Your microwave is an indispensable appliance for keeping your food warm and your kitchen organized. It’s also one of the dirtiest. After all, it’s a magnet for crumbs, grease, and other food particles. If you’ve ever had one of those mornings when the kitchen stank of microwaved potato, you know what we’re talking about. Fortunately, cleaning your microwave is ridiculously easy. All you need is a few simple household ingredients and about ten minutes of your time. Here’s how to clean microwave stains and odors.
Identify The Damage
Before you get started on your quest to clean your microwave, you’ll need to know where the stains are so you can concentrate your efforts there. If you have one of those unfortunate teens who love to snack in the car, you’ll want to check out this article on how to get rid of car odors. If you have kids of your own, you know how difficult it is to keep up with cleanliness. Check out this article on how to clean up messy kid’s play areas to get some tips on keeping your kitchen cleaned up.
Use The Perfect Tools
There are a number of products out there designed to clean stains and disinfect your kitchen appliances. Although many of them will do the job. We recommend investing in a few quality tools that will get the job done faster and easier.
We like the O-Cedar All-Purpose Cleaner – it has a ton of uses, is great for all kinds of messes, and is safe for all your appliances.
For hard-to-reach places, we also like the O-Cedar EasyStep Stool. It’s the perfect size for cleaning those tough-to-get-at places, and it easily clips onto your O-Cedar bucket for transport.
Try Lemon Juice
Sometimes a little bit of lemon juice can do wonders to remove stains and odors from your microwave. All you have to do is rub the stain with a fresh lemon slice and let it sit for a few hours. (But don’t leave the lemon juice inside, or it could damage the interior.)
To clean microwave stains, Lemon juice is also great for cleaning other stains like baked-on grease on your stovetop and glass top stove.
Use Vinegar
Just like lemon juice, white vinegar is a great cleaner for removing stains and odors from most surfaces. It’s inexpensive, easy to use, and works quickly to brighten up your kitchen with less effort.
Just make sure you don’t put the vinegar inside your microwave or it could damage the interior.
Read More: How to Measure Kitchen for Cabinets
Use Baking Soda
Baking soda is another great cleaner for removing stains and odors from most surfaces. It’s a non-toxic, natural deodorizer that acts as a great absorbent for oily stinky messes.
Just make sure you don’t put the baking soda inside your microwave or it could damage the interior.
Clear The Turntable
If you’ve burned yourself on the underside of the turntable, this is the perfect time to clean it. Just be sure to wear gloves and an old shirt or a paper towel so you don’t accidentally contaminate your other dishes.
To clean the turntable, fill a bowl with about 2 inches of water and add a few drops of household ammonia. Place the bowl on the turntable and spin the plate for about 10 seconds. Wipe clean with a damp cloth and let dry before putting it away.
Erase It Down
If you’ve tried everything and your microwave still smells, there’s one more thing to try. Open a can of compressed air and carefully blow out the exhaust grill. When you do, any remaining odors will be released into the air.
If you don’t have a can of compressed air, you can use a can of plain air instead, and just be sure to open the door a couple of times a day to let out the odor.
Final Thought
Your microwave is going to get dirty and grimy from time to time. It’s only natural with such a high-powered appliance that gets used so often. But don’t stress about it. Cleaning your microwave is really easy, and all you need are a few household ingredients to get the job done.
Just make sure you don’t put the cleaner inside your microwave.
