5 Ways To Easily Clean Your Grimy Microwave

While some cooks may disdain the microwave as an inferior cooking method, we are definitely not in that camp. We use it for everything from poaching eggs quickly and easily to cooking crispy bacon to toasting pecans and other nuts, and we'll even acknowledge that it can bake a pretty decent cookie. Needless to say, after all that heavy use, the appliance gets pretty dirty, which means that it generally requires a thorough cleaning at least once a week. Unlike the regular oven, however, no harsh chemicals are required. Instead, a selection of basic household objects and pantry items can help to make cleaning the microwave one of the easier kitchen tasks.

If you are just spot-cleaning a one-time spill, you may only need one or two of these tips. For a thorough deep-clean, though, you can put them all together to make sure your microwave is pristine inside and out. We even have an eco-friendly tip for getting rid of the stink from burnt popcorn!

If your microwave is a real mess inside, walls and ceiling covered with cooked-on food splatters, the best way to start cleaning it is with steam. You can buy a cute little gadget from Amazon called the Angry Mama, or you can simply pour water in a bowl and heat it up. Some people (including me) stick with using just plain water since it does the real heavy lifting, while others add a few enhancements.

If you want to boost the water's cleaning power, you can add 1 tablespoon of either distilled white vinegar or lemon juice. Vinegar is by far the cheaper of the two options (though lemons smell nicer), but they both work just fine. Heat the water, whether enhanced or otherwise, for a few minutes, then let the microwave sit with the door closed for another few minutes so the steam can keep loosening the gunk. Once the steam dissipates, wipe off the grime with a cleaning cloth or sponge. If you've sacrificed a fresh lemon to the cause, you can even drop the rind in the bowl of water and then use this all-natural "sponge" to scrub down the walls of the microwave once it cools down.

Baking soda is a true kitchen workhorse. Not only can you use it to bake cookies, as its name implies, but you can also add it to meat marinades, stir it into beans to reduce malodorous side effects, and use it to clean small appliances like the coffee pot and, yes, the microwave. One way to harness its cleaning power is to add a few spoonfuls to a bowl of water before steaming, much as you'd do with the vinegar or lemon juice mentioned above. Although the latter two are acidic and baking soda is alkaline, both acid and alkaline products are good for breaking down dirt (though not together, as they neutralize each other).

For particularly stubborn food spots inside the microwave that adhere even after steam-cleaning, you can make a paste with baking soda and water and use this mild abrasive to scrub them away. If you need to put a little extra oomph behind the scrubbing, use a plastic paint scraper. It won't damage the microwave's interior and should peel the gunk right off.

To get the microwave as clean as possible, you'll want to wipe down the outside with dish soap and water. Apply a little solution to a damp sponge, then use it to remove any fingerprints and random smears. If your microwave has a stainless steel finish, rub along the grain, not against it, for best results. You can use dish soap inside the microwave, too, especially if the walls and inside door still feel greasy even after the steam 'n' scrub. Wherever you've wiped with your soapy sponge, follow up by rinsing the areas with a clean sponge or cloth dipped in water sans soap.

Don't forget to clean the microwave turntable as well. The best way to do so is to take it out of the appliance and use dish soap to hand-wash it in the sink. This way, you can clean the underside as well as the top. If you have a dishwasher, you could also run the turntable through a wash cycle.

If your microwave is built-in to your kitchen, particularly if it's mounted above the oven, it may have a removable filter. While the filter, unlike the turntable, isn't likely to be dishwasher-safe, you can (and should) clean it in a sinkful of dish soap and water. You'll need to let it soak a bit to remove all of the trapped grease, but it should be considerably cleaner after 10 minutes. If not, add 4 tablespoons of baking soda and give it 10 more minutes.

Microwaves have vents on the top, often located above the door, though they may have some below it as well. They keep the appliance from getting too hot, so it's important to make sure they're kept clean and free from any buildup. If you see that your vent covers can be easily removed, you may be able to wash the vents by soaking them in soapy water, although you'll need to make sure they are completely dry before reinstalling them.

If you can't see how to remove the vents or a portion of the microwave doesn't appear detachable, don't try to force things. Instead, simply use an old toothbrush to scrub the schmutz out of them. If you want to get deeper inside the vents, you can also use a straw brush (like one from this set sold on Amazon) or wrap a cloth around a slim wooden skewer.

If you've opted to steam clean your microwave using water enhanced by either baking soda, lemon juice, or vinegar, all three cleaning products will help to neutralize any odors inside to some extent. If you've recently heated up extra-stinky fish or burned a bag of popcorn, however, you may want to haul out the big guns. There's no need to purchase an expensive specialty item for this purpose since we're talking about something you'd probably otherwise throw in the trash: dried coffee grounds.

Coffee grounds can help to banish all manner of kitchen odors, from inside the fridge to the trash can, and you can even use them to scrub your hands after you've been chopping onions or garlic. To de-stink a microwave, pour 1 cup of dried grounds into a bowl, then let it sit inside the closed appliance overnight (or all day, whichever is more convenient). A quicker, but potentially messier, alternative involves mixing 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds into ½ cup of water and then heating it for about 30 seconds.