How to Clean a Microwave (Pro Tips)
A microwave is one of the most frequently used appliances in your kitchen. With everything that you heat up in your microwave, food, dirt, and grease accumulate over time.
If you don’t clean it shortly after heating up your food, it hardens and becomes much more difficult to clean. Not only that, but bacteria will grow inside and your kitchen will start to smell without consistent cleaning.
You can avoid all this with our proven strategies on cleaning your microwave. Check out our step-by-step guide below.
Take a look at this video below, which shows you how to clean a microwave in under five minutes!
How to Clean a Microwave with Lemon
What You Need:
- 1 microwave-safe bowl
- One lemon
- A couple of cups of water
- Paper towels or a microfiber cloth
Steps
- Fill a microwave-safe bowl about halfway with water.
- Take a lemon out of your refrigerator and cut it in half.
- Squeeze half of the lemon into the bowl and set the lemon in the bowl.
The acidic nature of the lemon juice will help break down dirt and grease on the inside. - Put the bowl inside your microwave.
- Run the microwave for 5 minutes.
As it heats up, the lemon juice and water will produce steam that will attach to the surrounding areas, cleaning your microwave. - Carefully remove the bowl from your microwave.
Use oven mitts or a hot pad—it will be hot. - Wipe the surface with a paper towel or microfiber cloth.
Wipe while it’s warm; the food and dirt will come off easier.
Don’t forget the microwave door and the outside of your microwave. You can dip your towel into the lemon juice and water mixture to wipe the outside.
Click here to purchase a microfiber cloth from Amazon; it will work wonders on your microwave.
How to Clean a Microwave with Baking Soda
Don’t have a lemon handy? Try baking soda:
- Fill a microwave-safe bowl halfway with water.
- Add about two tablespoons of baking soda.
- Microwave for 3–5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the bowl (it will be hot).
- Wipe the inside with a cloth or towel.
Dip your towel into the solution to clean the exterior too.
For quicker cleans, sprinkle baking soda directly on the stains and scrub with a scrubby sponge. Then wipe off excess residue.
How to Clean a Microwave with Vinegar and Water
White vinegar is best—buy it from Amazon here.
Use a ratio of 1 tbsp vinegar to 1 cup water. For tough stains, increase to 2:1 vinegar to water.
How to Clean a Microwave Without Vinegar
To clean your microwave without vinegar, you can always go with the traditional method: dish soap and water.
I use this Dawn dish Soap from Amazon to clean mine.
Squirt a small amount of soap on the affected area, let it sit for a few minutes, and then scrub away!
If you need something stronger, you can also use a kitchen degreaser; we put our 15 years of experience in kitchens into our review of eight of the best degreasers in this detailed article here.
If you’re not one to put in the elbow grease, try out our techniques with the lemon or baking soda first.
What is the Best Way to Clean a Microwave?
The best way to clean the inside of a microwave is with lemon. It only requires one lemon, a heat-resistant dish, some water, and a cloth! The microwave does all the work for you, so all you have to do is wipe.
That being said, whether you use lemon, baking soda, vinegar, or dish soap to tackle tough stains, follow the tips in this article and you will be left with a super shiny appliance.
How to Clean the Outside of Your Microwave
You have countless options to clean the outside of your microwave. It’s really easy; in fact, you can use exactly what you used for the inside. Here’s are a few different methods:
- Dish soap and water
- Vinegar and water (2 tbsp per cup up to a 2:1 ratio for maximum strength)
- Lemon juice and water (1-2 tbsp or ½ - 1 lemon for a medium-sized bowl of water)
- Baking soda and water (2 tbsp per cup)
- Kitchen degreaser (click here to check out our complete reviews)
How to Clean a Really Dirty Microwave
To clean a really dirty microwave, combine vinegar and water, lemon juice and water, or baking soda and water in a heatproof bowl. Then, heat the mixture for three to five minutes. Let it sit a bit before your wipe it out. This way, you avoid scrubbing and your microwave breaks down the tough stains and grease for you.
How Often Should You Clean Your Microwave?
Clean your microwave once a week to once every three to four weeks to keep the bacteria build-up and strong smells down in your kitchen. If you heat a lot of messy foods like sauces or gravy, you may need to clean it more often. Or, if you rarely use it, you can go longer than a month without cleaning it. Just don’t let the grime sit for very long.
How Often Should You Replace Your Microwave?
Most microwaves are manufactured to last up to 10 years. But, yours will only last that long if you maintain it properly and clean it frequently.
What is the Most Reliable Microwave Brand?
Three of the most trusted microwave brands are Toshiba, Panasonic, and Farberware. I found three reliable products on Amazon with hundreds or even thousands of five-star ratings. Purchase yours below.
- Panasonic Compact Microwave Oven - Black, Stainless Steel
- Toshiba Smart Countertop Microwave Oven - 900 W, Black, Stainless Steel
- Farberware 1000 W Microwave Oven - Black, Stainless Steel
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