How to Clean a Microwave

For most of us, the microwave has become an indispensable kitchen tool. Today’s models are far more powerful than those of yesteryear, and many include different cooking technologies that help create delicious meals without the use of the oven or stove. They’re versatile, powerful, and easy enough for anyone to use. However, as anyone who’s ever left a bowl of tomato soup uncovered in the microwave knows, it takes very little to turn that pristine interior into something from a horror movie. Even if your food doesn’t explode, there’s a very good chance that small particles are still clinging to the inside of the microwave. Those bits of food and liquid are more than just eyesores and need to be cleaned.

Not sure how to clean your microwave? Tough, stuck-on stains giving you problems? Not to worry. This guide will walk you through everything necessary to get the interior of your microwave back to like-new condition no matter how many meals’ worth of food is stuck to the walls, door, and/or turntable.

Why Should I Clean My Microwave?

There are several reasons that you should clean out that dried-on grime inside your microwave:

1. It’s a breeding ground for bacteria.
2. It creates nasty odors that can contaminate the food you cook in the microwave.
3. It can interfere with microwave operations if it gets bad enough.

Cleaning your microwave regularly is a good idea. It’s also far simpler than you might think, and even the messiest of microwave ovens should only take a few minutes to clean. Of course, you’ll need to know how to clean your microwave, and we’ll explore several different methods below.

Preventative Steps

While cleaning a microwave is pretty simple, you can make it even easier if you follow just a few preventative steps:

• Cover any open container of food with a paper towel. This will help prevent spatter from collecting on the top, sides, and bottom of the microwave.
• If you prefer, you can purchase a microwave cover designed to go over bowls, cups, and other dishes while in the microwave.
• Clean up messes right away. If you notice that something’s spilled, wipe it up with a paper towel as soon as it is safe (wait for it to cool).

Preparing to Clean

While there’s not a lot to cleaning the interior of your microwave, there are a few things that will need to be done first. These preparation steps help ensure that you’re able to get the microwave as clean as possible:

• Check the amount of mess that needs to be cleaned. Don’t go into the cleaning process unprepared. You will need to follow different steps if you have a lot of buildup than if your microwave is only lightly soiled.
• Wipe out crumbs and loose debris first. A little bit of initial wiping will help you see just how serious the task is.
• Don’t neglect to clean under the turntable (we’ll cover cleaning the turntable and ring in a separate step in this guide).

Basic Cleaning

The simplest method of cleaning requires nothing more than a little water and some dish soap, plus a little bit of elbow grease. This is how it works:

1. Put a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup filled with 1 cup of water into the microwave. Microwave it on high for three to four minutes. The goal here is to boil the water and cover the interior of the microwave with steam, which will soften dried food debris.
2. Remove the turntable and ring.
3. Get a soft cleaning cloth and dip it into water mixed with dish soap. Then use this to wipe down the interior of the microwave to remove all the grime.
4. Get a second cloth and clean water. Dip the cloth in the clean water and wring it out, then wipe the soap residue out of the microwave.
5.  (Optional) If you have hydrogen peroxide on hand, spray in the microwave to disinfect and wipe down a third time.
6. Lastly, wipe the interior dry with a paper towel.

The basic method outlined above is good for regular cleaning. However, if you’ve got some pretty caked-on debris, you may find that you need a little more cleaning power.

Cleaning with Citrus

Citrus fruit like lemons, limes, and even oranges, are renowned for their ability to help clean stuck-on grease and grime. Plus, they leave everything smelling delightful. For this tip, you’ll need to follow some basic steps:

1. Get one citrus fruit (lemons are recommended, but limes or oranges will work, too).
2. Squeeze the fruit firmly in your hands for a few seconds. It should feel softer when you are done.
3. Cut the fruit in half and squeeze as much juice as you can into a microwave-safe bowl.
4. Add 1 cup of water and the squeezed fruit halves.
5. Microwave on high for up to 10 minutes (you want the water to boil and steam to fill the inside of the microwave).
6. Let the microwave sit for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the bowl, turntable, and ring.
8. Wipe down the inside of the microwave with a clean, damp cloth.
9. (Optional) If you have hydrogen peroxide on hand, spray in the microwave to disinfect and wipe down a third again.
10. Dry the interior with another clean cloth.

Cleaning with Vinegar

Vinegar is a powerful, all-natural cleaner that can help make short work of a dirty microwave. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Add two cups of water and two tablespoons of vinegar to a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Note that if you don’t like the smell of vinegar, you can add a couple of drops of your preferred essential oil to the water to cover it up.
2. Microwave the water and vinegar mix for up to 10 minutes, allowing steam to build up and coat the interior of the microwave.
3. Let it sit for about 15 minutes after it cuts off.
4. Remove the bowl, the turntable, and the ring.
5. Using a clean, damp rag, wipe out the interior of the microwave.
6. (Optional) If you have hydrogen peroxide on hand, spray in the microwave to disinfect and wipe down again.
7. Dry it with a clean rag.
8. If you still have stubborn spots of buildup after performing the above steps, dip the cleaning rag into straight vinegar and use it to scrub the spots away.

How to Clean a Microwave Turntable

The turntable supports your bowls, plates, cups, and other vessels during cooking. It also collects a lot of grime at the same time. There are several ways that you can clean it. If you followed any the cleaning steps above, then your turntable should be ready to clean. The steam and other ingredients should have softened any buildup enough that you can begin working it loose with a damp rag. Do this in the sink. Once you’ve got the grime off, just rinse it with clean water and dry it.

Alternatively, you can put a dirty turntable directly into a sink filled with hot soapy water. Allow it to soak for about 10 minutes and then wash it clean. Dry it with a clean cloth and you’re done.

How to Clean a Turntable Ring

The ring is what supports the turntable and allows it to spin (in conjunction with the microwave’s central spindle). It should be cleaned at the same time as the turntable. The ring itself is likely clean, but the wheels will pick up any grease or debris that might be on the floor of the microwave. Wash it in the same soapy water as the turntable, dry it, and replace it.

How to Clean the Microwave Door

Use the same basic tips above to clean the interior of the microwave door. However, you’ll need to pay close attention to certain parts of the door:

• Clean around the latches that anchor the door to the body of the microwave.
• Clean the rubber gasket around the door to remove grease, crumbs, and other debris that has built up.
• Note that you can use a mixture of water and mild dish soap, you can go with window cleaner, or you can use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water here.

How to Clean the Exterior of the Microwave

While the inside of the microwave is definitely in need of more attention than the outside, you do need to pay attention to the exterior. Dust, dirt, fingerprints, grease – these are just a few of the things that will build up. Here are the steps to follow in cleaning the outside of your microwave:

• Dust the top, sides, and back using a duster or a clean cloth.
• Spritz a different clean cloth with glass cleaner.
• Wipe down the front of the door and the control panel (you may want to unplug the microwave while doing this if yours does not have a control lock function).
• You can also use a little soapy water instead of glass cleaner.

Keep It Clean

Once you have your microwave thoroughly cleaned, you just need some basic microwave maintenance to keep it that way. Wipe up spills immediately, clean up spatter as soon as it’s cooled, and take time to clean the interior once every few months. If you have any additional questions about keeping your appliances in great shape, reach out to us at AppliancePartsPros.com. We are here to help.