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How to Clean a Microwave Oven

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It’s hard to imagine a modern kitchen without a microwave oven. It’s a very helpful home appliance that is used regularly nowadays. Whether you need to warm your food up, defrost products, or cook something — a microwave oven helps you do all of these actions fast and conveniently. However, cleaning this appliance is not that easy, especially if the dirt in it is old.

5-Minute Crafts is offering you several checked methods to clean a microwave oven that won’t take up much of your time and energy.

With the help of water

If the level of dirtiness is not severe, you can clean your microwave oven with the help of water. For that, you’ll need:

  • A microwave-friendly bowl

  • Water

  • A sponge or microfiber cloth

  1. Pour about 1 cup of water into a bowl.

  2. Place the bowl into the microwave oven.

  3. Switch on the device at maximum power for 10 minutes.

  4. Wait for several minutes before opening the door.

  5. Get the bowl out of the microwave with the help of a potholder. Be careful: it can be very, very hot.

  6. Clean all the surfaces of the microwave oven with a sponge and some soapy water.

  7. Remove the soap and wipe away any moisture.

With the help of vinegar

If the level of dirt is higher and older, just water isn’t going to cut it. That’s when the solution of vinegar and water comes to the rescue. You’ll need:

  • A microwave-friendly bowl

  • 9% vinegar (3.3 tbsp)

  • 1 cup of water

  • A sponge or microfiber cloth

  • Paper towels

  1. Pour 1 cup of water into the bowl.

  2. Add 3.3 tbsp of vinegar into it.

  3. Put the bowl with the solution into the microwave oven for 1-2 minutes at maximum power.

  4. When the timer stops, wait for 3-4 minutes before opening the door. It’s required to give the steam enough time to heat up the walls of the microwave.

  5. Take the bowl out of the oven with the help of a potholder. Be careful: it can be very, very hot.

  6. Clean all the surfaces of the microwave oven with a sponge and some soapy water. If necessary, use a firm sponge since it can help to remove extremely old dirt.

  7. Remove the soap and wipe dry any moisture.

With the help of tangerine peels

Tangerine peels contain essential oils that can help with cleaning microwave ovens. You’ll need:

  • The peels of several tangerines

  • 1 cup of water

  • A microwave-friendly bowl

  • A sponge or microfiber cloth

  • Paper towels

  1. Remove peels from the tangerines.

  2. Put the peels into the bowl and add some water.

  3. Put the bowl into the microwave oven for 5 minutes at maximum power.

  4. When the timer stops, wait for several minutes before opening the door. It’s required to give the steam with the essential oils enough time to start acting.

  5. Get the bowl out of the oven with the help of a potholder. Be careful: it can be very, very hot.

  6. Clean all surfaces of the microwave oven with a sponge and some soapy water. If necessary, use a firm sponge since it can help to remove especially old dirt.

  7. Remove the soap and wipe dry any moisture.

With the help of lemon

Lemon can also help clean a microwave oven. You’ll need:

  • 1 cup of water

  • 1 lemon

  • A microwave-friendly bowl

  • A sponge or microfiber cloth

  • Paper towels

  1. Cut a lemon into small pieces and remove the peel.

  2. Put the lemon pieces into a bowl and pour in some water.

  3. Put the bowl into the microwave oven for 5 minutes at maximum power.

  4. When the timer stops, wait for 5-7 minutes before opening the door. It’s required to give the steam enough time to heat up the walls of the microwave.

  5. Take the bowl out of the oven with the help of a potholder. Be careful: it can be very, very hot.

  6. Clean all the surfaces of the microwave oven with a sponge and some soapy water. If necessary, use a firm sponge since it can help to remove especially old dirt.

  7. Remove the soap and wipe dry any moisture.

With a solution of vinegar, water, and lemon acid

Another method to ease the process of cleaning a microwave oven is to use a solution comprised of water, vinegar, and lemon acid. You’ll need:

  • 1 cup of water

  • 1 lemon (can be replaced with 30 g of lemon acid)

  • 9% vinegar (3.3 tbsp)

  • A microwave-friendly bowl

  • A sponge or microfiber cloth

  • Paper towels

  1. Mix the water and vinegar in a bowl.

  2. Add pieces of lemon or lemon acid.

  3. Put the bowl containing the solution into the microwave oven for 1-2 minutes at maximum power.

  4. When the timer stops, wait for 3-4 minutes before opening the door. It’s required to give the steam enough time to heat up the walls of the microwave.

  5. Take the bowl out of the oven with the help of a potholder. Be careful: it can be very, very hot.

  6. Clean all the surfaces of the microwave oven with a sponge and some soapy water. If necessary, use a firm sponge since it can help to remove especially old dirt.

  7. Remove the soap and wipe dry any moisture.

Tips

  • Never use dangerous chemicals to clean the microwave oven.

  • If you heat up a kitchen sponge in a microwave for 2 minutes, it will be disinfected.

  • Use lids when heating up food to keep your microwave clean for as long as possible.

  • Use a 1:1 solution of water and baking soda to clean a dirty microwave door.

  • If you want to get rid of an unpleasant odor in the microwave oven, place a bowl with baking soda inside of it for 1 hour. The soda will absorb all the bad smells.

  • If you add baking soda to the vinegar solution for cleaning the microwave, it will help remove unpleasant smells during the heating stage.

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