How to Clean a Microwave

How to Clean a Microwave

How to Clean a Microwave

Avoid heavy scrubbing and easily clean your microwave with natural ingredients like vinegar, lemon, and rubbing alcohol.

While microwaves see their fair share of everyday food buildup and the occasional full-blown disaster (hello, exploding spaghetti), those caked-on messes are easy to tackle. The best ways to clean a microwave are pretty straightforward. You don't even need pricey store-bought cleaners when there are plenty of natural cleaning products and home remedies that are equally effective. Just grab a few cleaning basics and put the microwave to work, creating grime-loosening steam that makes achieving a like-new microwave effortless.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

• Microwave-safe bowl
• Washcloths

Materials

• Distilled white vinegar
• Lemon
• Rubbing alcohol

How to Clean a Microwave with Vinegar

Even if you clean your microwave regularly, a layer of debris forms inside after oatmeal erupts or sauce splatters. The exploded bits linger through a few cycles, and soon the dregs become rock-hard. (Who has time to wipe down the interior after every use?) So how do you say hasta la vista to cooked-on carnage? Clean your microwave with vinegar and steam! You'll need just a few minutes and a couple of quick swipes with a cloth. Easy-peasy!

Step 1

Add Ingredients to Bowl

Grab a microwave-safe bowl and fill it halfway with water. Add a few tablespoons of distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, and place the bowl in the microwave.

Step2

Bring to a Boil

Using high power, heat the vinegar and water for up to four minutes until boiling. (Some experts recommend placing a wooden skewer or wooden spoon in the water for bubbles, which may form when the water and vinegar mixture boils.)

The amount of time to heat the water depends on the power of your microwave. Look at the stickers inside the door—your microwave's wattage will usually be listed there.

Here's a handy list of microwave temperature cleaning times:

• 1,200 watts = 1 1/2 minutes
• 1,000 watts = 2 minutes
• 800 watts = 2 1/2 minutes
• 700 watts = 3 minutes
• 600 watts = 4 minutes

Step 3

Let Steam

Turn off the power and leave the door closed for several minutes, allowing the steam to soften the debris.

Step 4

Remove Bowl and Wipe Away Debris

Open the door and use oven mitts or pot holders to remove the water bowl carefully. Use a damp cloth to quickly wipe the food debris out of the microwave.

Step 5

Clean Microwave Turntable

Take out the turntable and any other removable turntable parts and wipe them down.

Step 6

Dry Microwave with Towel

Dry all surfaces with a clean cloth and return everything to the microwave.