The microwave is an essential workhorse in a modern kitchen. Good for cooking simple recipes, unfreezing entire meals, making all sorts of quick snacks, and even replacing the stove in certain cases. It’s hard to give up the utility of a microwave once you get used to one.
Which is why you must take good care of it! Microwaves are known for getting dirty and grimy due to all the splatter that happens when you’re heating things up. This can lead to bad odor, permanent stains, or even worse, burn marks that could actually damage the microwave irreparably.
The good news is that cleaning a microwave is incredibly easy. So long as you make a routine out of it, it will always be in peak condition and last for many years. Keep reading to learn some tips!
“Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it." – David Starr Jordan
Use cover
First, let’s talk about how to prevent your microwave from getting dirty in the first place.
Most store-bought premade meals already come with some sort of cover, as well as most microwave-safe containers. You can also purchase a cover separately for heating up meals on plates, which is perfect for preventing splatters and grime from forming inside your microwave.
Meat and other types of meals tend to bubble and burst after a certain temperature, which is why the inner walls of the microwave can get so dirty after only a few days. But if you always use cover, then that’s less time you’ll spend cleaning the microwave.
Wipe often
The easiest way to keep your microwave clean is to wipe it as often as possible. This will prevent major stains and splatters from sticking and burning, which can cause a lot of problems. There are ways to get rid of these as well (I’ll give you some tips below) but obviously it’s better to prevent them altogether.
And you don’t need any cleaning products or chemicals either, simply wiping with a soft and slightly damp cloth will do the job, as long as you do it on a daily basis, giving no time for the grime to set in.
Use steam
If your microwave is already dirty, I’ve got some solutions for you.
First, the simplest one. Add water to a microwave-safe container and heat it up for two to three minutes (which is enough to get it to steam). Let it sit for a few more minutes and then remove the container – careful, because it will still be hot! With a soft cloth, wipe the inner portions of the microwave now that the steam helped in breaking down any splatters and grime that might have formed.
You can also finish this last part with a bit of dish soap if you made some particularly greasy meals recently. As for the turntable, simply cleaning it with dish soap should be enough, but most of them are dishwasher safe, so take advantage of that.
Finally, if you want to remove any bad odor, you can follow these exact same steps, but add a couple slices of lemon in the water before you heat it up. It should help!
Cleaning your microwave isn’t just a quality of life thing, it’s also a safety measure. Letting something burn inside the microwave can start a fire and severely hurt a member of your family. I highly recommend reading our guide on kitchen safety if you want to know more!
Baking soda + water solution
Finally, if you need something with a little more kick for a particularly dirty microwave you can make a mixture of baking soda and water. It’s not super abrasive but it is strong enough to wear down any dirt that got stuck to the walls of your microwave, making it super easy to wipe down with a cloth afterwards.
I recommend using a spray bottle to apply, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, and rinse with a damp cloth or sponge. Easy and effective!
Does your kitchen need a good clean? Get free quotes from house cleaners in your area today and save yourself some time!
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