Do Us A Favor And Clean Your Microwave Already

No matter how much of a home cook you are, you likely use your microwave on the regular. It's a shortcut for a multitude of tasks like melting butter, heating sauces, and even cooking bacon. With all that going on, it probably takes a beating. Splatters, stains, spills — it's not uncommon for these to occur, and for us to think, "I'll deal with it later, I'm in a hurry now." But, there's a major reason why you should take cleaning your microwave seriously.

A study recently published in Frontiers in Microbiology found that microwaves can be home to unique bacterial microbiomes, despite the high heat that they put out. While some might believe that the high temperatures reached inside microwaves kill microorganisms, the study showed this is not the case. Instead, researchers found over 700 different types of bacteria inside tested microwaves, most of which were harmless, but some of which could cause food poisoning. These findings suggest that microwaves aren't the sterile environments previously thought and need to be regularly cleaned and disinfected.

If you don't use your microwave all that often (a major culinary flex, not going to lie), then you probably don't really need to clean it too often, unless you're making a huge mess whenever you do rev it up. Most home cooks should clean their microwaves about once a week, or once a month if it's used less frequently. Now, this is important, so listen up: You should absolutely spot-clean your microwave right away whenever something bubbles over or splatters inside it.

Failure to do so can lead to caked-on, hard-to-remove spills, as well as pervading odors, and it can create an environment where heat-resistant bacteria can thrive. Again, while most of the bacteria found in the Frontiers in Microbiology research study would not cause harm, some could. Do you really want to risk getting sick just to avoid cleaning the microwave?

To give your microwave the cleaning it's been waiting for, you'll first want to loosen up any gunk that's accumulated. To do this, microwave a bowl of water with sliced lemon in it for around three minutes. You can then wait five minutes before opening the door to let the steam do its work.

Remove the dish (it'll still be hot, so you might want to use pot holders), as well as the carousel tray and track. The latter two items can go into your sink or your dishwasher for a good scrub. Using a soft towel or paper towels, wipe down the interior of the microwave, making sure to remove all food splatter traces. 

To disinfect your microwave and get rid of any nasty bacteria that might still be lurking, you will need to use a microwave-safe disinfectant spray. Spritz it into the chamber, wait a few minutes, and then wipe down the interior thoroughly. Don't forget to clean the outside with a disinfecting spray, too.