Whether your favorite food exploded once again inside the microwave, or it is just time to clean up the day-to-day spills, cleaning your microwave doesn’t have to be a chore. You can clean your microwave quickly and easily, and even use products you already have around the house.
Step 1: Remove turntable or tray
If your microwave has a removable turntable or tray, remove it and wash it in warm, soapy water. Is food stuck to it? Then safely scrub it with warm water and a little baking soda. Be careful handling a glass turntable or tray because they can become slippery in soapy water.
Step 2: Make your cleaning mixture
Fill a large glass bowl with 2 to 3 cups of water. Add half a lemon (cut up) or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Don’t have a lemon or lemon juice handy? You can use half an orange or half a cup of vinegar instead. Any of these ingredients works well to remove crusted food from your microwave and leave it smelling fresh, too.
Step 3: Boil cleaning mixture in microwave
Place your bowl of cleaning mixture into the microwave, close the door and run the microwave on the high setting until the mixture begins to boil. Let it boil for a minute or two, until there is steam on the inside of the window, then turn off the microwave. Let the bowl sit inside the microwave for 15 minutes before removing it so it can steam clean baked on food and grime.
Step 4: carefully Remove the bowl
Open the microwave and remove the bowl of cleaning mixture carefully using a hot pad or oven mitt. Pour the hot water down the sink drain and dispose of the lemons or oranges. This will also leave your sink smelling fresh and clean.
Step 5: Wipe the inside of the microwave
Using a damp cloth or sponge, wipe the inside of the microwave until clean. If stubborn food is still stuck on, sprinkle some baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub. To clean the inside of the door, use a mixture of one part vinegar to one part water. Let air dry or dry with a clean cloth before placing the turntable or tray back inside the microwave.
Step 6: Clean the outside of the microwave
Using your damp sponge and water-vinegar mixture, wipe the outside of the microwave. Remember to clean the front of the door and the keypad too. Three or four times a year you should check the vents in the back of the microwave for dust buildup. This can be easily dealt with by vacuuming the vent clean. Now your microwave is clean, fresh smelling and ready to use.
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