Quick Ways To Clean A Microwave

There’s no doubt about it, microwave ovens can get pretty dirty sometimes. All it takes is one poorly covered dish and suddenly the inside of your microwave is covered in food splatter! The best way to prevent this is to always cover your food before heating, with a lid, plastic wrap or a microwave safe food cover.

But, even with the best of intentions and food covering practices, it’s inevitable that at some stage your microwave is going to get pretty dirty inside and need a good clean. So, what is the best way to clean your microwave? It’s actually pretty easy to do and nowhere near as daunting and arduous as cleaning your regular oven. Here are some quick ways to clean a microwave:

Method 1 - How To Clean Your Microwave With White Vinegar

Begin with a dirty, food splattered microwave.

Get a microwave safe glass jug or bowl and add a cup of water.

Add a cup of white vinegar.

Then you just need to heat this combination in your microwave for about 5 minutes on high until it’s bubbling/boiling and creating lots of steam.

I’ve never had any trouble with this method but I have seen some people say that it can cause a mini explosion in your microwave.

As I’ve said, I’ve never seen any evidence of this but, apparently to make it safer and prevent this from happening, all you need to do is add a wooden skewer or spoon to the mixture.

After 5 minutes or so the inside of your microwave should be looking quite wet. If it’s not wet yet, give it another couple of minutes on high.

Once it’s done, remove the jug or bowl of vinegar and water - use an oven mitt or oven glove as it will be hot!

Then you just need to use a cloth or paper towel to wipe down all of the interior surfaces of your microwave. (Don’t forget the inside of the door too!).

You can just wipe over the rotating glass plate this way too although I find it best to remove the plate and give it a quick wash in the sink with dish soap - that way you know it’s had a thorough wash both top and bottom.

Once it’s washed and dried and all of the interior surfaces of your microwave have been wiped over, return the glass plate to the microwave and marvel at your sparkling clean microwave interior!

Method 2 - How To Clean Your Microwave With Essential Oils

If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, don’t worry, you can give your microwave a good steam clean using something that smells much nicer - essential oils! I wouldn’t just use any essential oil for this - make sure it’s good quality essential oil, preferably one that is safe to be ingested.

The most commonly used essential oil for cleaning a microwave would be lemon oil but you could also potentially use orange, lime or grapefruit.

It’s a very similar process to method 1 - just leave out the vinegar! Add 1-2 cups of water to a glass bowl or jug then add 4-5 drops of essential oil.

Heat the water and oil combination on high for 5-7 minutes or until enough steam has been created to make the interior of the microwave nice and wet.

Then just wipe it all out with a clean cloth or paper towel.
You’ll have a clean, fresh smelling microwave in no time!

Method 3 - How To Clean Your Microwave With A Lemon

If you’ve got access to a lemon tree or an abundance of lemons then this method could be for you. It’s the same idea again really - we’re just going to create enough steam in your microwave to make it easy to wipe down and clean but, this time, we’re going to add the cleaning power and fresh smell of a lemon!

You’ll need a glass bowl with about ½ to 1 cup of water.
You’ll also need 1 lemon.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl of water then, for good measure, add the lemon halves into the bowl as well - we want all the citrusy goodness from the lemon rind as well as the juice!

Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until the water boils/bubbles and creates plenty of steam.
You may need to let it sit with the door shut for a minute or so after heating to allow the steam to do its magic.

Carefully remove the bowl of water and lemon and then wipe down all interior surfaces with a clean cloth or paper towel.

If you’ve got stubborn stains, try dipping your cloth into the lemon water mixture and then giving the spots and extra scrub.

Sparkling clean and fresh smelling - what more could you ask for?!

Method 4 - How To Clean Your Microwave With Dish Soap

If you’re starting to notice a pattern that’s because these quick ways to clean a microwave are all pretty similar! They all involve creating steam in the microwave and then giving it a wipe out, the only variable is what we add to our bowl of water for the steaming process and, in this method, you guessed it, we’re adding dish soap!

Simply add 1 cup of water to a microwave safe glass bowl and add a teaspoon or so of dish soap.

Heat on high for 3-5 minutes.

Wait for 1-2 minutes to allow steam and moisture to accumulate.

Carefully remove the bowl with hot water and wipe over all interior surfaces with a clean cloth or paper towel.

As you can see it’s pretty quick and easy to clean your microwave and you don’t need any special equipment or ingredients.

However, if you want a fun way to give your microwave a steam clean, you might like to check out the “Angry Mama” or the “Volcano” - they could also be a fun way to suggest to someone in your house or office that the microwave really needs some attention!

So, whichever method you choose, we’re sure that these quick ways to clean a microwave will leave your microwave sparkling clean and smelling fresh in no time!