By my estimation, about 16% of you are right now thinking I'm supposed to clean the microwave?And most of the other 84% are thinking Didn't I just clean the microwave last summer? Is it time to clean it again already?
Yes, you should probably clean your microwave. And you should probably clean it every week...or maybe every two weeks if you don't use it very much.
But fret not: even if you haven't cleaned your microwave since approximately one hundred and fifty seven leftover spaghetti reheats ago, I can help! ( No, I won't clean your microwave for you. Or your fridge. Or your oven. I will however reorganize your closets in exchange for a bag of chocolate covered almonds and a subscription to Style at Home magazine.)
How to clean you microwave in 4 easy steps:
1) Put 1 cup of vinegar in a glass microwaveable bowl and microwave it on high until it's boiling and has covered the walls of the microwave in vinegary condensation. (this takes about 5 minutes in mine)
Let sit 3 minutes.
2) Carefully remove the bowl of vinegar. With a cloth or paper towel, wipe the surfaces clean. If there are some really stuck on messes, use a scrubby suitable for non-stick cookware.
3) clean the turntable in warm soapy dish water. Dry and put back.
4)Wipe down the outside of your microwave with a damp cloth.
Wasn't that easy? Since you are going to have a cup of warm vinegar when you are done, sprinkle some baking soda down your kitchen drain while heating the vinegar and then (carefully!) pour the warm vinegar down the drain. Bye-bye sinky stinkies!
(Note: consult your microwave's manual for any special instructions. It may, for example, have a grease filter that needs to be cleaned. So read the manual. Seriously.)
This is how I clean my microwave and it works great...I also add a little bit of lemon (squeezed fresh or from the little bottle that looks like a lemon that's already squeezed) and this adds a nicer smell than just the vinegar :)
ReplyDeleteI've never added lemon but I LOVE the idea! I am definitely going to do that next time! Thanks Cheryl :)
ReplyDeleteI use vinegar a lot but never thought of adding lemon. I guess I thought it would just add to the already overpowering scent. I'm gonna try it!
ReplyDeletewhere have you been all my life?! whoa! I've spent like an hour at your site. I love all of your cleaning tips. Paper towels in the produce trays? Why didn't I think of that?! I'm headed off to clean the microwave now.
ReplyDeleteI want to print your whole website and make a book out of it, so I never forget the things I'm reading. My mom is a wonderful person, but she was a slob and taught me the same things. I got married 5 years ago at the age of 19 and have really struggled to break old habbits and find new ways to be clean and organized. I am loving these tips!
ReplyDeleteOk, this post, just changed my life. I haven't cleaned my microwave since, well, I bought it over a year ago *shame*. I just thought I would have to scrub and scrub it but I just did this vinegar trick and it worked like magic! I can't wait for my husband to open the microwave and stand there in total shock, haha! Oh and PS: your entire site is fabulous -- I've been spending copious amounts of time on here as of late and I love it -- thanks for taking the time to make such a great blog :)
ReplyDeleteI found this post via Pinterest as I was searching for a better way to clean my microwave and I must say, this did the trick! Also I followed your directions for folding a fitted sheet and I have never folded a better looking fitted sheet! Thanks so much for all the info!
ReplyDeletelove love love your site! cleaning my microwave as I type. you should write a book!
ReplyDeleteThis worked beautifully!! I have 3 boys so a clean microwave doesn't last around here. But this is so much easier and I can do it more often. Thank you and I absolutely love your site!
ReplyDeleteI love this trick for cleaning the microwave. I have to admit that yours wasn't the first place I saw it, but it's still great. I've heard of people putting a tsp of vanilla extract in with the vinegar (or water) too. I also have to say, like someone else did, that I LOVE knowing how to fold a fitted sheet now. Everytime I fold one, I'm in happy land knowing it isn't just a bunched up wad of sheet trying to be "folded". :D
ReplyDeleteIf I send you my address, will you please come organize my closets? I can definitely deliver on the chocolate, but you'll have to point me in the direction of the magazine. Small price to pay for help on a serious closet problem! :0)
ReplyDeleteI read this tip about cleaning microwaves somewhere else, but that post forgot to mention to let it stand. If you don't a lot of vinegar steam flood the kitchen and burn your eyes. I usually let it stand a little longer, like 10 minutes.
ReplyDeleteI tried this tip over the weekend and it worked WONDERFULLY!! Our microwave is old...19years old this month, we got it as a wedding gift, so it still has stains and such, but this made it so easy to clean! It changed what used to be a chore to a quick 'under 10 minute' job (including heating the vinegar)!
ReplyDeleteI am SO glad I found your site! One of my chores is to clean the microwave and I used to spend so much time scrubbing, now cleaning the microwave is a breeze. Your site is so useful and even though I'm only 13 I am definitely using your tips in the future!! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteWill you accept chocolate in exchange for organizing a craft room? Mine is a total disaster right now.
ReplyDeleteI tried this trick and like everyone else said, it really does work! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteJust be careful microwaving vinegar since it's concentrated steam can burn in the worst way. Don't stand above the microwave when opening it as the steam rises it will burn your eyes/nose/skin as it comes up and out if it's got a good boil going during the microwave time.
ReplyDeleteWow!! I just cleaned my microwave and that was easy!! Thank you for the great cleaning tip!!
ReplyDeleteWhat about microwave ovens with metal interiors???? Same instructions?????
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, thank you!! I do the annoyed wipe down each week, but never make any progress. YOU'RE A GENIUS!!
ReplyDeleteI just tried it and it worked great, much better than a wet sponge with baking soda zapped for 30 seconds, which was my previous method. So easy! Thanks for the tip! ~Sandy
ReplyDeleteSO helpful and easy! I used the leftover heated vinegar to scrub down the outside of my oven and counters. Thanks for a great tip to cut down on cleaning time!
ReplyDeleteI use just lemmon, it smells pretty good and cleans better than vinegar.
ReplyDeleteAmazing it worked great and is very easy !!! thanks for the help!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHere's what I do, I use a damp paper towel to cover my reheated food. When I'm done, I remove the damp and warm paper towel and wipe the inside of the microwave. This is pretty easy to prevent a mess and keep up with it. Of course I do clean it as well. Is there anything vinegar can't clean?
ReplyDeleteI discovered this worked the other day, by accident. Yes, my microwave was in terrible shape and I had tried heating water to help clean it, but it didn't work well at all.
ReplyDeleteI was heating up vinegar to soak a shower head to clean it. I then realized that the gook in the microwave just melted away! My microwave is spotless now with very little effort!! :)