How To Thoroughly Clean Microwave Oven At Home?

Though the advanced microwaves have a steam clean to reduce your cleaning stress, but can’t match the effectiveness of manual cleaning. 

And when it’s about cleaning stubborn stains and residue, vinegar is the most effective, safe, and reliable kitchen pantry staple. 

You can effectively clean your microwave oven cavity with proportionately mixed water and vinegar solution in minutes without paying extra for any commercial cleansers that could damage the microwave coating.

Follow the below steps for cleaning your microwave oven with vinegar and water mixture:

1. Take any bottled vinegar and make a 50 – 50 water and vinegar solution in a microwave-safe bowl.

2. Now place this bowl inside with a dipped wooden spoon and run it for 5 minutes to disperse the steam in the entire cavity. This will loosen the grime. Dipping a wooden spoon will prevent overboiling and exploding by destabilizing the bubbles.

3. Then carefully remove the bowl and dip a sponge to gently clean the microwave oven with vinegar and water mixture and repeat till you are satisfied and your microwave cavity is sparkling and smelling fresh.

The second most common and effective home ingredient is lemon which has acidic properties to dissolve grease and remove stains by leaving a refreshing smell.

Here is a quick lemon remedy to help you daily clean your microwave without those commercial cleaners that are harsh on your hands and microwave enamel.

1. Take 1 fresh lemon and a microwave-safe bowl with water

2. Cut half the lemon to squeeze the juice into the bowl including the peels

3. Then microwave this mixture for 3 minutes and turn it off with the bowl inside and door closed to release the steam inside the cavity.

4. Take out the bowl cautiously after some time and also, remove the turntable to wash them immediately. 

5. Now use a damp sponge or cloth to wipe the softened grease off the entire cavity and also rub the lemon peels to clean tough stains from every nook of your microwave.

To deep clean a microwave oven from the inside, dish soap is another affordable ingredient in your kitchen. 

Here is how to use dish soap to sparkle this dependable kitchen appliance.

1. All you need is to grate a small portion of the bar into a microwave-compatible container and pour warm water followed by a good stir. You can also use liquid dish soap.

2. Then transfer this bowl to microwave the mixture for 6 minutes till it starts boiling.

3. Let the boiling solution be inside with the door closed so that it splatters in the entire cavity and then turn off the appliance.

4. After some time, take the bowl out while the water is still warm and dip a soft sponge to effortlessly wipe the softened grime, and rub gently through the walls and ceilings of the cavity to create foam.

5. Now wipe the foam with a wet clean cloth, I generally use a wet sponge wipe to clean the soap foam.

Repeat this process till the lather is removed and then pat dry the interior with a soft cloth for a satisfying cleaning.

A microwave interior can get gruesomely dirty on excess use and lack of regular cleaning. But with a pack of baking soda, you can solve this issue in 2 easy ways, like this:

1. Remove the turntable and support ring first and then sprinkle some dry baking soda or make a smooth paste with water to apply inside, especially on the stained areas.

2. Then dampen a soft cloth in warm water and gently scrub all over inside the microwave. Rinse the cloth and repeat till every trace of baking soda is cleaned along with the grease and oil inside the microwave cavity.

Here is the other one, where you need to

1. Mix 2 spoons of bakings soda with a cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl.

2. Then microwave the solution for 3 minutes till it starts boiling and disperse the steam all over inside.

3. Remove the bowl after some time and wipe the cavity with a soft cloth to give your microwave a thorough cleaning after every use.

I find this method easier than the previous one as it takes less effort and time.

If you are still unsure about the efficiency of our recommended home remedies and prefer to go with a commercial method then you can go with a microwave oven cleaning liquid available in the market. 

I use Colin to clean the outside of the microwave and OTG as well. But there is another cleaning liquid named Cif Perfect Finish Oven Cleaner made specifically for microwave ovens. 

The cleaner is formulated to be tough on burnt-on food, and tough grease. 

All you need to do is simply spray on the greasy interior and exterior of the microwave and let the liquid rest for a few seconds, then wipe it with a sponge wipe or clean cloth to restore the shine of your microwave oven.

