Three Ways to Clean the Microwave
Fact: my microwave is not that dirty but it still works as a great model to pose in pictures. These three ways to clean your microwave have been floating around blogland and I thought I would join them all together in one super post and let you choose your method. And yes, I buy the super big bottles because I really like lemonade and shiny things.
Method One
In a bowl, mix equal parts water and vinegar together. Place said bowl into microwave and zap it for 5 minutes. After the five minutes, let the mixture sit and let the vapors work their magic for an additional 5-10 minutes. Then use the mixture to wipe down the microwave. The vinegar smell will dissipate after it dries. Until then your kitchen may smell like a pickle factory.
Method Two
In a bowl, mix one cup water with a few tablespoons of lemon juice. Rinse and repeat the steps for method one; 5 minute zap, 5 minute cooling, wipe. However, I would take a clean damp cloth for one final wipe to remove any excess lemon juice.
Method Three
Zap a bowl of water for 5 minutes, let it sit so the steam can work, then wipe everything down with a Magic Eraser.
Now for some words of caution. Make sure you actually put the liquid in the bowl before microwaving or you could break your microwave. How do I know? This one time, a child, who shall remain nameless, turned the microwave on without anything in it so it zapped itself. Needless to say, we had to buy a new microwave after that. One more word of caution. Water mixture and bowl will be hot after zapping, please don’t burn yourself. Steam is an indication of very hot stuff and the steam itself is hot too. Don’t ask my left pointer finger how I know this.
Now that your microwave is clean, keep it that way with these easy tips. Use a cover when heating up your food; I use a microwavable Tupperware lid over bowls or just already in the container. I rarely heat up food on a plate. There are super cool plate covers you can buy, like this one (not an affiliate link, just showing you). Tip number two, heat up your food on the stove or in the oven; it usually tastes better that way. Tip three, when your food explodes all over the microwave, immediately wipe it up. I don’t always do this one; even though I can hear the food exploding, I usually forget by the time it’s done then deem the microwave fine. Tip four, just avoid reheating red pasta in the microwave, even though it’s super delicious.
Those are my tips and tricks to clean the microwave, which one of these methods is your favorite?
Happy Cleaning!
Angela
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My no-fail, no-splatters trick for an always-clean ‘wave is to do everything at twice the time but half the power, i.e., everything is warmed up at 50% power. This actually heats the food more thoroughly too.
Great tip! I also usually heat my food in increments and stir to get it to heat evenly.
I usually do the vinegar method and it really makes the cleaning much easier. Vinegar really is one of the most useful cleaning products.
I totally agree, I use vinegar on almost everything.
Yes……white vinegar is the best microwave cleaner in my opinion. Have done it for years. I use full strength. 1/2 a cup, heat for 4-5 minutes and let sit for about 5. There’s enough steam built up inside to simply wipe down with a cloth or sponge. I pour the leftover vinegar down a different sink each time……helps there too. Word of caution for those who’ve never used vinegar in their microwave. Be very careful to not “re-heat” the vinegar if you followed the process and didn’t know if you waited too long and wanted to “reactivate” it or whatever. The vinegar will build a “gas” of sorts inside…..you need to open the door and allow it to clear……..so don’t “reheat” before opening it. It will cause a little burst / explosion. Early on I did this accidentally. It didn’t hurt my microwave but I was surprised at the sound of the bang and glad I didn’t cause any damage to it.
White vinegar is a great household cleaner and very economical.
Thanks for these suggestions. With two teenagers in the house, my microwave is always a disaster 🙂
My family is having trouble with the vinagar smell. I usually cut a lemon, make a cup of tea, use the rest of the lemon in a cup of water for the microwave scum. Heat lemon water, let sit in the microwave for a few minutes and wipe. I,m a cleaning lady and I found a trick of using the dishwasher tablets for the tub or for cleanser I didn’t have. Crumble with very wet rag. Use. Its great.