A Clean Microwave in Minutes! Super Easy and Squeaky Clean!
It’s easy to forget to clean the inside of the microwave while you’re cleaning the rest of the kitchen. After all, the microwave is closed and the insides are out of sight. The stuck-on speckles of food carry bacteria, no matter how hardened they are.
Scrubbing the microwave, with your head in a box, is not a fun task. So here’s an easy way to do it, and your microwave will be clean and shiny when you’re finished! It’s all about steam and the cleaning power of vinegar.
The supplies you’ll need:
- 1-2 cups water
- 1-2 tablespoons vinegar
- Toothpick or cinnamon stick
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Essential oil, lemon juice, or orange juice (optional)
- Sponge or rag for wiping the microwave after steaming
Fill the bowl with water and add vinegar. Then, if using, add the scented oil/lemon juice/orange juice. Float the toothpick atop the water mixture.
Put the bowl in the microwave and heat on high for five minutes. Avoid boil-overs and explosions with the wood or cinnamon stick, which gives the bubbles a place to gather when the water boils. You don’t want an exploding glass bowl of water in your microwave!
If the microwave is especially dirty, leave the water mixture in the microwave for about a minute after the given five, allowing the steam to continue softening the splattered food particles. The vinegar reduces inside-microwave odors, and the steam loosens food particles. Essential oils or citrus juice cuts down on the vinegar odors left after this steam-cleaning – and smells good, too!
If your microwave isn’t too dirty, you can thoroughly dampen a sponge and add a few drops of vinegar on top. It won’t steam quite as much, but not-so-hardened food will still soften enough to wipe clean. Heat the sponge for five minutes; same as the water method.
Both sponges and bowls of water will be very, very hot when first removed from the microwave, so use hot pads and be careful! When you remove the rotating tray for a wash in the sink, it will also be dangerously hot.
After the steam has cleared, wipe the inside of the microwave with a damp rag or sponge and you’ll have a squeaky clean microwave with a fresh smell. This method not only steams the food particles out, but whitens the metal of your microwave’s insides. You probably don’t know just how white a microwave is supposed to be!
Super easy and completely effective, try this water and vinegar steam method on your microwave, no matter how dirty it is. You’ll be amazed with the results of your five minutes of work.
