All it takes to turn your sparkling microwave into a war zone is some leftover spaghetti. If you have been avoiding cleaning you microwave thinking it might be more hassle than you can handle, then we’ve got all the quick easy ways that you can use to clean a microwave. Whether you have the messiest microwave of all time or you just want to get the job done with minimal work. We have all of it covered.
Ways to clean a microwave
Lemon
You can easily clean your microwave without using any harsh chemicals; all you need is a simple ingredient that you will definitely find in your pantry. This trick is one of the easiest ways of cleaning your microwave. All you will need is a Lemon! All you need to do is, get ½ a cup of water and half a lemon. Squeeze the juice into the water and drop the remaining rinds into the water as well. Place the mixture in microwave on high power for 3 minutes till it boils. Let the mixture remain in the microwave for at least 5 minutes so that the steam works its way. As the water and lemon juice mixture boils, it condenses the sides of the microwave, this makes the entire gunk and food splatters to loosen up and dissolve. Remove the mixture carefully and if your microwave has a turntable, take it out and wipe it clean as well. Now all you need to do is get a towel and wipe everything clean. Put the turntable back and you are good to go.
If you have been avoiding cleaning your microwave, then this lemon trick will definitely keep your microwave sparkling clean.
Vinegar
Life couldn’t get any easier when all the products you need are lying in your kitchen. This simple trick requires only 1 magical ingredient: Vinegar. No matter how dirty or nasty your microwave is, this trick will clean everything. All you need to do is pour equal part of water and vinegar and place them in a bowl. Depending on how deeper you need to clean your microwave, measure your quantities of both water and vinegar. Ideally, half a cup of water and half a cup of vinegar is good enough but if you are looking for a deeper cleanse then go for 1 cup of water and one cup of vinegar. Place a wooden object like a small toothpick into the bowl of water and vinegar. This is only a cautionary step so the mixture won’t explode. Bubbles will start to boil on the wooden object as bubbles cant form on smooth surfaces. This causes it to explode when the bowl is moved suddenly, but most plates and bowls aren’t smooth so you don’t have to worry about it. Heat the bowl of vinegar and water for a minimum of 5 minutes and then leave it inside for the steam to work for some time. Remove the bowl from inside and take a sponge or a towel and wipe the entire gunk clean. Your microwave will look like a new one!
Baking soda
Another DIY for cleaning your microwave is using baking soda. Baking soda paste with water is a great way of wiping spills and gunk in no time. all you need to do is make a paste by adding water in baking soda, you will need 2 parts baking soda and one part water. Apply it directly to all the gunk and hard spills and let it sit for a good 5 minutes. Wipe the paste off with a towel or a sponge and you will be left with a clean microwave.
Dish Soap
Another method for cleaning your microwave is by using dish soap with water. Add a good amount of dish soap in warm water and place it in the microwave for at least a minute. Wait for the steam to do its work. Remove the bowl containing dish soap and water and wipe the microwave clean. You can also add baking soda to this mixture to remove the smell of dish soap.
Commercial cleansers
These types of cleansers can clean any type of mess in your microwave and also give a deep cleaning.
Cleaning microwaves aren’t as hard as you thought might be. You can opt for cleaning with commercial cleaners or just household products. The more frequently you use your microwave the more cleaning it will need in order to look new and clean.
Why should you clean your microwave regularly?
- Food spills in your microwave appear bad and decrease the efficiency of the microwave.
- A dirty microwave leads to germs and bacteria. They need heat and moisture to grow and dirty microwaves provide all of it. Dirty microwaves can pose health risks.
- If food isn’t covered, the steam from is will cause food spills to loosen up and fall into the food, resulting in contamination.
Tips for using a microwave
Even though cooking in a microwave has made our lives much easier, however, there are a few tips and rules for using a microwave. Below you will find a few tips that will help you in using a microwave.
- Never use a traditional metal cookware in your microwave, as the waves won’t be able to pass through the metal.
- It is preferred not to try recipes that require a lot of water in a microwave as the job can be done on a stove top in a much lesser time.
- Make sure that food is arranged appropriately so that the food is cooked evenly. For example, food of the same size should be arranged in a circle or a square, so that there is space between them and there is no item in the middle.
- Don’t forget to cover the dishes while cooking so that there are no spills. This also reduces cooking time.
- Cut food into small pieces.
- Pierce foods that have skin, e.g. sausage
- Check the different modes for optimum cooking