Using a microwave cleaning liquid is undoubtedly faster and offers a hassle-free daily cleaning.

On the safer side, if you are using this liquid to clean the interior of your microwave oven then after cleaning you should follow the below steps so that no chemical residue is left inside, and absorbed by the food when you are cooking in your microwave. 

Here’s what you can do after cleaning your microwave with the liquid. (I generally follow this as a precautionary measure):

1. Wait for 10 minutes after cleaning the microwave with the liquid, keep the door of the microwave open so that it does not smell of the liquid cleaner. 

2. Now take a bowl of warm water and dip a soft sponge or cloth and wipe the interior once. Pat dry. This will remove any smell or residue of the liquid.

Besides using these two homely ingredients separately, you can also combine them in equal parts with water in a heatproof bowl to thoroughly clean a greasy microwave inside out.

Don’t freak out with the bubbles as it is a result of the reaction between baking soda and vinegar. 

This is one strong and safe mixture to deep clean a heavily dirty microwave quickly and effectively.

1. After making this combined solution, transfer the bowl inside the microwave to boil the mixture for a good 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Switch off the microwave and keep the hot bowl inside with the door closed to let the steam rest on the cavity walls and ceilings.

3. The steam will immediately start working on the tough grime and residue to ease cleaning for you.

4. Now take the bowl out and also remove the turntable carefully as it may still be a bit warm.

5. Gently wipe the microwave cavity with a soft sponge wipe and you will be surprised and all satisfied with the sparkling result.

As mentioned above, there are a number of ways to clean inside the microwave like using vinegar, baking soda, lemon, or cleaning liquid, but my personal favorite is using dish soap solution.

Here’s what you can do to clean the inside of the microwave with dish soap:

1. All you need is to grate a small portion of the bar into a microwave-compatible container and pour warm water followed by a good stir. You can also use any dish soap liquid like Vim or Pril.

2. Then transfer this bowl to microwave the mixture for 6 minutes till it starts boiling.

3. Let the boiling solution be inside with the door closed so that it splatters in the entire cavity and then turn off the appliance.

4. After some time, take the bowl out while the water is still warm and dip a soft sponge to effortlessly wipe the softened grime, and rub gently through the walls and ceilings of the cavity to create foam.

5. Now wipe the foam with a wet clean cloth, I generally use a wet sponge wipe to clean the soap foam.

6. Repeat this process till the lather is removed and then pat dry the interior with a soft cloth for a satisfying cleaning.

If you keep your microwave near the stove then there are high chances that it will get oil and grease stains easily, even though you are keeping your kitchen chimney on. 

If your microwave is highly stained with all the oil and cooking splatter then the best way to clean it is with Cif Perfect Finish Oven Cleaner.

Spray this liquid on your microwave body and leave it for a couple of minutes, then wipe it with a soft sponge wipe or cloth.

If your microwave oven does not get heavily stained with cooking oil and grease, but the body does get sticky due to the oil fumes in the kitchen then the best way to clean it is with a soap solution.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Put a few drops of dishwasher liquid in a small bowl and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of warm water. Mix it well.

2. Spray cold water on the outside body of the microwave

3. Now take a soft sponge wipe or cloth and dip it in the solution

4. Gently start scrubbing the body of your microwave till it starts forming a lather. 

5. Now wipe the body of the microwave will a clean wet sponge.

Repeat the process if needed. Pat dry.

Your microwave is as sparkling as new.

You can deep clean the inside of your microwave with lemon, vinegar, baking soda, microwave cleaning liquid, or dish soap.

To deep clean the outside of your microwave I would suggest you use either a cleaning liquid or dish soap.

We have described the step by step process for all of these in the above sections of this blog post. Check them out.

The safe kitchen ingredients you can use to clean the inside of your microwave are either vinegar, lemon, or baking soda. You can also use a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. 

These are the most common items found in every kitchen which you can safely use while cleaning the microwave cavity and turntable.

For step by step process on how to use each of these ingredients to clean the microwave, refer to the above sections of this blog post.