Microwaves are kind of like a household hack from the 1950s, making cooking and reheating as simple as can be. Cleaning your microwave should be just as easy as they aim to make cooking your food. Sadly, this sometimes simply isn’t the case. We’ve all been there: A bag of popcorn cooked a little too long, and now you’ve got a mucky kitchen appliance on your hands with a burning smell quickly filling the house. Cleaning your microwave can be a breeze though, and with our microwave cleaning hacks, you won’t feel like you need to put this chore off till later anymore (or maybe just till after the movie?)
You can tackle a dirty microwave in three simple steps: Clear out, clean inside, clean outside. These three steps are the easiest way to clean your microwave, but also incredibly effective. The first step is clearing out the turntable and putting it into the dishwasher on a hot wash. You can also clear out the smell of burnt popcorn by leaving the door open to air it out while you watch your movie. (So waiting to clean until later does pay off sometimes!)
The second step is cleaning the inside of your microwave. Grease and splashes of soup or sauce get easily crusted onto the walls, door, and ceiling of your microwave. You can use Soft Scrub® Oxi Cleanser to clean these grease and food stains on the inside of your microwave. Just be sure to follow directions and wipe any residue with a damp sponge afterwards. If the dirt is being stubborn, we’ve got a few hacks for you– take a look below for our top tips.
To save you some effort, however, we’ve got a sneaky microwave cleaning hack for you. Instead of scrubbing to no avail, just place a small microwave-safe bowl of hot water in your microwave and add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Run the microwave on a high setting for a few minutes until the mix boils. Leave it for five minutes. When you come back, open the microwave door and simply wipe down the inside. The greasy residues will be loosened up with this easy trick! To get rid of the vinegary smell, just prop the door open (and maybe crack a window).
Now for cleaning the outside of your microwave. People don’t get to see your hard work on cleaning the inside of the microwave, so let your good work shine through on the outside of the appliance. Luckily, this is also usually an easy last step. Wipe the outside of the microwave with warm water and dish soap and dry. You can also use Soft Scrub® All Purpose Cleanser to clean the outside – just make sure to follow product directions and wipe off any leftover residue.
Once the turntable has dried you can place that back in too, and you’re ready to cook popcorn in the microwave again.
If you’re faced with a real stubborn stain in your microwave, you can make a simple paste out of baking soda and water. Spread the paste on the area that’s worst affected and leave it for a bit. Then, try scrubbing again. If the spots are still there, try combining baking soda with the vinegar solution you heated up to loosen the grime in the microwave and apply that. If these two hacks don’t work, you may need professional grease-cutters.
Our final hack for how to clean your microwave is for stubborn smells. If you’ve aired out the microwave, but it still smells, try microwaving one teaspoon of lemon juice in one cup of water on high for a few minutes. The lemony fresh scent should get rid of any lingering smells!