If you do much of your cooking in the microwave, it’s essentially important that you keep this appliance clean. However, the microwave needs to be handled very carefully during cleaning process so as not to damage it.
Use of harsh chemicals to clean the microwave can contaminate its interior and consequently poison your food. Some of these harsh chemicals can also have a damaging effect on the microwave.
How can you clean your microwave without encountering any of the cleaning challenges mentioned above?
Methods you can adopt
- Water and lemon juice
- Vinegar and steam
Water and lemon juice
Lemon juice is a natural cleaning agent, and it can get your microwave cleaned without any harsh or toxic effect on the kitchen appliance or the food you are preparing.
Check below for information on how to apply lemon juice to clean microwave
What you need
- Clean, cleaning rag or dry dishtowel
- Small measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl
- Lemon fruit
What to do
- First of all, pour about half cup of water into the bowl
- Afterwards, cut the lemon fruit in half and squeeze out the juice right into the water in the bowl, after which you should drop the leftover lemon inside the bowl.
- Next, place the bowl containing the lemon juice and lemon fruit inside the microwave. Leave it to microwave for up to 3 minutes or until the water starts to boil.
- After boiling, allow the steam from the boiling water in the bowl to saturate the interior of the microwave for up to 5 minutes; the trapped steam will soften any food gunk in the microwave within this period.
- Then, use the dishtowel to wipe the interior of the microwave. Make sure every part of the microwave is wiped clean, including the sides, the floor, the ceiling and the door.
Vinegar and steam
Vinegar is gentle on the microwave, but tough on stains. It is, therefore, safe to be used in cleaning your microwave. Check the processes involved below
What you need
- A sponge
- A toothpick
- A glass measuring cup or a microwave-safe bowl.
- Vinegar
- Water
- A drop of lemon essential oil as an optional addition
What to do
- Firstly, pour 2 cups of water into the bowl
- Next, add two tablespoons of vinegar
- Afterwards, add the lemon essential oil
- Then, drop the toothpick into the same bowl, and this will prevent the water from boiling over the edge of the bowl
- Microwave the bowl and its content for about 5 minutes.
- Allow the heated bowl to stay in the microwave for about 3 minutes to let the steam settle on the interior of the microwave and loosen all the food stains. The lemon oil added will get rid of any odour in the microwave.
The simple methods described above, aside from being non-toxic, are also very easy to apply.
The items required are very easy to obtain; some of them are also already available at home, which makes these methods inexpensive means to keep your microwave clean.
Vanessa integrates EMDR, sandtray, and attachment-focused approaches in her work and is completing credentials toward Registered Play Therapist and EMDRIA certification. With a background as a certified birth doula and a passion for making healing accessible, she writes and teaches on the intersection of trauma, neurodevelopment, and story-based therapy.
