A microwave oven is a commonly used kitchen appliance around the world. It is used in almost every household for cooking and baking food. It is mainly used for reheating already cooked food or making food that would otherwise burn very easily on stovetop cooking. Some of the foods that are cooked using a microwave oven are porridge, chocolate, butter, and other fats. These, when cooked on the stovetop, will form into a lump or completely get burnt making them unsuitable for consumption. Like all cooking utensils and appliances, a microwave oven also gets dirty when it is used for cooking. The cleaning of the microwave should be done very carefully. This is because a small mistake here could end up damaging your microwave permanently.
The interior and exterior panels of the microwave should be cleaned regularly so that there are no hard stains and grease sticking on to the appliance. It is also important to clean the microwave frequently so that the interior of the appliance doesn’t retain any smell of the food that is being cooked or reheated. There are a number of ways to clean a microwave oven thoroughly. Some of them are discussed below.
Know the difference between microwave and oven here.
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Methods Of Cleaning A Microwave Oven
1. Paper Towels
One of the common methods of cleaning the insides of a microwave oven is with the use of wet paper towels. This method is considered as one of the easiest and less time-consuming methods of all. This is also the method that doesn’t need a lot of work because it doesn’t require a special solution to be made for the cleaning process.
All that this method needs are a bunch of wet paper towels. In this method, the cleaning of the microwave is done with the help of steam and water. The method of cleaning with wet paper towels is done by placing a handful of wet paper towels inside the microwave and then switching on the microwave oven and keeping it in high heat for about 3-5 minutes.
Once the required time is over, all one needs to do is wipe the inside of the microwave with the same paper towels to wipe off grease and stains. The steaming of wet paper towels will create water vapor which will ease the person’s job to wipe the stains off the inner walls of the microwave oven.
2. Soda and water solution
Another method of cleaning the food stains and food residue that has been spilled inside the microwave oven is a solution that is made with the help of baking soda and water. Baking soda is made into a paste-like form to act as a stain removal agent. Two parts of baking soda are added to one part of water. Once the paste is made, you need to apply the same on the places where the food has been spilled and then let the paste rest for five or ten minutes.
This resting of paste will help in easily removing the stains that are stubbornly attached to the turntable or the oven surface of the microwave. After five or ten minutes of the resting period, it can be wiped off with the help of a soft sponge. After wiping off the stains from the turntable or the surface with the help of a sponge, use a wet paper towel to clean the area thoroughly so that no residue is left behind.
Here’s a guide to types of microwave ovens you can purchase for regular use.
3. Water and vinegar
An effective method for cleaning the insides of the microwave oven is to clean them with the help of water and vinegar. First, water and vinegar are mixed together to make a solution. This is done by pouring water into a microwave-safe bowl and then adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to it. Once the solution is prepared, place the same inside the oven and microwave for five minutes or more on high heat. After heating, take out the bowl from inside the microwave and clean the insides of the microwave with the help of a clean soft cloth or with paper towels. The steam created due to the microwaving will help in making the cleaning process easier, as the hard stains would have loosened by now.
4. Water, baking soda and vinegar
The method of cleaning the entire inner portion of the microwave oven is done with the help of three simple ingredients. These are water, vinegar, and baking soda. In this method, four tablespoons of baking soda are added to a quart of water. Make sure the baking soda is completely dissolved in water. Then, immerse a clean soft into the baking soda solution to wipe the interiors of the microwave oven with the wet cloth.
Once the wiping is over, fill a microwave-safe bowl with equal parts of water and vinegar. And then place this bowl inside the microwave oven and put it on high heat for three to five minutes. Once the heating is over, let the bowl sit inside the microwave oven for about ten to twelve minutes. This resting of the bowl after heating helps in easier cleaning of stains because of the steam that has been formed inside.
After resting the bowl, open the microwave and take out the bowl, turntable, and carousel. Clean the turntable and carousel-like you would clean any kitchenware and then wipe the insides of the microwave thoroughly with the help of a clean cloth. This is the most affordable way of cleaning a microwave oven because all the ingredients are probably available in everyone’s kitchen.
5. Lemon
Trying to use lemon as an ingredient to clean a microwave? Here’s how you do it. In this method, cut a lemon into two halves and place them on a flat plate (microwave friendly) with the flat portions of the lemon facing downwards. To this plate, add a tablespoon of water and put it inside the microwave oven and turn on the heat for a minute. Once the steam can be seen through the microwave oven door, switch the microwave off and then clean the insides of the microwave with a clean soft cloth.
6. Dish-wash soap
The microwave oven interiors can be cleaned with the help of dishwashing soap. The first thing to do is the same as explained in the methods already mentioned above. Start by taking a bowl of water. To this bowl add enough dishwashing soap and put the bowl inside the oven. Turn the microwave oven on and let it remain on high heat for two to five minutes. Clean the insides of the microwave oven with a clean cloth. Make sure to clean all the droplets formed inside the microwave oven due to steam formed during the heating.
Things to keep in mind while cleaning a microwave oven
- The first and foremost thing is to make sure there are no dust residues on the outer portion of the microwave oven. Before dusting off the outer portion make sure to remove the microwave oven plug from the socket. After that, dust off all the assimilated dust and then plug back the microwave oven back into the socket.
- While heating water inside the microwave oven, make sure that after the steaming process, the inner parts are all thoroughly wiped off of any water residues. If there are water residues present, it may corrode the inner walls of the microwave oven.
- Make sure to use only microwave-safe bowls and plates for the steaming process. If microwave-safe bowls or plates are not used, the chances of the cookware breaking are high, which in turn would damage the microwave oven itself.
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