can choose from. 

a useful microwave cleaning hack
A useful microwave cleaning hack – lemon water

How Do You Clean a Microwave With Lemon Juice?

This is the top microwave cleaning method for 2024. This method works well if you want to also clean off some stains. Lemon juice works well as an effective cleaner because it contains citric acid, which dissolves fats and oils. If you do not have any lemons, you can use orange slices, lime slices or even grapefruit juice – all are acidic which is one of the active ingredients. To start, follow these steps:

  1. Take a bowl that is microwave safe add a cup of warm water and lemon juice.
  2. Put into your microwave on the turntable.
  3. Turn the microwave on high power until the mixture is boiling – let it continue to boil so that you see steam everywhere inside the microwave
  4. Let the steam sit in the microwave for 5 minutes before opening the door
  5. Take out the bowl and you should find the microwave’s interior easy to clean and the grime and microwave splatter will come off without too much elbow grease.
  6. Also using the lemon juice mixture – put some in a spray bottle and spray inside again. This will help get rid of any lingering odor.
  7. Let it dry and wipe it again with a damp cloth or sponge.

How Do You Clean a Microwave With Baking Soda?

Baking soda works as a natural deodorizer as well as a very good cleaner. It also has abrasive properties which make it effective at removing grime buildup.

  1. The best way to use it is as a paste. Use a measuring cup and fill it half with baking soda. No slow add a little water and make it into a thick paste.
  2. Use a towel and pat the paste on top of grime or stubborn stains.
  3. Leave for five minutes
  4. Wipe off with a soft cloth or sponge.
  5. Lastly, remove any remaining baking soda paste residue with a wet paper towel.

How Do You Clean a Microwave With White Vinegar?

You can use white vinegar (also apple cider vinegar) to clean your microwave. This method requires no additional equipment other than a spray bottle filled with vinegar and a damp cloth or paper towels. Here are the steps involved:

1. Spray the inside of your microwave with vinegar.

2. Wait at least 15 minutes before wiping it down.

3. Wipe down the entire surface area using a microfiber cloth, paper towels, or damp cloth. In case of tough dirt, scrub them using a toothbrush or scrub brush.

4. Rinse the cloth under running tap water and wipe down the microwave.

How to Clean your Microwave the Traditional way.

Use salt and hot water solution.

How Do You Clean a Microwave With Salt Water Solution?

If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to clean your microwave oven, then you should try out this saltwater solution. It will remove stains and odors from your microwave. If you want something that will work quickly and has no nasty chemicals or additives you may be allergic to.

Follow these simple instructions below:

  1. Fill one cup of hot water with 1/8 teaspoon of table salt. Mix well.
  2. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice to the mixture.
  3. Pour the mixture into your microwave-safe bowl
  4. Place in the microwave and turn on high until it is boiling and steam covers all the interior surfaces
  5. Let it stand for 5 minutes to cool.
  6. Remove the bowl from the microwave
  7. Wash the walls thoroughly with a sponge dipped in warm water.

Saltwater solutions work very effectively in removing stubborn stains and spots.

How to Preclean a Microwave

With all those cleaning tips and steps written above, have you ever wondered what to do with your microwave before starting to get rid of stubborn grease and dirt? Well, if not, here are some precleaning tips that might help you save time and money while getting your kitchen back to its original condition!

Precleaning Tips For Your Microwave Oven:

Here are some helpful hints about how to prep your microwave oven prior to cleaning:

  • Before doing any kind of cleaning, make sure to turn off the power supply switch located near the door handle. This prevents accidental electrical shocks.
  • Remove any food stored or place inside the microwave.
  • Never put anything metal inside your microwave as it may cause serious damages to the internal components.
  • Avoid using abrasive materials such as steel wool pads, sandpaper, etc., which could scratch the interior parts of your microwave.
  • Steam before cleaning to soften the stubborn grease and dirt. Use a paper towel or cloth to wipe down the inside of the microwave.

How to Get Rid of Burnt Smell in a Microwave

When you burn food in the microwave, the odor will often come back as soon as you reheat or cook your next meal.

The best way to deal with this smell in a microwave is to do it immediately or at least that day.

Here are two good ways

How do you remove light odors from inside a microwave?

Say you cooked a curry often your microwave will have residual light odors. The best way to remove the smell is to

  1. Leave the door open to air it out for 1 hour
  2. Then put a bowl of baking soda inside and close the door – leave for as long as you can – it will absorb smells.

How do you remove strong odors from inside a microwave?

Let’s say you badly burnt your baked beans or crab legs you were reheating. How do you remove strong odors?

The best way to remove strong odors or smell from a microwave is?

  1. clean any leftover splatter or residue fist
  2. Take a damp cloth with vinegar or apple cider vinegar and wipe down the inside of the microwave’s interior.
  3. Use a gel that absorbs smells like fresh wave and leave in with the door shut overnight
  4. Spray and clean the outside including the microwave door with window cleaner to remove any stain.

HOW TO REMOVE EXTREMELY BURNT POPCORN SMELL OUT OF YOUR MICROWAVE

This can be a challenging task and will take a few steps.

To get rid of the really bad burnt popcorn smell from your microwave, here is what you need

  • Apple cider vinegar works best, but normal vinegar will be ok.
  • A few packets of baking soda
  • Lemon water
  • magic eraser
  • A good supply of clean cloths or paper towels
  • Toothbrush or q-Tips for the corners

Start with the inside – completely wipe it down.

  • Use straight-up vinegar cloth. Put gloves on your hands.
  • Take out the rotating plate and the assembly
  • Soak them separately in lemon water.
  • Now, use a microwave-safe bowl and boil the vinegar
  • Let it steam so the inside of the microwave is covered
  • Leave to sit for 15-30 minutes with the door closed
  • with the vinegar cloth wipe all the entire inside surface, including rubber door seals the door.
  • If really bad the next level is to use a damp magic eraser and repeat the inside clean.
  • Lastly use a wet paper towel for a final clean.
  • Look in the corners for any missed spots and especially get rid of any black soot. The soot is largely to blame for the burnt smell

Takeaway

Microwaves are very useful appliances, but they can be difficult to clean properly. The tips above are proven and tested over the years.

Hopefully, you found a useful microwave cleaning hack.

To clean your glass microwave plate you can use a sponge and warm water to clean your microwave if you do not have a dishwasher.