How to Deep Clean a Microwave

Feeling overwhelmed by the mess in your microwave? Here is a handy guide on how to deep clean a microwave.

I don’t use my microwave for much other than warming food up. This also tends to be the messiest thing to use it for, especially when I have teenagers operating it who like to leave splatters everywhere. The good thing about a microwave is, they will often last for years and this means that regular deep cleaning needs to be done in order to keep them clean and sanitary for heating up food. Here are some tips on how to deep clean a microwave.

How to Deep Clean a Microwave

First, unplug your machine. This will make your cleaning endeavor safer and easier to do until we get to the inside.

Next, move your microwave away from where it normally sits on the counter. I am always amazed at how much accumulates under and behind mine. I like to do a quick wipe down of the area before moving on. This also gives me a chance to clean up the piles of random items and papers that seem to find their way to the top of my microwave as well.

When you have this done, you can wipe down the exterior. Pay special attention to the handle and the buttons as these are the spots that tend to be the messiest. I like to use a warm, wet rag and some dish soap and then wipe it down with a dry one. Put your microwave back in its usual spot.

Plug in your microwave. Place a microwave-safe glass container filled with about 1 cup of water, a few lemon slices (or a splash of lemon juice) and ¼ cup of plain white vinegar. Set your microwave to ‘cook’ this mixture on high until you see it coming to a boil. This should happen in just a couple minutes. After the cooking time stops, leave the solution in there (without opening the door) for an extra minute or two. This solution will help make tough things like grease or stuck-on crusty spills easy to remove.

Carefully remove the solution with oven mitts and set aside. Remove the turntable if your microwave has one and gently set it in the sink. In most cases, these are made of glass and can be run through a dishwasher, but they can also be hand washed.

Dip a rag into the solution and start to wipe off all the interior areas. Don’t forget the ‘ceiling’. If you have extra hard to remove areas, get an old toothbrush and use it to get into these corners. With a dry cloth, wipe out the microwave. Don’t forget the interior of the door!

Your microwave should be cleaned at least once a month like this and you can make it even easier by being diligent to wipe up spills when they happen.